South Pacific (2001)

"Bad"

South Pacific (2001) Review


I mean this in the best possible way. Glenn Close has become an extremely handsome gentleman in recent years. That skanky wench from Fatal Attraction is long gone. Today we've got the freshly shorn, makeup-free star of Paradise Road and now South Pacific, a remake I don't recall anyone asking for.

Based on the classic musical play (and -- I didn't know this -- a James Michener novel), South Pacific is a Pearl Harborish tale of love found during World War II on a small island located somewhere you can probably figure out. There's intrigue and bombs a-droppin', but that doesn't mean there's no time for nookie!

South Pacific starts out mediocre but, by the time we're rounding the second hour (it's 135 long minutes in total) the made-for-TV movie has lost any energy it once had. I could go on and on about how the love affair between fogies Close and Rade Sherbedzija (Milich from Eyes Wide Shut) is unbelievable and unbearable, but the real problem with South Pacific is the way it is told. Musicals demand spectacle, especially modern ones (see Moulin Rouge). South Pacific has a couple of big numbers (a frightening Close prancing about in her underwear to "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair" is not one of the highlights), but by and large the songs are sung on people's balconies, face to face. The camera zooms in close for Sherbedzija's "Some Enchanted Evening," making it painfully obvious the singing has been dubbed in and causing every pore on his face stand out. (In fact, the only song worth hearing is Harry Connick Jr.'s "My Girl Back Home." Alas, it was cut from the film and you'll have to dig it up on the DVD's extras.)

That's romance?



Facts and Figures

Reviews

Contactmusic.com: 1.5 / 5

Cast & Crew

Director: Richard Pearce

Producer: Christine A. Sacani

Contactmusic


Links


New Movies

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

After the thunderous reception for J.J. Abrams' Episode VII: The Force Awakens two years ago,...

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Like the 2015 original, this comedy plays merrily with cliches to tell a silly story...

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

There's a somewhat contrived jauntiness to this blending of fact and fiction that may leave...

Ferdinand Movie Review

Ferdinand Movie Review

This animated comedy adventure is based on the beloved children's book, which was published in...

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Director Dave McCary makes a superb feature debut with this offbeat black comedy, which explores...

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

A dramatisation of the real-life clash between tennis icons Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs,...

Shot Caller Movie Review

Shot Caller Movie Review

There isn't much subtlety to this prison thriller, but it's edgy enough to hold the...

Advertisement
The Disaster Artist Movie Review

The Disaster Artist Movie Review

A hilariously outrageous story based on real events, this film recounts the making of the...

Stronger Movie Review

Stronger Movie Review

Based on a true story about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, this looks like one...

Only the Brave Movie Review

Only the Brave Movie Review

Based on a genuinely moving true story, this film undercuts the realism by pushing its...

Wonder Movie Review

Wonder Movie Review

This film may be based on RJ Palacio's fictional bestseller, but it approaches its story...

Happy End  Movie Review

Happy End Movie Review

Austrian auteur Michael Haneke isn't known for his light touch, but rather for hard-hitting, award-winning...

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Seemingly from out of nowhere, this film generates perhaps the biggest smile of any movie...

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

A Victorian thriller with rather heavy echoes of Jack the Ripper, this film struggles to...

Advertisement
Artists
Actors
    Filmmakers
      Artists
      Bands
        Musicians
          Artists
          Celebrities
             
              Artists
              Interviews