Inside Pulse DVD Review – Duane Hopwood

Archive

DVD available at Amazon.com

Writer-Director:

Matt Mulhern

Cast:

David Schwimmer……….Duane Hopwood
Janeane Garofalo……….Linda
Judah Friedlander……….Anthony
Susan Lynch……….Gina
Dick Cavett……….Fred
Steve Schirripa……….Steve
Jerry Grayson……….Carl
Bill Buell……….Wally

IFC Films presents Duane Hopwood. Running time: 83 minutes. Rated R (for language). Available on DVD: April 25, 2006.

The movie:

Duane Hopwood is a film about ordinary people whose problems are no different than yours or mine. Hopwood is a man who loves his wife and wants to be a good father to his children, and is losing everything because of his penchant for hitting the bottle. Hopwood is not a mean or tragic drunk figure. He’s simply a sad man whose days are sometimes joyful, oftentimes not. With his drunkenness Hopwood’s wife Linda is not callous about it. She understands Duane has a problem. But, she can only put up with so much. And when he drives drunk with one of their daughters in the back seat, she goes to divorce court. What’s done is done. Linda is finished with dealing with Duane’s alcoholism; now it is about looking out for her (not their) kids’ welfare.

David Schwimmer plays Duane Hopwood, and his performance surpasses everything he’s ever done on Friends. Television shows are like that. When they become popular it is hard to separate the character from the actor. As Duane, Schwimmer has unfixed the stigma he got from being Ross all those years. He has friends in the film, but he’s mostly by himself, trying to live his life in Atlantic City. During the wee hours of the morning he pedals his bicycle to his job so he can work a 3 to 12 shift as a pit boss at Caesars. Why the bicycle? The incident with his daughter in the back seat caused him to have his license revoked.

His awkward work schedule doesn’t leave Duane with much of a life during the day. When he gets off work he usually has a few beers with some friends from the casino. This is his life. His friends are either co-workers or the usual barflies at the neighborhood-drinking establishment. In a way it’s like teachers who give their lives to the job. They find themselves, alone, looking for companionship with someone, another teacher perhaps; alcoholics meet all their romantic interests in bars. It’s familiar territory.

Writer-director Matt Mulhern is a novice when it comes to filmmaking, yet he nails home the point of alcoholism. Those who are addicted to the bottle do not think they’re alcoholics. “I drink too much sometimes, but Linda, come on, I’m not a drunk,” Duane pleads with his ex-wife. Barflies may get drunk, but that’s their thing. Duane endangered a daughter he loves, lost his family through divorce, and still cannot stop himself from going to a bar after getting off at noon. Duane can’t control his drinking habits. He either drinks way too much or just too much. Sometimes he doesn’t drink at all. Alcohol just wasn’t becoming that day.

For all I have written about drinking and alcohol, one might think Duane Hopwood is a dreary movie. Well, it is dreary but not because of the subject matter. The grayness of Atlantic City during the winter gives off a ghost town vibe. It’s the off-season for tourists, so the town lacks life. Taking away the obsessive drinking aspect, you are left with a guy who wakes up when many are asleep, trying to be professional working the late-night shift at a casino where customers are sparse, and hating that his one true love is now in love with somebody else.

The film presents a feeling where not being able to go home, because there’s nothing waiting for you, is quite a shot of reality. Duane doesn’t have many friends that he would call close. A security guard at the casino that dreams of being a stand-up comic, Anthony (Judah Friedlander) is his best friend. They don’t have much in common, aside from being drinking pals and finding humor at the most mundane situations. He wants to be Duane’s roommate, because at the age of 38, he would rather share rent and live close to the casino than live with his mother.

The wild card in the casting goes to Janeane Garofalo, who plays Duane’s wife Linda. There were times when she could have overacted, playing up to the camera. She does not. Instead, Garofalo sheds her dark hair for blonde and loses her typical blasé disposition. In Hopwood her screen presence is limited as she isn’t the titular character; when she is present she is a caring mother, who is saddened by her husband’s disease.

Other regulars in Duane’s life are Fred and Wally (Dick Cavett and Bill Buell), neighbors who invite him over for Thanksgiving (again playing to the whole can’t go home again angle). They know Duane has been having problems and are kind, willing to share and give thanks. And then there’s Gina (Susan Lynch), the bartender of the bar Duane frequents. They begin dating, but the beginning is rocky. Still demoralized, Duane can’t help but tell her, “I still love Linda.” Not the right approach if you are looking for a lover. A confessor, maybe.

Duane Hopwood is a small film filled with little moments. Casual observations like Duane going to an AA meeting, even though he believes he doesn’t have a problem, is an experience those dealing with sobriety can relate to. The face-to-face conversation he has with his ex-wife’s new love “Jogger Bob” (John Krasinski) is subtle in its humility. Duane is upset that Bob would lecture his 8-year-old daughter about her needing to lose weight. That’s not very respectable. Duane may be a drunk, but at least he is cognizant enough to know that is demoralizing to a little girl.

Score: 7/10

The DVD:

THE VIDEO
(Presented in 1.78:1 Widescreen)

Shot on the cheap, Duane Hopwood shows it in the video quality. There is a persistent problem with grain and dirt in the print. For some scenes the lighting is peculiar. This probably has more to with budgetary concerns than anything else. Aside for these problems, nothing is out of focus, which is good. The decision to have the movie set in Atlantic City, during the off-season, helps director Matt Mulhern and his crew to better illustrate the loneliness in Duane’s life.

Score: 6.5/10

THE AUDIO
(English 5.1 Dolby Digital)

The sound track is a step above the video quality. With 5.1 the sound is clear and the musical selections are crisp. Opening with a montage set to a somber ballad, it helps to lay the foundation of the story. The college radio soundtrack together with Michael Rohatyn’s original score is a nice balance of mood music.

Score: 7/10

SPECIAL FEATURES: Audio commentary and the theatrical trailer!!

Not much to offer for DVD extras, but the audio commentary is an interesting listen. But before writing about some of the topics both writer-director Matt Mulhern and star David Schwimmer discuss, allow me to give you two facts you will not learn by listening to the commentary. 1) Matt Mulhern is best known as playing Teddy Beckersted in One Crazy Summer. He was the macho villain who picked on John Cusack and the Stork Twins. 2) Judah Friedlander who plays Anthony was the frequent hugger in the Dave Matthews Band’s “Everyday” music video.

As for the commentary itself, the pair is laid back in their observations, pointing out flick flubs, and what scenes get to the heart of Duane’s habit.

The best part of the commentary track is when Mulhern and Schwimmer get off topic and voice their opinion about the film’s R-rating. There’s no sex or violence. The War of the Worlds remake is a film Schwimmer considers one of the most violent, yet it got a PG-13 rating. The reason for the restricted rating is because of language. The f-word is said four times throughout the film, according to Mulhern. Throw in a few vociferous “Jesus Christ” remarks and you have yourself a “R”. Mulhern, still razzed by the R-rating, throws in a few “cluster f*ck” remarks during his commentary for good measure.

Score: 3/10

InsidePulse’s Ratings for Duane Hopwood
CATAGORY
RATING
(OUT OF 10)
THE MOVIE

7
THE VIDEO

6.5
THE AUDIO

7
THE EXTRAS

3
REPLAY VALUE

6
OVERALL
5
(NOT AN AVERAGE)

Travis Leamons is one of the Inside Pulse Originals and currently holds the position of Managing Editor at Inside Pulse Movies. He's told that the position is his until he's dead or if "The Boss" can find somebody better. I expect the best and I give the best. Here's the beer. Here's the entertainment. Now have fun. That's an order!