"Boat Trip"

Well folks, here it is: for the first time since I started this blog, we actually have a well-known bad movie. Not that many people saw it – it was a colossal flop at the box office – but that, along with the fact that it starred a then-recent Oscar® winner made it a highly publicized disaster. People just couldn’t believe that Academy Award winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. (who won the Supporting Actor prize as a pro footballer in “Jerry Maguire”) would agree to appear in a movie like this. My only guess is that he saw a connection between “Boat Trip”’s premise and “Some Like it Hot.” What he didn’t see was the definition of the phrase, “tenuous at best.”

I’m not going to talk too much about the movie itself. Most people have heard what it’s about. If you haven’t, the premise is that two womanizing pals are accidentally booked on an all-gay cruise. Well, all gay except for the convenient straight women that also happen to be on board. You guessed it, instead of merely saying, “our travel agent made a mistake but all we have to do is tell these attractive women that we’re really straight and we can be their dates for the duration of the cruise,” the men perpetuate the ruse that they are gay. Of course, there’d be no movie if they didn’t – but given the end result, that outcome would have been preferable.

But let’s get back to Gooding, or more precisely, the fabled “Oscar Curse” that seems to often befall those lauded luminaries of Tinseltown. Now I don’t personally believe in curses (although I love seeing them play out in movies with mummies), but I can understand how some could make the case here. For decades, Hollywood has been littered with feted actors whose post-Oscar® winning performances were followed by barrelfuls of reeking manure. Some of the more infamous examples include:

* Halle Berry (Best Actress for “Monster’s Ball”) went on to headline some really horrible duds like “Gothika” and “Catwoman”

* Roberto Benigni (Best Actor for “Life is Beautiful”) ended up playing the title role in a live-action “Pinocchio” – at the age of 50!

* F. Murray Abraham (Best Actor for “Amadeus”) portrayed the villain in the execrable modern-day update of Laurel & Hardy (that desecrated the cherished memories of those two genius clowns) called “The New Adventures of Laurel & Hardy: for Love or Mummy.”

* Louis Gossett, Jr. (Best Supporting Actor for “An Officer & a Gentleman”) found his career “lost at sea” when he set sail in search of a less-than-great white shark in “Jaws 3-D.”

…and we already talked about Mira Sorvino’s downward spiral after winning Best Supporting Actress for “Mighty Aphrodite” in our February 21st review of “Amongst Friends” (http://latenitelandfill.blogspot.com/2008/02/amongst-friends.html).

But enough about the so-called "curse." What about the “Boat Trip” supporting cast? A mixed bag indeed. Horatio Sanz is here as “the buddy.” He can be funny but usually only in a short-form SNL skit (and even those aren’t “short” anymore – they seriously need editors because they beat what few “jokes” they have to death as it is). I’m guessing the female roles here, performed by Vivaca A. Fox and Roselyn Sanchez are none too demanding and that these usually competent actresses give adequate if unremarkable performances. Looking further down the cast list reveals more interesting support. Richard Roundtree, the original “Shaft” himself, portrays the father of one of the girls. His is a career that helped define “blaxpoitation” and ultimately evolved into a steady stream of character roles. He is always fun to watch (although I’d recommend finding one of his other movies to view). Sir Roger Moore, once a Bond, has, like Robert Wagner, George Hamilton and William Shatner, figured out how to make a career out of portraying a self-parody of his perceived image. Last but not least, I notice Lin Shaye rounds out the supporting cast. She was hysterical in Farrelly Brothers movies such as “Kingpin” and “There’s Something About Mary.” If there are any funny moments in “Boat Trip,” my guess is they come from Shaye.

Speaking of “Kingpin,” it’s hard to believe that movie’s brilliant script was co-written by Mort Nathan – the writer and director of “Boat Trip!” Oh well, you can’t win them all!

View the trailer here:

visit videodetective.com for more info

Or watch the entire movie on WABC-TV Channel 7 on Saturday, March 15th at 11:35 PM – if you dare!