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Jeff's Review of:
Eye of the Beholder

Feb. 2, 2000

2000, 1 hr 45 min., Rated R for some strong violence, sexuality, language and brief drug content.�Dir: Stephan Elliott. Cast: Ewan McGregor (The Eye), Ashley Judd (Joanna).

I knew absolutely nothing about this movie beforehand, and only chose to see Eye of the Beholder because I saw that Ashley Judd starred (okay, so I knew something) and it was No. 1 at the box office the prior weekend.

Much to my surprise, the main character is actually Ewan McGregor, a very accomplished actor who everyone knows, yet he apparently received no billing. Why? Is it because Judd was riding the $115 million wave of Double Jeopardy? No, I think maybe McGregor is pulling an Alan Smithee, not wanting to admit he could participate in such a poor excuse for a motion picture (when directors don't like their film, that's the alias they use instead of being credited).

PLOT: McGregor is a secret agent of sorts, working for the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. He falls for a mysterious woman (Judd) who has a penchant for leaving men dead in her wake.

Eye has to be one of the busiest films in history. Just when you think everything might settle down for a minute, ROAD TRIP! From Washington, D.C. to Chicago to Boston to New York to San Francisco to the Western desert to Alaska...I think I should be offered some sort of frequent-flier miles for this.

I was so bored I didn't even realize that McGregor's character is never given a name. Not like it matters, since he spends his time being insane--not strange, not eccletic, he's friggin' lost it-- first by talking to a daughter that's not there, then by falling for a serial killer.

Ashley Judd, while providing eye candy, unfortunately didn't contribute any of her talents to making the film interesting. Yes, we see some T&A, in butch guy speak, but even that can't save her role, in which she is a serial killer without much of a conscience or personality. Yet McGregor's character falls for her. Why? This is never explained to the audience.

I'm sure it was a fun stunt to have k.d. Lang participate, but she is not an actress. Stick to singing, because your acting abilities leave much to be desired. The only times I chuckled during the film were unintended by the filmmakers, since I was laughing at Lang's lack of acting talent.

A couple of positives: 1) McGregor's character uses some fancy gadgets that are cool, and 2) The music isn't bad, with a dance club/pulsating feel. Problem is, it comes in at points as being very loud, but only because it wakes you after the continuing doldrums on screen.

The verdict: -- Behold mediocrity.

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