Movies
Finding Amanda
Small comedy of larger-than-average ambition, sharp in flavor and in perception, centered around a middle-aged racetrack junkie and hack sitcom writer. Peter Tolan, the screenwriter and first-time director, has his own sitcom résumé, Murphy Brown, Home Improvement, The Larry Sanders Show, far from the pits, though his work here is not without traces of hackery mixed in with the honest effort. The protagonist, in his wife’s doghouse for his gambling, seeks to redeem himself by taking on a mission of mercy to Vegas, ostensibly hoping to persuade his hooker niece to enter rehab, but more urgently hoping to play the ponies in peace, backsliding on his drug and alcohol recoveries to boot. Matthew Broderick occupies the moral low ground with his perennial innocence intact, preventing the movie from sliding into the chasm of Leaving Las Vegas. Brittany Snow, less than half his age and perhaps less than half his innocence as well, does fine with the perky denial, but the cracks in the façade look like mere histrionics. Maura Tierney, Peter Facinelli, Steve Coogan. 2008.
Reader Rating:
MPAA Rating: R
Length: 1 hour, 40 minutes
