DAZED AND CONFUSED (1994) OK. Get that pause button ready. Matthew McConaughey, playing a sleazy twentysomething who likes those high school girls, is standing outside of the pool hall, talking and sizing up the passing women. A tall, apple-cheeked one walks by, and he completes his sentence, "That's what I like about high school girls." Stop. Rewind. Play. Pause. That's Renée, all right, or at least according to an article ("Dazed and Employed") in the Jan. 31, 1997Entertainment Weekly. I find it hard to tell, myself, Renée is uncreditied, after all, but I'm ready to believe it. Renée is also rumored to be in the party scene in the woods as a random senior girl and/or in the hazing scene. While I can't substantiate any of these Renée sightings, I can wholeheartedly recommend the film. It really has no plot, it's just a party-filled day in the lives of some 1976 Texas high schoolers, but writer/director Richard Linklater's enthusiasm for his subject matter make the film the fun, entertaining, nostalgic gem it is. It features some of the hottest of todays up-and-comers. In addition to Renée and McConaughey, you'll find Parker Posey ('Party Girl', 'subUrbia'), Rory Cochrane ('Love and a .45', 'Empire Records'), Jason London ('To Wong Foo...') and Anthony Rapp (Broadway's Rent). This film, like most of Renée's films, was shot in Austin, TX. In fact, this film, more than any other film, embodies the spirit of Austin filmmaking. Not surprisingly it comes from Linklater, who has made three films in Austin ('Dazed', 'subUrbia' and 'Slacker'). He is Austin's favorite son, and this film is perhaps Austin's favorite home-grown movie. Film A Renée INCOMPLETE.

DECEIVER (1998) This crime thriller, once known as Liar, marks Renée's first collaboration with beau Josh Pate, who wrote and directed the film with his twin brother, Jonas. The film centers around the interrogation and polygraph test of rich brat Wayland (Tim Roth), who may or may not have killed a high-priced call girl (Zellweger) and sawed her in two. Chris Penn (as another dumb lug) and Michael Rooker do the questioning. Roseanna Arquette plays Rooker's cheating wife, and Ellen Burstyn plays some oddball kook named Mook. The Pate twins' effort at a stylish noir and ode to the great crime device, the lie detector, is noble enough. Their story is original and a refreshing change-of-pace from the Tarantino knock-offs that pepper the indie crime scene. However, despite the film's hints at the promise of its two young filmmakers, it manages mostly to expose their inexperience. The film looks like the thesis project of over-eager film school students. There are enough eyeball close-ups, obscure angles and spinning camera shots to have you reaching for the Dramamine halfway through the film. There are way too many flashbacks, unnecessary characters and plotlines, and a very shotty and hard-to-believe story that lets all of the suspense drain out of the gaping plotholes. What discredits this thriller so quickly is its reliance upon the lie detector itself. The machine has great mystery and style and the zig-zagging ink is entrancing and eerie, but the polygraph has been distrustful so long that it is hard to find its operation suspenseful. Such an out-of-date, useless piece of machinery would have made for a better thriller 10 years ago, but in 1998, it feels hopelessly anachronistic. Has Wayland cheated the lie detector? How did he do it? Who cares?! My cat could pass a polygraph test by now. They don't work. Where's the suspense in that? After the film's thematic device flunks out, all we are left with is a plodding crime thriller that lacks consistency, originality and believability. Even the film's ending, meant to evoke such dazzling cliffhangers as The Usual Suspects and Primal Fear, is incoherent. I still don't know if Wayland killed the damn prostitute or not. Which brings us to the whole reason we're watching this mess in the first place...Those watching this movie for Renée may be disappointed. Although she does a very admirable job with virtually no material, she has less than fifteen minutes of screen time (all in flashback). Sporting a "Rachel" haircut, a real short dress and a cigarette (it's obvious Renée is a non-smoker), Renée plays Elizabeth Loftess, the murder victim in question. She plays Elizabeth with a wisdom and weariness that are interesting to watch, but not quite consistent with her character. It doesn't help that most the film's dialogue should never have gotten past the script editor (Penn and Rooker must have made 1.5 million referrances to nervousness when plugging Wayland into the machine). She's forced to counter many of Roth's arguements with "You're Weird's" and even unleashes an erudite philosophical rambling that sounds more like a term paper than a screen monologue. For most of the film, she's hung out to dry, although she does have a few proud moments which give the film a raw energy and its flashes of brilliance. She is particularly effective in a grisly, videotaped rape scene. Her descent from playful giggles to sheer terror is some of her most dramatically powerful work thus far. The best scene in the film, however, is when Wayland leads the drunken and hysterical hooker through a crowd of upper-class partygoers and introduces her to his shocked parents. As she runs through the mansion filling the air with a drunken laughter, we catch a glimpse of Renée unchained. A Renée free of inhibition and boundary. A Renée who should have been utilized a great deal more in this otherwise tedious film. Film C- Renée B.

