The Favor, The Watch, And The Very Big Fish

Stars: Bob Hoskins (Hook, Who Framed Roger Rabbit), Natasha Richardson (The Handmaid's Tale, Patty Hearst), Jeff Goldblum (Deep Cover, The Fly, Mr. Frost), Michel Blanc (Monsieur Hire, Prospero's Books). Although its limited release only attracted $200,000 in nibbles at the boxoffice, this delightful comedy may well tip the scale on video with its very big laughs. Bob Hoskins stars as Louis Aubinard, a photographer who takes devotional pictures (as the film opens he's hot to trot on his John the Baptist series). As a favor for an actor friend, Louis shows up for a "voiceover" part, and finds himself doing the audio dub for a porn flick. His partner, Sybil (Natasha Richardson), whom Louis is definitely attracted to, tells him a strange tale of her affair with a pianist (Jeff Goldblum) with a broken heart (his mother died), and how she inadvertently landed him in jail. Later on when the pianist emerges from the big house, bedraggled and forlorn, he stumbles into Louis who just happens to be looking for a new Jesus... This is not your average comedy, to be sure; it's a heck of a lot funnier, offering some of the best belly laughs of the year. The writing is witty (and occasionally crude), and the acting is top-notch all-around--particularly so for the versatile Goldblum, who has played both Satan (Mr. Frost) and Jesus (in this film) in the past two years. Audience: Adults looking for a fresh comedy with a touch of romance.