The Extra Man (2010)

Great to see Kevin Kline in a witty role again. Cleverly written lines give some snickers, excellent techniques at times transported me. The physical slapstick was a little off, but the gags made up for it. If you like Kevin Kline, you'll like this movie. Give it a try. It will appeal to the astute mind. The rich old women are entertaining and the glimpses of the other side of life are sensitively done, with tongue in cheek. The metaphor of the pigeons is a clever one observed by Henry (Kevin Kline) himself, in this high-brow yet Oscar Wildeish thrust-and-parry into the world of the Henry and his protégé, the young gentleman. Ending on a feel-good note with the credits rolling to a zany variation of a Marc Bolan written T-Rex number 'Dandy in the Underworld'. 8/10.

I have never written a review because there are usually enough to give a somewhat fair representation of what a film is like. But today, I am making an exception because after viewing 20 minutes of this God awful trash, I took a peek at the reviews here and I am convinced they were written by shills. There is absolutely no way, NO WAY, a sane human being can give this more than 4 stars. I say 4 even though I gave it 1 because I am allowing for individual preferences.This is seriously the worst trash I have seen in a long time. The reviews here, the 8s and 9s and 10s... Are you kidding me? Watch this movie at your own risk. Do your self a favor before you do and make sure that there are no sharp objects around, no rope and absolutely no gun. Oh, and be sure to watch it from a 1-storey bungalow... in a house that has an electric oven, not gas. The temptation to off yourself will be much too great.

This film is about a male playwright and part time escort who takes on a young professor with transvestite tendency as his flatmate."The Extra Man" is an interesting look into the lives of three wacky characters, but it does not offer much else. It is engaging enough to make you keep watching, but it does not make you beg for more. The film concentrates on how the characters are at present, but it gives little insight into why they are the way they are. I expect that this kind of film to be more introspective, but it is not. The weird interpersonal relationships among all the characters are vaguely interesting, maybe I cannot get into them more because their universe is so far from mine.

Set in New York, Kevin Kline is Henry Harrison, playwright, but seemingly not very well off. He has the most success escorting older, rich women, who pay the way in fine restaurants. He usually spends part of the winter in warm Florida, if the wealthy woman will invite him to stay in her guest house.Henry encounters Paul Dano as Louis Ives, homeless, aspiring author living on the streets, and often eating cat food to survive. Henry decides to take Louis in, to mentor him in his writing, and also to use him as "an extra man" for the outings with the ladies.The movie is very quirky, almost as if it is that way just for its own purposes. As an example, John C. Reilly is strange looking Gershon Gruen who occasionally has to fix up Henry's old car, but Gershon speaks in a high (falsetta) voice. But on the one occasion where he decides to sing, it is a rich baritone voice that comes out.Henry is a user of people, Louis is a simple man, together they make a very odd couple, and overall the movie is less than satisfying.