Big Momma's House (12) 106 mlns 5- r

Lawdy, what folks wdl do to make other folks laugh, Here, Martrn LaWrence dons a latex mask, false breasts and a dress, transformrng hrmself rnto an overwerght old Woman. Then dances, employs some kung fu moves and even attempts to make lurv. Now as not that cross dressrng rsn't lunny, the problem rs we've recently seen Eddre Murphy do exactly the same thrng rn The Nutty Professor Where Murphy played hrs overweight acar'lemrc's grandmother m that frlm, Lawrence's undercover cop, Malcolm, rmpersonates the subject of a polrce stakeout In a scene lrfted strarght out of the chhard Dreyfus/Emler Estevez buddy buddy mowe, Sta/recur, Lawwnce rs caught on the hop rn hrs subjects home So he rmpersonates Brg Momma (whrle she's on vacatrort) In

Following In Eddlo Murphy's mps, Lawrence dons lam mask. lulu broom and rim:

It“

order to lure her granddaughter, Sherry (Nra Long), and ultrmately 'ner crrmrnal boyfrrend rnto a trap. Thereafter, Malcolm becomes rncreasrngly Involved rn Momma's deep south communrty. fendrng off the advances of a randy elderly man and barely suppressrng hrs lust for Sherry.

Inevrtably, thrngs take a serrous turn when Sherry's vrolent boyfrrend arrrves rn town, the real Momma returns home and the Impersonator rs unmasked. In the wake of that clrmactrc scene, Malcolm has to learn hrs lesson about honesty rn love before he and Sherry can properly unrte as man and woman, rnstead of grandmother and granddaughter. All very lame, perhaps the best recommendatron for Big Momma's House IS the rrpe bluesl soul/gospel soundtrack. (Mules Frelder)

I General release from Frr‘ 23 jun.

A mld-SO: lllm. a 503 '8' noIr Icrlpt. SOs-style post-modern Irony

Dece tion (aka

Rein eer Games) (18) 105 mlns r vr

It's the herght of summer, so what better trme could there be to release a Yuletrde thnller that opens Wrth several dead Santas7 Mrght thrs rndrcate a shoht lack of confrdence rn the frlm's box-offrce potentral7 If so ~ the preser‘te of Ben Aflleck, Charlrze Theron and Gary Srnese not- Wrthstandmg w rt would be entrrely Justrfred

Luke drrector John Frankenhermer's absardly overrated Ronrn, thrs feels lrke a frlm from the mrd-60s, but thrs trme vrrth a 505 'B' norr scrrpt that's been trrcked out Wrth 90s~style post-modern rrorry Frankenhermer's wrde screen, deep focus composrtrons grve free rern to the actors, who respond by grvrng credrble perfOrmances that are

currously at odds wrth the arch clever- cleverness of Ehren (Scream 3) Kruger's serpentrne screenplay. lts tWrsts are too complrcated to summarrse, but basrcally, ex-con Affleck rs drawn rnto an amateurrsh casrno herst by Theron, a whrte trash woman who rs not at all what she seems.

There are enjoyable moments, not least of whrch rs the hungry love- makrng enjoyed by Affleck and Theron shortly after hrs release from prrson. Frlmed wrth hand-held cameras and subtly edrted as a serres of rump-cuts, the scene rs far from explrcrt, but does rndeed look lrke two peOple havrng raunchy, desperate sex. By contrast, the actron scenes are flaccrd and dull, whrle all the snappy dralogue sounds Irke Just that snappy movre dralogue. (Nrgel Floyd)

I General release from Fri 30 Jun.

new releases FILM

54th edinburgh international film festival 13-27 aug 2000

www.edfilmfest.org.uk

programme hotline 0907 0131 500 programme available from mid-july calls cost £1 per minute to cover costs of p&p

FILM FESTIVA

22 Jun-6 Jul 2000 Till ll" 27