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Cast:
Nick Falzone - John Cusack
Connie Falzone - Cate
Blanchett
Mary Bell - Angelina
Jolie
Director: Mike Newell
Previews: Instinct ($$1/2), The Haunting of Hill House ($$$1/2), William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Nights Dream ($$$)
Pushing Tin is based upon the 1996 New York Times article "Somethings Got to Give" by Darcy Frey, which I haven’t read, but have heard is a rather edgy, pointed look at the air traffic controller industry. Too bad Newell couldn’t hang onto that edge for the entire 2:15 running time of the film. John Cusack is Nick "The Zone" Falzone, a typical air-traffic controller, I guess, not knowing any, it is hard to say. The early scenes showing the atmosphere and lifestyle of these people are pulled off with near flawlessness. We are shown the inside, and inner workings behind those people who "control more lives in one day, than doctors do in their entire career". The 3-D perspective of the radar screens, the intermittent shots of these aircraft as they control them, the ways that the controllers deal with stress, all of these are done to a captivating perfection. This is a field, and a lifestyle heretofore not really delved into, so it was a veritable gold mine waiting to be tapped into. For the first hour or so, Newell does that wonderfully. He lays a nice groundwork, with some interesting characters, whose backgrounds and inner workings just beg to be delved into. But then, he hits the panic button, and decides that this non-conventional Hollywood approach needs some clichés. So, he abandons his edge, and bombards us with typical storylines and plot twists that we came into this movie to avoid. Once Cusack, and Jolie have dinner, it’s like a different movie starts, and the previous hour only becomes the secondary background information, for a series of pointless events, such as infidelity, death, rivalry, and a Zen-style life discovery. It is truly a shame for a film that had so much potential.
The failure of this movie is not due to its actors. When I saw this preview, and it’s cast, I gasped at the potential. You have an Academy-Award winner (Thornton), a two-time Golden Globe winner (Jolie), an Academy Award nominee (Blanchett, who I STILL say was robbed for Elizabeth) and, John Cusack, one of my favorites, who’s been trying to revive the magic that he created in Say Anything. Each does the best with what they are given. Billy Bob shows his power in his intensity and silence, but once he opens up, he becomes a mantra quoting tough guy, which diminishes the mystery and his character. Jolie isn’t given long enough on screen, but makes the best of what she’s given. She uses her sexuality, when she must (sometimes she cannot help it), and other times, shows her powerful emotional ability. But once the clichés kick in, Jolie is ushered out. Wasted, indeed I say. Blanchett makes an amazing transformation from British queen, to New Jersey queen, with a near unrecoginizability. She is good, but underdeveloped. With that cast, and Cusack, in his smart, sarcastically intense mode, how can this movie go wrong?
Well, that blame falls squarely on the shoulders of Newell. He shows his talent at developing and creating interesting characters, but he just doesn’t have the faith, or guts to finish it. He was blessed with an original idea, and a dream cast, but for some reason, felt the need to sell out, in favor of a typical Hollywood finale. Life, is not always a happy ending, all does not always end well, and contrary to popular belief, society knows, and can accept that fact. By giving us these cliché’d stories, Newell insults our intelligence, and gives us a façade and false sense of reality that we know doesn’t always exist. Once, just once, I’d to see a movie that has the guts to be real, and not feel the need to have the audience feel good, in situations that we know we couldn’t possibly. Some have dared, but not enough.
Ultimately, I recommend this movie, only for the strong performances, and interesting characters, but be prepared to be let down, and not gently either. Pushing Tin crash lands, despite the most energetic attempts of those controlling it. ($$ of $$$$)
Actor and movie information courtesy of the Internet Movie Database
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