8 SECONDS (1994) I have to admit, I was as skeptical as the next guy when I rented this little-seen film in which Renée plays a small role. Why? Two reasons. 1) A movie about bull riding. 2) Luke Perry. I challenge anyone to go in to this film with higher expectations, but no matter what you believe, you'll be delighted by this simple but genuine sleeper about the life of rodeo star Lane Frost. Luke Perry might not be Robert DeNiro, but he's no Jason Priestly either. With a thick Oklahoman accent, his short hair all in his face and his voice an octave higher than his '90210' days, he gives a simple but effective performance, most effective because he pulls off the rarest of tricks for TV stars; he is different from his TV persona. Stephen Baldwin and Cynthia Geary are also great, and the film features great direction from the master of sports weepers, Oscar-winner John Avildsen ('Rocky'). The film may wander in a few parts, and the sudden tragic turn the movie takes detracts a bit, but you can't change a true story for Hollywood. Besides, the ending will tug on the heartstrings of the toughest cowboys and makes it all worth it. Renée is featured in the largest and most pivotal of her bit parts. She plays a Prescott Motel swinger, who lures Lane into an adulterous one-night stand. You can first see her in the Prescott Motel bar, where Lane is promoting his line of clothing. She's the one who says "One more picture, Lane" and hops in the picture with him before tucking her hand in his belt-buckle. She shows up in the next scene, asking Lane if he wants a nightcap ("We don't even need to go out!" she proclaims, brandishing a flask). When that doesn't work, she asks for an autograph for her nephew, and then comments on the air's cold temperature before Lane invites her into his hotel room. She might be unrecognizable at first. Renée fans haven't seen her with permed hair (much less Texas big hair) before, and her voice is thick with a southwest twang. Still, she gets an "A" for making the most out of a small part, stealing a scene as only she can do. Film B+ Renée A.

EMPIRE RECORDS (1995) This cinematic collection of nearly all existing Generation X stereotypes is only for die-hard Renée fans. If you can stand having missed one of her films, this is one to skip. It centers around some rebellious twentysomethings working at a record store. It bubbles with the kind of indentity searching and teenage angst that can only be conceived by forty-year old men who think that they understand the youth of America. The film is literally painful to watch. Renée plays the token slut of the group, who struts her stuff in an extremely short mini-skirt. She is more like Kelly Bundy than the Renée we've come to love. Which isn't to say she is bad. She's actually very good and very watchable, and she might even be believable if she weren't saying such lame and poorly conceived lines. This is true with the entire cast. This film wastes some of the hottest talent collected on screen in recent memory, as Rory Cochrane, Liv Tyler, and Ethan Embry all say their cheesy lines through clenched "I can't believe I have to do this to break in to Hollywood" teeth. There is an immense amount of talent just begging for a better script to showcase them (and all but Cochrane have found it in recent months). Still, Renée is worth a look. She plays Gina with lots of sass and sexiness. Her dance wearing only a Musicland apron is a must for Renée fans, and her short skirts don't look bad on her either. It isn't fair to credit Renée (who is extremely beautiful, but who we love for her talent and personality just as much as her looks) mostly with looking good, but her role is such a generic tramp role, that she seems to exist only to wear these mini-skirts. To her credit, she, more than any of the other actors, commits to her role and tries to make the best of it. It's great seeing her toss barbs at her co-stars, come-on to the store's visiting pop idol and sing on the store's rooftop in the film's finale. The performances and screen presence that she offers make the film watchable, and if the film existed for no other reason but to get Renée's foot in the door, however, then the whole abysmal picture might just be worth it. Film F Renée B-.

