in Fame – that moment when its not- 112 west elizabeth st & 609 west 29th st unpromising start completely upends into LORD, SAVE US FROM MY ONE AND ONLY D: Richard a laughable train wreck – but it’s not an YOUR FOLLOWERS Loncraine; with Renée Zellweger, Kevin Bacon, Chris Noth, unpleasurable experience, at least not if D: Dan Merchant. (PG-13, 100 min.) Logan Lerman, Mark Rendall, Nick Stahl, Eric McCormack, VULCAN VIDEO you’ve a soft spot for teen dance films David Koechner, Steven Weber. (PG-13, 107 min.) This one’s a strange kettle of fish – Jesus from Center Stage to all things Step and fish, to be exact. It’s a Christian faith film but Perhaps the most interesting fact to be Stomp. For me, for a movie to bomb, there quite unlike any others you may have seen. gleaned from this loose retelling of actor has to be bad will there, some kind of an George Hamilton’s teen years is that the man Writer, TV executive, and now film director ssic. the b cla ro . th anti-humanist undercurrent, but there’s lt e u r with the perma-tan started life as a pale and c s Merchant is on a mission, but he’s not out to . b n l g none of that here: This “reinventing” of i o e o snarky New Yorker, dreaming not of the pic- m r proselytize among the heathens or anoint the o . the original 1980s button-pushing saga f spirits of the believers. Merchant, actually, has tures but of a writing career. He certainly had of creative teens enrolled at the New York a bone to pick with Christians, and this movie is material, if this film is to be believed (and a City High School of Performing Arts is his platform. He wants to know why the gospel quick skim of dates and facts of Hamilton’s life a sweet, sloppy mess. Actually, another of love is dividing America. Merchant sees a col- suggests a good deal has been fictionalized). prerequisite for a movie to bomb is for it lision of faith and culture in America where too After an opening-credits sequence that fore- to actually be movielike; this redo bears many Christians preach a fear-based religion that tells the film’s central road trip with “Greetings closer resemblance to a series of music excludes nonbelievers and others not regarded From” postcards tuned to a mishmash of ad videos strung along in a row, with only the as up to snuff. Popular books such as Dan jingles, My One and Only opens with the discov- occasional bracketing conversation. As in Brown’s bestsellers and the Left Behind series ery by trophy wife Ann Devereaux (Zellweger) the original, the story is told from fresh- give the impression of Christians as apoca- of yet another woman under the sheets with man year to senior: In brief, we meet the lyptic doomsayers and cabalistic negativists. her husband, the bandleader Danny Devereaux freshmen actors, dancers, and musicians Christians have strayed from the path of Jesus (Bacon), whose one hit gives the film its name. we’ll follow through high school. The open- and his religion of love, forgiveness, and charity. For reasons unspecified, this latest infidelity is ing montage is a jazzy, grabby thing, art- half off late fees on Merchant even takes the almost blasphemous the one that gets Ann packing her bags; by the amnesty day the 1st of every month. fully layering the kids’ auditions to mimic stand of using ample clips from such famous end of the day, she’s collected from school her 2-for-1 tues & wed. student discount thurs. the frenzied pace of the day. But that fre- non-Christians as Jon Stewart, Al Franken, and neticism never really goes away, nor does Bill Maher and stating they get several things the staccato timing. Storylines to the right in their analyses. The filmmaker has a half-dozen or so leads are piecemealed sure grasp of cinematic technique, and his film out so that every kid has, more or less, a often has more in common with animated Monty beat a year, which means a fiery breakup Python cutouts, Church Lady skits, and ironic “BRILLIANT! AN INSTANT CLASSIC. in junior year is revisited, minutes later, Stephen Colbert spoofs. Clips of all of these So much fun you won’t want it to end.” in senior year, as if all time stood still. So much fun you won’t want it to end.” figures and such others as Bono, Pope John Mike Sargent, WBAI RADIO Indeed, in the mouths of some of the Paul II, and Nelson Mandela are used liberally jejune cast’s most wooden performers, it throughout, as is footage from Rick Warren’s almost does just that. – Kimberley Jones megachurch, BattleCry’s anti-gay-marriage rallies, ★★ Barton Creek Square, CM Cedar Park, Hill and interviews with various Christian theologists. Country Galleria, CM Round Rock, Southpark Merchant’s wildest episode includes a religious Meadows, Highland, Gateway, Lakeline, game-show parody of Family Feud, but his most Metropolitan, Tinseltown North, Westgate eye-catching stunt is his trek around the country dressed as the bumper-sticker man, who slaps THE INVENTION OF LYING all sorts of contradictory stickers onto a white D: Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson; with Gervais, jumpsuit and tries to engage people in conver- Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., John sation. (Viewers in Austin might recognize local Hodgman, Tina Fey, Christopher Guest, Jeffrey Tambor, political writer Lou Dubose, whom Merchant Nathan Corddry, Patrick Stewart, Jason Bateman. (PG-13, randomly engages in “man on the street” con- 100 min.) versation in Times Square.) I suspect the impact Not reviewed at press time. Gervais’ new of this film may be greater among its intended comedy presupposes a world in which no audience – devout Christians – than it will be on one has ever lied. Then a writer figures out some of us more secular types. But its message how to do it, and opportunities to use his – that people don’t have to agree on everything singular skill are rife. – Marjorie Baumgarten in order to work together for the common good Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek, Alamo – should be palatable to everyone. Although it’s Drafthouse South, Barton Creek Square, somewhat messy in its organization and execu- CM Cedar Park, Hill Country Galleria, CM tion, Lord, Save Us From Your Followers is a great Round Rock, Southpark Meadows, Highland, example of the modern essay film in action. Gateway, Lakeline, Tinseltown North, – Marjorie Baumgarten Tinseltown South, Westgate ★★★■Gateway openings & ratings The Boys Are Back (PG-13) Toy Story 2 in 3-D (G) Capitalism: A Love Story (R) Under Our Skin (NR) Do Knot Disturb (NR) Wake Up Sid (NR) The Invention of Lying (PG-13) Whip It (PG-13) Lord, Save Us From Your Followers Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg (NR) (PG-13) Zombieland (R) MUSIC COLUMBIA PICTURES PRESENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH RELATIVITY MEDIA A PARIAH PRODUCTION “ZOMBIELAND” BYDAVID SARDY Toy Story in 3-D (G) EXECUTIVE WRITTEN PRODUCED PRODUCERSEZRA SWERDLOW PAUL WERNICK RHETT REESE RYAN KAVANAUGH BYRHETT REESE & PAUL WERNICK BYGAVIN POLONE (((((As perfect as a movie can be (( Mediocre, but with one or two DIRECTED BYRUBEN FLEISCHER (((( Slightly flawed, but excellent bright spots nonetheless ( Poor, without any saving graces STARTS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 (((Has its good points, and its CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES bad points / La bomba SORRY, NO PASSES ACCEPTED FOR THIS ENGAGEMENT a u s t i n c h r o n i c l e . c o m OCTOBER 2, 2009 T H E A U S T I N C H R O N I C L E 87.