Review: New Suit (***)

NEW SUIT
A film review by Steve Rhodes

Copyright 2003 Steve Rhodes

RATING (0 TO ****): ***


François Velle's NEW SUIT is a good-spirited comedy that's a real charmer.
The entertaining film takes the Hans Christian Andersen story, "The
Emperor's New Suit," puts a THE PRODUCERS spin on it and sets the action in
the larcenous heart of Hollywood.



When we meet Kevin Taylor (Jordan Bridges), he is a would-be screenwriter
trying without success to peddle his first script. Not only is no one the
least bit interested in his romantic story, he can't even line up an agent.
One bottom-of-the-barrel agent rejects his manuscript by telling him that,
"People don't want to pay to see nobody die. People can see that for free."



Kevin finally finds someone who appears to believe in him -- a young agent
named Marianne Roxbury. Marianne is played darlingly by Marisa Coughlan,
who finally finds a part that's worthy of her talents after appearing in
such dogs as FREDDIE GOT FINGERED and SUPER TROOPERS. Actually Marianne is
little more than a flunky at the agency, but, like everyone else in town,
she has ambitions to make it big in "the business." She implores Kevin to
take a similar clerical position at a production company run by Muster
Hansau (Dan Hedaya). She figures that, once you have your foot in the door,
the sky is the limit.



After toiling away at his desk for eighteen months, Kevin accidentally sets
off a wildfire one day at lunch with his fellow flunkies from other
Hollywood companies. As a joke, he mentions an incredible new script called
THE NEW SUIT by a hot new writer named Jordan Strawberry. (Kevin chooses
that name after he buys strawberry ice cream from a guy named Jordan. The
movie's in-joke is that the movie's real-life writer, Craig Sherman, plays
the cameo part of Jordan, the ice cream vendor. Another joke is that people
keep getting the fictitious writer's name confused, with Jackson Strawberry
being a popular variation.)



Instantly, everyone is talking about the script and wants to buy it.
Sensing, correctly, that there will be a bidding war, Marianne declares
herself to be Strawberry's agent. Thinking that he exists and that she can
sign him up if she obtains a high enough price for his script, she gets the
production companies to fight furiously for a script that they've never read
from a writer whom they've never met. She tells the buyers that Strawberry
is off climbing in the Himalayas. The rumors of what the story is about
change by the minute. At one point, Marianne describes it as THE FULL MONTY
merged with STAR WARS. Now there's a must-see movie.



NEW SUIT is filled with humorous characters who each manage to get some nice
lines. Heather Donahue, the star of THE BLAIR WITCH, plays one of Kevin's
bosses. Although I never thought she could pull off light comedy, she does
so delightfully. Benito Martinez plays Juan, one of Muster's many gofers.
Juan's specialty is driving the hookers over daily for their eight minute
romp in the hay with Muster. Of course, Juan wants to break into the
business too. His hook is that he is a writer who caters to directors and
producers who can't read. He tells Kevin that there are a lot of such
illiterates. Juan dictates his scripts onto cassette tapes so that no
reading is required.



The ending of the story turns out to be just as precious as the rest of the
picture. You'll leave with a smile, having been charmed by an intelligent
movie that gets its laughs without a single pratfall or bit of bathroom
humor. This is a script which should have ignited a real-life bidding war
but didn't.



NEW SUIT runs 1:41. It is rated R for "language, some sexuality and drug
use" and would be acceptable for teenagers.



The film is playing in limited release now in the United States. In the
Silicon Valley, it is showing at the Century theaters.



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