JERRY MAGUIRE (1996)The film that not only alerted our attention to this fine actress, but launched her to Goddess status, was last year's Best Picture nominee 'Jerry Maguire'. Renée plays Dorothy Boyd, a single mom who quits her secure accounting job to follow the man she believes in. She is used and abused, but still clings to her values and her hopes that the man she loves will one day become the man she knows he can be. She gets him, gives him up, and opens her arms when he comes running back, and when she does...there hasn't been a more ecstatic moment in the movies in a long, long time. Renée captures all of the disappointments, all of the hopes, dreams, pains, and longing of Dorothy Boyd. She captures her excitment, her enthusiasm and her vitality. She justifies loving a jerk like Jerry Maguire (an Oscarworthy Tom Cruise), because she makes you believe that he's not a jerk. You can see her work her magic on the stubborn Jerry. But most of all, she's in love. She's so in love. When she gets him to notice her, sleep with her, marry her in a pipe dream even she knows won't work, even the moment when she realizes that their relationship is not working out, and that she must let Jerry go (one of the most heartwarming, and heartbreaking, affirmations of love ever depicted on the big screen), she loves him. This is what makes Renée's performance so incredible. There is something in her eyes that sparkles, that lets us know that she loves Jerry. It's not even acting. She loves him with her heart and soul, and you can see in her eyes, clear down into her soul that this is the case. It begins to transcend a movie performance. You look beyond her exceptional beauty, beyond her soft-voiced charm. You see into the heart and soul of an amazing screen persona. You are under Renée Zellweger's spell. She does a fine piece of acting, but you are not watching an actress in a role. She's not bigger than the screen, like most movie idols. I'd say she was smaller...smaller in a way that makes her human, that makes her real, that makes her feel like you know her, that you've just had an intimate conversation with her. After all, not only is she an accountant winning a big-time sports agent, she's a new actress winning Tom Cruise. It's like one of us winning the heart of the prom queen we gazed at in high school. It is a mesmerizing effect, one that no other actress of our generation can claim. You realize that you're watching something very, very special. Anyone who wonders why Renée fans like myself are so smitten need only see her in 'Jerry Maguire'. It think it speaks for itself. I only wish that the Academy might have felt the same (Renée was denied a Best Supporting Actress nomination in what was one of the biggest crimes in Oscar history), and that it were possible to give her a higher rating than this: Film A Renée A+.

LOVE AND A .45 (1994) (SPOILER WARNING!) This little-seen indie knock-off of 'Natural Born Killers' is one of Renée's first films. She plays Starlene Cheatham, the devoted partner and sidekick of Gil Bellows' renegade protagonist. Renée and Bellows play a white trash couple who live mostly off of what Bellows can rob from convenience stores. When Bellows' drugged-up partner-in-crime (the wild and crazy Rory Cochrane) shoots a clerk, Bellows freaks out and takes Renée on the road, where the two steal more money and try to evade the avenging Cochrane and some mysterious hitmen. The story is pretty lame and the dialogue is even worse, but the film remains lots of fun. It stays true to its independent roots with its over-the-top performances and eccentric touches (like a tattoo gun torture scene and Starlene's drugged-out voiceboxed pop (Peter Fonda)). Renée is a delight. She plays a role not too different than that of Juliette Lewis in 'Natural Born Killers', but injects it with much more sensuality and sheer fun than Lewis was able to. Starlene is having fun. There's even a bit of sadistic glee in her eye when she fends off and kills Cochrane at the film's end. Her performance is the most fascinating one in the film. While Cochrane goes a bit too far and Bellows reads his lines with practically no emotion, Renée's performance is balanced enough between the two extremes to steal the picture. Fans expecting to see Dorothy Boyd beware. Renée gives her sexiest turn thus far, but is consistently obscured by wind-blown hair in her face and sunglasses. Still, her turn as Starlene is one of her finest, and proves the depth and versatility of this wonderful actress. This film might be a bit hard to find outside of the Austin area (it was mostly shot here), but it's well worth it, especially for those with the patience to sit through inexperienced independent filmmaking. Film B- Renée A-.

