Filmex's Pushing Tin Review April 26/99

Saw "Pushing Tin" on opening day.
Thought Cate was brilliant, of course. I dunno Rob, you're thinking too much here. Thought not only did Cate nail the accent, so much so that most viewers will never even be aware that she's an Aussie. Even the Washington Post review referred to that "British actress". To me she was more authentic a Long Islander than the actual Long Island extras they surrounded her with at the BBQ. All the acting was top notch. I felt the film started off like Altman's "M*A*S*H", and maintained that verve for 3/4 of the film, when it inexplicably turned into a serious drama/soap opera/movie-of-the-week.

The performances were wonderful enough that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the film, but, oh, what might have been. Angelina was wonderful as always, but, for her to completely disappear halfway thru the film was just idiotic. Glen and Les Charles, who wrote the screenplay, are comedy geniuses, having created both "Taxi" and "Cheers", but, what they were thinking here, going dramatic down the stretch is anybody's guess.

See the film for the wonderful cast, and the amazing Miss Blanchett, who is being singled out in virtually every review for her amazing transformation. If you look at "Paradise Road", "Oscar and Lucinda", "Elizabeth", and "Pushing Tin', Cate shows an amazing ability not to perform, but, to become. While Meryl Streep sometimes comes close to this chameleon-like tendency to transform, only Judy Davis is consistently able to morphin such a way. To answer Rob's question, I would imagine there is some loon out on the runway right this very minute in an attempt to have a jumbo
part his hair with wind turbulence.