The Whole Nine Yards

The first time I saw the trailer for this movie, I wasn't sure if I wanted to see it. The second time, it peaked a little more, and by the third time, I thought "Ok, I'll check out the matinee." The movie turned out to be a fun little distraction from life, and actually got me to laugh a little.
The premise is that a poor dentist (poor only because he is paying off debts accrued by his wife's father) gets a new neighbor, who just happens to be a prominent ex-hitman for the mob. The dentist's wife (Arquette) sends the dentist (Perry) to Chicago, to tip off the bosses as to the whereabouts of the hitman (Willis), who had turned snitch. Meanwhile, Arquette tells Willis that Perry has gone to turn him in; her plan: get Perry bumped off one way or the other so she can collect on the life insurance policy. I can't go much further into the plot without spoiling everything, but everyone ends up with crosshairs on the dentist.
This is one of those darkly humorous flicks, although not quite as dark as something like American Beauty. There are good laughs throughout, and you keep wondering which characters are the good guys right up until the last few minutes. I especially enjoyed the scene where Perry first encounters Michael Clarke Duncan's character, and the one where his assistant first meets Willis. Hilarious. Brief, but good, nudity; a bit disappointed that it wasn't Henstridge, but I'll survive.
Don't worry about shelling out for this one. It's worth the money, and it gives good laughs.

Back to the reviews main page