Dummy

Before he delivered an Oscar-winning performance in The Pianist, Adrien Brody played a shy loser who literally finds his voice through a ventriloquist's dummy in, well, Dummy. Part fairytale, part acerbic family comedy, this feature by writer-director Greg Pritikin finds the adult Steven (Brody) emotionally stalled in his parents' home, fitfully wooing an unemployment counselor (Vera Farmiga)--with the unnamed dummy in tow--and taking bad advice from his foul-mouthed best friend, Fangora (Milla Jovovich), a punk rocker who plays weddings. While the film's casting is its strongest element--with moving work by Illeana Douglas as Steven's miserable sister, Jessica Walter as his sinister mom, and Rob Leibman as a seething, ineffectual dad--there is a meandering quality to Dummy that ultimately leaves one feeling a little numby. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include picture-in-picture ventriloquist commentary by Jeff Dunham, a featurette on ventriloquism, deleted/altered scenes, a game, and more. Bottom line: a nice extras package for a so-so film.] (T. Keogh)