Rick is a modernised adaptation of Verdi’s “Rigoletto” opera. I did not know this before seeing it. It doesn’t really make that much difference to me afterwards either as I’m not familiar with Rigoletto. That said though, it is still useful to know this going into Rick, as it makes the kind of absurdist twists you’d only usually find in an opera easier to accept. Without this, the film does at times seem a little ridiculous. It’s still all very enjoyable, save one vital plot point, and upon reflection, it does make sense.
Our titular protagonist is Rick (Bill Pullman), an annoying kind of man you could only really find in the corporate world. He works at Image, and despite most of the film being set in or around the company, we never learn what they actually do. This is because it doesn’t matter in the context of the plot. We just need a generic corporate environment and we get one here. Rick treats everyone below him with a lack of respect and sucks up in a big way to his boss above him. He’s a man without dignity, someone who could only thrive in this setting.
One morning he interviews Michelle
(Sandra Oh) for a job as his assistant. Rather than simply interview her, he completely berates her for the smallest things, most of which he is causing. At the end of the day, he and his boss (Aaron Sanford) go to a bar, and surprise surprise, Michelle is their waitress. Another altercation ensues and she ends up getting fired. Her reaction is to curse Rick on the spot in an excellent tirade that he really deserved earlier. After his boss leaves, Rick is approached by Buck (Dylan Baker), who is apparently an assassin and offers to eliminate Rick’s boss. Rick laughs it off and heads home, where is discovers that his daughter (Agnes Bruckner) spends her days chatting in an adult chat room with someone named “bigboss". I’ll let you figure out who that is.
Obviously, after this, things change, and Buck is taken up on his offer. From here, we know that everything is going to go wrong. The plot can hardly surprise us as its obvious where we are heading. It does however manage to act as ‘car crash’ viewing, as we can’t turn away from watching Rick’s life collapse around him. Despite his unlikable tendencies, we do develop sympathy toward him as the plot races towards its conclusion. We know that he deserves his comeuppance, but as it becomes clear exactly what nature this retribution will be, we know that it is too far. The final moments release about the only emotion we see from Rick throughout the entire film, and despite what has happened, we know that he has grown as a person.
This is the feature film debut of Curtiss Clayton, an editor for many years, who clearly knows how to capture to right visual flair for his scenes. The New York we’re presented with here has an almost noirish feel to it, and the muted colours and the fact we only ever see the city at night gives the film a nicely dark edge that fits the tone of the film perfectly.
Despite the downbeat subject matter, there is a vicious streak of black comedy running throughout the film, which allows it to work well as a satire of the corporate world as well as working as a moral fable. Take for instance the scene where Buck introduces himself to Rick; he hands him a business card, which simply says ‘Buck: My Very Own Company". It’s simple, but effective. Rick will not make you laugh, but it’ll make you smile with these little moments.
The acting is universally excellent, all the more impressive given that nearly every character has absolutely no redeeming qualities. Pullman is a revelation, putting his bland nice guy roles behind him in a role that is almost the polar opposite to how we usually see him. Sanford is perfect as the slimy boss who seems to be barely out of school. He is incredibly unpleasant, but Sanford’s portrayal of him means that we do believe he could exist in the real world. The standout here though is Agnes Bruckner. Despite having the talent and appeal to walk into any of the typical starlet roles, she seems to want to prove herself through quality films, and is doing an admiral drop of doing so. She certainly has a big future ahead of her if she sticks to the right films.
As a character study of unlikable people, as a satire of the corporate world, or as an adaptation of an opera, Rick seemingly works well. It is always interesting to look at, and the excellent cast make sure that we’re always intrigued by the characters in front of us. Rick is not the kind of film that many would watch for fun, as it is at times challenging, and is rather bleak for much of the film, but if you’re willing to give it a chance, there is much to appreciate here.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Drama - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Shelagh Fraser, Barbara Flynn, Keith Drinkel, Felicity Kendal, Pam Ferris, Colin Douglas
exceptional by (5%):
very helpful by (95%):
