'The Real Blonde': real bad

Dark comedy lacking in quality, realism ­all but predictability

MOVIE REVIEW

By Alison Young, On-line Forty-Niner

February 26,1998

There are two fundamental criteria for making a decent movie: believable actors and a quality script.

In Tom DiCillo's "The Real Blonde," the actors are not the problem.

The script ... is full of overused cliches and predictable dialogue

that depict the shallowness of the entertainment industry.

The script, on the other hand, is full of overused cliches and predictable dialogue that depict the shallowness of the entertainment industry.

In an era of sequals, remakes and uninspired efforts it is clear creativity and originality are at a low point. Deprived of any innovative material, "The Real Blonde" confirms this.

Further evidence is the collection of weak characterizations like an out-of-work actor, an immoral soap opera actor, a mindless model and an accepting makeup artist.

Joe (Matthew Modine) is the disillusioned thespian who refuses to admit that real acting includes soap opera roles. The irony is that he has never had a paid acting job in his life.

Joe's friend Bob (Maxwell Caulfield) lands a recurring role on a daytime soap opera, where he pursues his costar, a real blonde named Kelly (Daryl Hannah).

The dialogue between Bob and Kelly is characteristic of the sappy, over-dramatized lines of most soap operas. Off the set, Kelly is just as one-dimensional as on the set.

A one-dimensional character, Kelly has only one thing on her mind - sex. She says things like, "Well, if you're not going to give it [sex] to me, I will go find someone who will."

Ernest (Christopher Lloyd), Dee Dee Taylor (Kathleen Taylor) and Doug (Dennis Leary) costar in the film. They each give solid performances that are all too brief.

For an attempt at dark comedy, "The Real Blonde" lacks for laughs.