THE LOW LIFE (1994) Another one of Renée's "Now you see her, now you don't roles" was in this indie depressant. Rory Cochrane plays a small town writer who moves to L.A. He can only find work as a temp, and finds himself with strange friends and a bad case of writers' block. The film starts out being quite funny. Cochrane's jobs are horrible and obscure (Pulling credit card reciepts apart, for example), and Cochrane's deadpan and apathetic response, or should I say, lack of response, make for some surprisingly humorous moments. The humor ends shortly thereafter, though, and with it goes the film's life. Sean Astin appears, rubbing nerves raw with his nerdy roommate schtick. A romance with a poorly-accented Kyra Sedgwick is totally pointless, and Cochrane's performance, which explores different levels of apathy, begins to border on dull. It doesn't help that the film begins to be true to its title. The life portrayed on screen is pretty low, which may well be the film's intent, but it makes it one hell of a boring movie. Everything begins to go awry, and Cochrane has a "controlled mental breakdown", which might make sense giving what has happened to him, but doesn't appear to be much different than anything else he's done throughout the movie. This makes the tragic, 'Catcher in the Rye' ending all the less believable. All this time you're wondering, "when is Renée going to show up? She isn't credited in the beginning credits, but her name is on the film's box." You begin to wonder if you missed her somewhere. Then, she appears. During Cochrane's "breakdown", she is onstage at the local bar, holding a cigarette and musing about laundry. She's listed in the credits as "Poet", but she might as well be the star. She's the only reason to check this film out, and even though she has minimal screen time, her late entrance brightens up a gloomy spell, and finally releases the anticipation of the one moment you've rented the movie for. The fact that she looks as great as ever, and is saying such absurdly poetic things about laundry make her performance all the more laudable. Film C- Renée A.

MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK (1993) After carefully watching this off-beat and oddly charming comedy, I regret to inform that I have no clue where Renée is. She is not listed in the closing credits, which only recognizes speaking roles, but she is listed on the Internet Movie Database as being in this film. One browser wrote in, suggesting that she might be the girl in the white blouse sitting at the back of Johnny and Missy's high school classroom towards the beginning of the film. At one point she even flips her hair the way Renée has in some of her other films. This dialogueless "Classmate" is my official guess, but I cannot positively confirm or deny that it is Renée. I wonder if we'll ever know for sure. There are so many crowd scenes that are stocked full of tall blondes (Renée could very easily be hiding somewhere in the Prom scene, and another rumor has her in the beauty salon), that it is near impossible to know for sure (Renée's fellow Longhorn Matthew McConaughey is much easier to spot. As "Guy #2", McConaughey sits in the movie theater with a girl and a black friend who says, "Isn't that Buck's girl?" He looks almost exactly the same as he does now). The movie is not nearly as bad as I expected it to be. The story tells of a love-smitten nerd who dies protecting his crush, but comes back from the dead to claim a dying wish, a prom date with his obsession, Missy. The main obstacle, of course, is that he is rapidly rotting, and must start eating live human flesh to remain alive, or, uh...undead. What's strangely effective about the film is how unconcerned the townspeople are about the fact that Johnny is walking around town dead ("Isn't that the dead kid?") and eating people. They act as if it's a common occurance. Some are especially understanding. His mom goes out looking for children for him to snack on. His best friend forgives a little love bite. Even Missy is somewhat turned on by her post mortem lover (In one scene, she nibbles on his ear until it comes off in her mouth and doesn't feel the least bit grossed out). The film does not play for slapstick laughs, and has a strange sincerity and self-knowledge of its convention. The whole feeling of My Boyfriend's Back catches you off-guard, unsettles you. It is this strange feeling that will keep you from scoffing at how silly the film is and let you enjoy it. It is a light-hearted, very amusing 90 minutes, and although Renée-spotting is more difficult here than it has been in any of her other non-speaking films, My Boyfriend's Back is worth watching and not just searching through. Please e-mail me if you have another theory as to where Renée is hiding. Film B Renée INCOMPLETE.

