The producers of ”Twenty-one” may be hoping to do for British actress Patsy Kensit what John Schlesinger`s ”Darling” did for Julie Christie back in 1965-turn a young performer into the face and spirit of a generation.
Kensit, who was a very attractive presence in ”Lethal Weapon II” and
”Absolute Beginners,” has the face, all right, but the spirit isn`t quite there.
At least as directed by Don Boyd, a successful producer (”Aria”) who is returning to directing after a 14-year hiatus, the blond, blue-eyed Kensit seems pretty but shallow, blessed with an engaging, open smile but limited by a face that doesn`t project much beyond a frozen, model-like perfection.
It doesn`t help that the screenplay Boyd and his co-writer, Zoe Heller, have concocted for her seems to consist of an endless succession of scenes in which weak-willed men-including her tippling father (Jack Shepherd) and Scottish junkie boyfriend (Rufus Sewell)-tearfully confess their shortcomings and insecurities.
It`s up to Kensit`s character, Katie, to hold and comfort them. Although the film begins with salacious suggestions of free sexuality-Katie swears a lot and sports lacy, see-through dresses-it becomes clear that she has the heart and interests of a saint.
After the Swinging `60s and the Me Generation, Boyd seems to have decided that the `90s will be the Co-Dependency Decade.
Katie does need to ask herself why she makes a habit of such questionable male companions: Her other boyfriends include a callous barrister (Patrick Ryecart) who tries to seduce her on his wedding day and a Jamaican musician
(Maynard Eziashi, of ”Mister Johnson”) with whom she enjoys a warm, friendly and purely platonic relationship, perhaps because he`s too nice a guy to sleep with.
Yet the character reflects practically no self-consciousness, preferring to present herself, in the speeches she addresses directly to the camera, as a pure victim of circumstance.
”Twenty-one” would probably seem more bearable if its deck hadn`t been so thoroughly and transparently stacked. Katie is the only vaguely realistic character in a world otherwise populated by cartoons and grotesques, including the tense, bilious, contemptuous young woman (Sophie Thompson) who, for no discernible reason provided by the script, is Katie`s best friend. She`s just there, it seems, to make the main character look better.
In the 14 years he`s been sitting on the sidelines, Boyd has come up with some curious stylistic innovations, including extremely long takes that employ the shakiest Steadicam ever seen in a major motion picture and, at one unbelievable moment, a shot taken at a 90-degree angle, so that a character lying on a bed seems to be standing up against the right-hand wall. The disorienting, anti-gravitational effect brings to mind the ”Mystery Spots”
that once beckoned to tourists along American highways.
”TWENTY-ONE”
(STAR)
Directed by Don Boyd; written by Zoe Heller and Boyd; edited by David Spiers; photographed by Keith Goddard; production designed by Roger Murray-Leach;
music by Michael Berkeley; produced by Morgan Mason and John Hardy. A Triton Pictures release; opens Nov. 8 at the McClurg Court Theatre. Running time:
1:42. MPAA rating: R. Adult situations, strong language, brief nudity.
THE CAST
Katie………………………………………………….Patsy Kensit
Kenneth……………………………………………….Jack Shepherd
Jack………………………………………………..Patrick Ryecart
Baldie………………………………………………Maynard Eziashi
Bobby………………………………………………….Rufus Sewell
