"Show me a happy man, and I'll show you a disaster waiting to happen," Gene
(Alan Arkin), an unhappy Manhattan office worker tells a stranger at a bar. The
stranger, an assistant district attorney named Troy (Matthew McConaughey),
shares his own philosophies. A superconfident go-getter, he tells Gene that
"luck is a lazy man's excuse."
13 CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ONE THING is directed by Jill Sprecher and written by
Jill and Karen Sprecher. They are the creative team who last brought us the
wonderfully acerbic gem, CLOCKWATCHERS, which I like to think of as an east
coast version of OFFICE SPACE, one of my indie favorites. As writers, the
Sprechers are able to capture the minutia and politics of the office world
perfectly. Unlike their last film, however, this one is only partially set in
an office. With several overlapping and intertwined stories, the best concerns
Gene who is a manager in an office experiencing a bit of downsizing. Gene is
especially suspicious and jealous of one of his employees who dares to be
exuberantly happy every single day. "Smiley" is Gene's derogatory moniker for
him.
Arkin is nothing less than terrific in every scene. And, although the director
works hard to deliver an ensemble production, the movie quickly becomes a
one-man show with Arkin stealing every scene that he's in. Moreover, when the
action cuts to a story other than his, don't be surprised if you become a little
disappointed. Why move the spotlight to the side ring, when the center ring is
so fascinating?
The other stories include Troy's remorse over a hit-and-run accident that he
caused and a professor's (John Turturro) loveless love affair. Amy Irving plays
the professor's wife.
Unlike CLOCKWATCHERS, which was fast paced fun, 13 CONVERSATIONS is deliberately
slow paced with lots of pregnant pauses and reflective, quiet moments. The
dialog is sharp throughout, but too often it comes across as stagy and preachy
with the movie feeling like a series of tableaux. Still, every line is
carefully designed to make you think. (The movie's impact comes more through
the words than the visuals, but be sure and watch for an ironic subway ad in the
last scene.)
"Life only makes sense when you look at it backwards," Gene's best, and probably
only, friend, tells him. "Too bad we have to live it forwards." Ah, so true.
13 CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ONE THING runs 1:34. It is rated R for "language and
brief drug use" and would be acceptable for teenagers.
Copyright © 2002 Steve Rhodes
