Matthew
Perry is the delightful surprise that turns the Whole Nine Yards into
an uproarious situation comedy. Bruce Willis who plays the cool,
notorious hit-man, and even Michael Clarke Duncan, the Supporting Actor
Oscar Nominee for the Green Mile, can’t create the hilarity
that Perry dishes out with the near bravado of Jerry Lewis. Although the
story runs into a few dry spells, and although Michael Perry doesn’t
do as well with jokes as with physical comedy, The Whole Nine Yards
mixes a clever plot and interesting characters with lots of humor.
Perry plays ‘Oz’, a dentist frustrated with his loveless marriage
of convenience and a general inability to stand up for himself. His
naiveté and a tendency to become a klutz under pressure make him
irresistibly endearing. Panic truly takes over his frame of mind when he
recognizes his new next-door neighbor as the notorious hit man Jimmy
Tudeski (Bruce Willis). Oz’s opportunistic wife (Rosanna Arquette)
forces Oz to travel to Chicago and rat Jimmy out to the mob in exchange
for a fee. Oz goes on a trip, but with an agenda of his own. His plan is
immediately ruined because the mob hit man, Frankie Figs (Michael Clarke
Duncan) is already waiting for him. Oz now fears that if he rats Jimmy
out, Jimmy will kill him, and if he doesn’t, the mob will.
The Whole Nine Yards manages to create boisterous twists and
turns throughout the plot that develops four opposing intentions. Oz’s
urge to get out alive opposes Jimmy’s plans, the mob’s plans, and
his wife’s plans. To make matters worse, Oz falls in love with Jimmy’s
wife (Natasha Henstridge) and now tries to find a way to get them both
out unscathed.
This movie marks a truly refreshing endeavor. Not only does the story
constantly surprise us as every interested party’s true agenda is
revealed, but it also saves the most ingenious plan for last as the
klutzy, fearful dentist uses his smarts and his affection for the people
involved to create the full-proof resolution. The polarity of Oz’s
innocent neurosis and everyone else’s calculated toughness generate
the kind of energy that keeps fuelling the story with humor.
Although the complex plot starts a bit slowly and occasionally runs
into disengaging exposition and over-the-top characters, when it is all
over, the opportunity to laugh hard overrides the flaws. What a delight
it is to see the truly good hearted guy like Oz win in the end. Although
feeling inadequate as a man and a professional, he acts out of love for
life and people, and he succeeds in getting what he wants, and even a
little something extra, without hurting anyone. Maybe, good guys don’t
always finish last.
