Sydney (1996) vs Swingers (1996)
Sydney...
Is probably the best lensed student film ever made. Elswit's cinematography is really the only thing that stands above the cliched story, poor dialogue and stunted acting. Philip Baker Hall plays Sydney, a sort of sinister Jiminey Cricket to John C. Reilly's bumbling-yet-lovable-loser character, John, a character Reilly has played in every film he's been in since 1996. Sam Jackson (in a surprisingly understated performance) and Gwyneth Paltrow round out the high-powered cast.
The plot revolves around Sydney trying to get the hapless John back on his feet by teaching him the tricks to squeaking by in Vegas while hiding a dark, terrible secret. Oooooo. The events that unfold are hilariously melodramatic. It's just one preposterous scene after the next between bursts of some of the most ham-fisted dialogue I've ever heard.
Anderson's work in Boogie Nights only a year later represents such a quantum leap forward in filmmaking it is frankly mind-boggling. I was excited to see this, but other than visual panache it disappointed on all fronts.
Swingers...
Tries to be the ultimate buddy film and it damn well comes close. It's hard to resist the film's relentless exuberance and the cast seems to be having a blast along the way. Despite some of the over-the-top antics, the film does a remarkably good job of capturing realistic male camaraderie as it follows a group of guys desperately trying to pull a friend out of his post-dumped depression.
Despite the use of the word "baby" at least once per sentence, the dialogue is very sharp, Liman's camerawork gives the film a visual interest that is sadly missing in most comedies and it's hard to resist the cast's charm. Film has a few big laughs and while I didn't walk away a new person or anything, I did have a big smile on my face.
Thought this would be a lot closer (actually thought it would be the other way around), but in a surprising rout Swingers breezes on, baby!