ONE TRUE THING (1998) Review coming soon!!!

A PRICE ABOVE RUBIES (1998) Undoubtedly Renée's most controversial film, as well as her biggest artistic risk,Rubies tells the story of a woman suffocating within the ultra-traditionial world of Hasidim who discovers spiritual, sensual and emotional liberty in rebellion. This is Renée as you've never seen her. Renée with short, frumpy hair tucked under scarves. Renée giving birth and breast-feeding. Renée kissing Julianna Marguiles on the lips. Renée being raped against a wall and on a kitchen table. As if that weren't enough, she has the added challenge of trying to pass for Jewish, speaking in a Noo-Yawk dialect and carrying a film all by herself for the first time. I'm pleased to say that she is very up to the challenge. Granted, I find it tough to watch any of Renée's performances objectively, but I honestly believe that her work in Rubies is her most bold, most daring, most nuanced and, next to her star-making turn in Jerry Maguire, her best. She doesn't quite pass for Jewish. Her Texan accent pokes through enough to make her "Oy gevalt's" a bit awkward, but her portrait of Sonia, a claustrophobic, hot-and-bothered wife is extremely compelling, and her liberating transformation over the course of 2 hours is nothing short of mesmerizing. She captures the hurt, confusion and passion of Sonia with unflinching honesty and subtlety. It is her most mature body of work, and allows her to take her first step on the road between sexy young ingénue and respectable actress. The film wanders a bit in the third act, some issues are never resolved, many metaphors are a bit heavy-handed, and Allen Payne is unsatisfactory as Sonia's love interest, but with outstanding performances by Zellweger, Glenn Fitzgerald (as her husband Mendel), Julianna Marguiles (as her sister-in-law, Rachel) and Christopher Eccleston (who'd have thought the Englishman would have been so well cast?), A Price Above Rubies is a provocative story and effective character study that showcases some of the best ensemble acting of this short year. Boaz Yakin, who wrote the screenplay and directed the almost entirely non-Jewish cast, drew ire from the Hasidic community (who threatened to shut down location filming) and continues to catch heat from critics who see the film's setting as offensive, incorrect, and silly. I'm unable to question the authenticity of the film's Jewish world, and I found the setting rather interesting, but I believe that it is a universal story that could have been set in any oppressive society. I wonder if it would have been in Yakin's best interests, then, to have set his story in some other community and saved himself the controversy that has drawn such sharp, undeserved dissent from critics and, undoubtedly cost the film viewers. Film B- Renée A.

REALITY BITES (1994) One of the few films to, if not accurately, then at least earnestly portay the lifestyles of the so-called "Generation X" was this 1994 hit. Winona Ryder plays a college valedictorian and budding documentary filmmaker who is torn between feelings for Ethan Hawke and Ben Stiller while trying to complete her masterpiece and find enough money to live on. It addresses many of the fears and anxieties of young adults and features enough pop culture references to make us feel like we're actually seeing a reflection of ourselves, not an after-school special depiction. It features a great script, capable direction from Ben Stiller and fine performances by Ryder, Hawke, Stiller, Janeane Garafolo and Steve Zahn. Renée, in one of her early bit parts, shows up about ten minutes into the movie. Right after Winona Ryder is shown making coffee with toilet paper for a filter, Ethan Hawke walks out of an apartment enjoying a long front-porch kiss from a beautiful blonde in a white robe. After the lengthy kiss, he takes her number and walks away, throwing the piece of paper on the ground, revealing the girl's name, Tani. Well, it isn't a lengthy role. Renée doesn't even have a line. However, this is the best of her bit-parts. Although her face doesn't get a clear shot, she looks stunning in a white robe, and her finger-motion to Hawke and lengthy kiss make this scene one of the steamiest ones she's done onscreen. She also gets points for having a name, a step up from "Poet" and "Prescott Motel Bunny". Renée fans who are anxious to see all of her bit parts can't skip this one. You've probably already seen the movie, but it's worth seeing again, whether you turn it off after Renée leaves or watch the whole thing again. Film A- Renée A.

