I'll Do Anything

Starring:Nick Nolte, Whittni Wright, Albert Brooks, Julie Kavner, Joely Richardson, Tracey Ullman, Jeb Brown, Joely Fisher, Vicki Lewis, Anne Heche, Ian McKellen, Joel Thurm, Angela Alvarado, Dominik Lukas-Espeleta, Justina Hardesty, Robert Joy, Maria Pitillo, Suzzanne Douglass, Joseph Malone, Jake Busey
Director: James L. Brooks
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Originally conceived and shot as a musical, James L. Brooks's (Broadcast News) comedy of life in Hollywood remains a perceptive and very funny film. A loose Nick Nolte stars as Matt Hobbs, a struggling actor who must find work to support his spoiled 6-year-old daughter (cutie pie Whittni Wright) when his estranged wife (Tracey Ullman) dumps her. Brooks creates wonderful characters in this insightful look at how the movie business has changed--from strong talent (represented by Hobbs) to image and test screenings. Hobbs's angel--professionally and privately--is embodied by a ditsy production assistant (Joely Richardson) to an egoistical producer (Albert Brooks, hilarious as always). Ironically, the movie's songs by Prince were excised when they did not test well. What's left lacks the heights the songs might have provided (especially in the finale), but with Brooks's talent for giving even minor characters juicy dialogue, I'll Do Anything is a light comedy worth seeking out. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews:

no title.......2006-03-22

Yuch! What a waste! The kid in this movie is truly obnoxious with a capital "O". The press said she's five, but she plays as an adult teenage type of precocious brat who really irritated. She looked like a teenager with a small body. The whole movie seemed slightly disconnected, as if it couldn't make up its mind where it was going. This was supposed to have been a musical, but they cut all the songs out. Maybe that's why it seems so choppy. Nobody seems to know who they really are. And Nolte looked strange. Maybe he'd had some work done on his face. He was somewhat too old for this part. Albert Brooks gruffed up his voice for his role, which didn't sound right. The two female leads were just plain quirky. One of the worst movies that I saw from '94. And the clothes they put on the kid - looked like Jim Henson dressed her, hair and all. Too bad. This is a good cast, lost in a bad script. James Brooks, who also directed the fabulous "Broadcast News" and "Terms of Endearment" sure had a bad day here.

I Want My Yellow Dress!.......2005-11-04

I don't know why some people dislike this movie but I just love it. My Mom & I have been watching this movie since it came out on VHS. It has great scenes and the little girl is so adorable and bratty all at the same time. If you haven't seen this movie rent it and give it a chance.

GREAT VARIETY! JEANNE, WHAT A GAL!.......2003-01-14

Very entertaining not knowing what the next moment held. Matt deserved what he got, not knowing his daughter. Jeanne! A great performance and all from a small package. So much talent displayed. A wonderful cast. I absolutely LOVED IT.

A good idea was in there somewhere........2002-06-14

There certainly are flashes of brilliance in "I'll Do Anything". It conjures up some wicked satire and includes an extremely talented cast. However, this is a film whose flaws far outweigh its high points.

Nick Nolte plays Matt, a Hollywood actor who has gotten a few decent roles but whose current career is struggling. Tracy Ullman is hilarious as his estranged wife, Beth. Together they are the parents of a young daughter named Jeannie (Whittni Wright). Matt has moved on with his life and, being the caring father that he is, has little interest in ever seeing his daughter. It's been two years since he last saw her, when he gets a call from Beth. She needs him to come out and take Jeannie back to Hollywood for a few weeks. Once Matt gets there, however, he finds out that Beth is actually going to prison for several years and now he is solely responsible for taking care of their daughter.

So not even 30 minutes into the movie, Tracy Ullman's character is already gone. As if that's not bad enough, look at this absolutely amazing list of actors who have about five minutes or less of screen time: Joely Fisher, Vicki Lewis, Anne Heche, Ian McKellen, Jake Busey, Rosie O'Donnell and even Woody Harrelson. What in the world were they thinking by showing up glimpses of all these people without fleshing out any of their characters?!!

That's not the worst part though. Both the father and daughter characters are extremely unlikable. Extremely. Matt Hobbs is a self-absorbed jerk throughout the entire film. His daughter is even worse. In fact, I have been racking my brains to come up with a child in a movie I have disliked more. So far, I haven't been able to come up with one. Jeannie is one of the most shrill, spoiled and obnoxious little girls ever put on film. This all continues up until the last five minutes of the movie. Then, completely out of the blue, both of these characters turn on a dime and become very charming and loving. Sorry, but their transformation was too quick for me to buy.

Along the way, James Brooks (writer/director) is at least able to give us some funny moments. Once Ullman's character is gotten rid of, the humor baton is passed to Julie Kavner. Her character, Nan, has this uncanny ability to always tell people the brutal truth. She works for Burke (Albert Brooks), an egotistical movie producer who always seems to say and do the wrong thing. Combine Nan's scathing honesty with Burke's chronic bad manners and you get a cute couple.

With a different father and daughter, "I'll Do Anything" could have been a nice little sleeper. However, it is unable to overcome the unappealing attitudes of Matt and Jeannie.

Nolte is a good actor.......2002-04-12

I'LL DO ANYTHING showed me that Nolte is a good actor. As soon as I realized he was doing a dandy job acting his role--luckless actor--the movie carried on quite well without my analysis. Nolte has been swirling in the Hollywood maelstrom. His life has been designed to believe that acting is the most important matter in the world. Then,as often they do, the vissicitudes of life dump his 5 year old, hard-to-handle, daughter into the scenery. She is a precocious stick of dynamite. The story takes a few swipes at the cheapside of Hollywood. Otherwise, it is no expose. It is full of fun and healthy laughter.

Average customer rating:

I'll Do Anything

Manufacturer: Adam & Eve
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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