It's generally good advice to avoid movies directed by actors, and Sonny, a film in which the inmates are running the asylum, is a perfect example. Nicolas Cage's directorial debut allows the extremely talented but inexperienced James Franco to emote all over the place as Sonny Phillips, a New Orleans gigolo who's trying to go straight, while Brenda Blethyn, as Jewel, Sonny's mother/pimp, rages around screeching in a hideous Louisiana accent, and Mena Suvari, as Jewel's new girl, pouts excessively. Only Harry Dean Stanton, as Jewel's longtime gentleman friend, maintains his dignity…at first, but it's snatched back with one of the most cliché-ridden and unintentionally funny death scenes ever committed to film. Fast-forward to near the end, when Cage himself appears as Acid Yellow, dope dealer, pimp, and flaming homosexual: now, that's a riot. Otherwise, this is not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include two audio commentaries (one by director Nicolas Cage and producer Norm Golightly; the other by writer John Carlen), cast and crew bios, and trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for a small film.] (M. Johanson)
Sonny
HBO, 110 min., R, VHS: $40.98, DVD: $26.98 Volume 18, Issue 6
Sonny
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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