THE RETURN OF THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1994)In a Z-grade horror romp that has virtually nothing to do with the horror franchise (or even chainsaws for that matter), Renée gives her screen debut. She plays Jenny, a virginal yet oft-abused teen who goes to her senior prom with her three friends (who all scream "Slash me!"). They drive out into the Texas woods (Austinites might recognize nearby Pflugerville), get into a car wreck, and wander around the woods before running into the psychotic Matthew McConaughey. McConaughey and his family terrorize the teens, and kill all but Renée, who is subject to their torture and mind games for about forty-five minutes. She does a convincing job screaming and spouting well-written gems like "Please don't kill me", but is upstaged by McConaughey and limited by her stereotyped and shallow role. You can't blame her, though. The film never aspires to be anything other than what it is, which is what makes it so fun. This is pure slasher movie camp, and when you combine that with the spirit of independent filmmaking that this no-budget project radiates with, you're in for quite a ride. McConaughey gives his best performance yet, more than making up for the dreadful 'A Time To Kill'. He plays the stereotyped Texas psychotic, but does so with such an over-the-top, unapologetic bravura, that all we can do is just sit back and let him do his unexpected thing. The film is quite a treat, especially to fans of the slasher genre. And even if you're not, seeing these two hot and talented stars in this film offers such a unique feeling. It's as if you're seeing something that you're not supposed to, something you could blackmail the stars with. On the contrary, there's nothing to be ashamed of at all. A few words of warning, however. Fans of the 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' should note that this has very little to do with the previous three. Renée fans should be warned that our heroine is a victim of the worst lighting in cinematic history (you'll be lucky if you can see her pretty face at all in the everpresent dark). And most of all, be prepared for a hunt. 'Chainsaw' was never released on home video in the states, and while the two stars' successes might change that in the future, the best you can hope for now is a pirate copy or the Japanese subtitled version, which I saw (Austinites can find it at The Movie Store on 43rd and Guadalupe). Film A. Renée A-.

SHAKE, RATTLE AND ROCK! (1994) Review coming soon!!!

TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE NEXT GENERATION (1997 Release) The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which debuted at Austin's South By Southwest Film Festival in March 1995, finally gets its nationwide release after years of delays (Renée denies reports that she was the one preventing its release)with a new title and a few minor tweaks, mostly within the first couple of frames. In addition to the new title and the Zellweger and McConaughey's names billed above the title, the film is now set in 1996, there are more scenes of the kids at the prom, and the scenes in which Jenny is sexually assaulted by her stepfather is now gone (perhaps for the better). Ironically, the closing credits remain exactly the same. They still refer to the film as The Return and use 1995 rather than 1997. Seeing this film at the theater was an incredible experience. Having already loved it when I saw it on a poorly-dubbed, Japanese-subtitled, pirate home video, I can honestly say that home video does no justice to it at all. The film print is much cleaner and clearer, and campy slasher movies just need to be seen on the big screen. Of course, after reading several articles on the film's release, I realize that its genre cannot be so easily defined. "What I'm doing here is lampooning the sequels that came out under the Hollywood system. I'm giving them a hard time," producer Robert Kuhn offers. Kuhn produced the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but was not the exclusive owner of the franchise rights, and therefore had little control over the creation of TCM-2 and Leatherface: TCM-3.Angry at what had become of their creation, Kuhn and screenwriter Kim Henkel reunited for Next Generation. The new plot is simple--teens get in wreck, wander onto property of psycho, murderous family--but it does boast a new twist. Who would have thought that Leatherface and Co. would be working for mysterious grey suits with bad European accents who want people to feel the "spiritual experience" of pure horror? The result is a spoof of the two sequels cum remake of the original -- a bloody, gory, campy, absurdist ballet. Renée's Jenny is licked, spat on, poked with a cattle prod and chased around by McConaughey's Vilmer, remote-control fake leg and all. Lisa Newmyer's Heather is the classic slasher victim. She admits that her refusal to have sex with her lowlife boyfriend is just her "being a bitch", and that she's not stupid, but she "acts that way to get people to like her." She even lets out a whiny pout (rather than a scream) when Leatherface hangs her on a meat hook. And speaking of Leatherface! In prior sequels, the chainsaw-wielding monster wore a mask made from the skins of his victims (hence, Leatherface ). In Next Generation, he wears the faces of his female victims, and makes them up all pretty while screaming and running through the forest in a dress, a wig, and pantyhose (The sequel's tag line is "If looks could kill, he wouldn't need a chainsaw."). All of this makes for a unique, somewhat disturbing, but undeniably good time at the movies. Renée's valiant cries of "I'm gonna blow your fuckin' head off!" are a scream, and her performance is at once a throwback to the great bad performances of past scream queens and a glimpse at the brilliance that she has become known for. It is the most fun you will have at the movies for a long time. Film A+. Renée A.

THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD (1996) (SPOILER WARNING!!!) This indie period piece might just be Renée's most critically acclaimed role. She plays Novalyne Price, a Texas schoolteacher who befriends and falls in and out of love with pulp writer and psycho Robert Howard, creator of Conan the Barbarian and Red Sonya. Renée is wonderful as Price, injecting her with wit, toughness and sass. She struts her stuff, only to be thrown off and bewildered by wacko Howard. She gives a fiery, passionate and nuanced performance. Unfortunately, she is hurt by a poorly constructed script and a terrible co-star. Vincent D'Onofrio plays Howard, chomping on the scenery, speaking with a stereotyped drunken, crazy Texan drawl, and raising his voice for no apparent reason. He remains on the same annoying and unwatchable level for the entire film. And then there's the script, which features some eloquent dialogue, but never allows the characters to connect to each other. You have no idea what the relationship between Howard and Price is, or why it continues to be a relationship of any kind. You're never let into the mind of D'Onofrio's character. Director Ireland makes some very pretty pictures, shot with a sepia tone that lends well to the film. Still, he needs to be more ambitious. The film could have been very intriguing had it not been so safe (or if D'Onofrio, who also produced the film, put some work into his character). My disappointment with the film lies with the fact that it is so close to being a truly great film. Ireland had a masterpiece in his grasp, and when he misses his opportunity, the faults seem to overshadow the positive aspects. Still, Renée goes a long way. Her fiery performance drives the film, and the frustrations that the movie might bring you are worth it for the ending, arguably the best piece of acting Renée has done, and without a doubt her greatest onscreen display of raw emotion. Novalyne, away at school, receives a telegram which tells her that Robert Howard has killed himself. In a scene shot in only one take, Renée drew upon the suicide of her ex-boyfriend of six years, who had taken his life two weeks before Renée received the World script. Despite being occasionally stranded by her director, script and co-star, Renée does some wonderful work, which no fan should miss. You'll also find that she looks quite good as a brunette and that she makes even 1930's period-wear look sexy. Austinites will notice several locations used in the film, including the Paramount Theater and nearby Bastrop. Film C+ Renée A.

THE BACHELOR (1999) Renée signed on to star in this update of the Buster Keaton classic Seven Chances with Chris O'Donnell back in September, 1998. Gary Sinyor, in his directorial debut, released this film in November '99. O'Donnell plays a proud bachelor who has 24 hours to find his bride if he wants to inherit $120 million from his grandfather. Renée plays his long-suffering romantic interest who becomes suspicious of his sudden enthusiasm to tie the knot. Critical reaction was not very good.

JERRY MAGUIRE, the outtakes I've heard that the "Director's Cut", available only on laserdisc or DVD contains outtakes from the Oscar-winning film. I can only hope that some of this footage comtains Renée. If anyone has any of these formats, and can confirm or deny the existence of such footage, please e-mail me.

MURDER IN THE HEARTLAND The IMDB lists this as a 1993 TV movie. No character name is given.

A TASTE FOR KILLING This is listed as a 1992 TV movie. Renée plays someone named Mary Lou.

If anyone has information about where to find these films, or even where to find Renée in them (Hell, these three are so obscure, you can let me know if you've even seen them), please e-mail me.