Everybody's Famous

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border=0 width="165" height="200" ALT="Bitmap Image" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">    <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=9jVMwncE8Ds&offerid=17576.10000041&type=4&subid=0"><IMG alt="Banner 10000041" border=0 src="http://mojofarm.mediaplex.com/ad/bn/571-120-1899-40"></a><IMG border=0 width=1 height=1 src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=9jVMwncE8Ds&bids=17576.10000041&type=4&subid=0">  </div> <div>  <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005OSLR/reelmoviecriticc">Everybody's Famous! on DVD at $24.74...</A>  </div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="575"><div> <B>Everybody's Famous </B>*** ( R )</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Reviewed By George O. Singleton</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="549" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 23 WIDTH="545"><div> Success is fame…or is it?</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="580" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Marva Verveecken: Eva van der Gucht</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Jean Verveecken: Josse De Pauw</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Debbie: Thekla Reuten</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Willy: Werner De Smedt</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Chantal Verveecken: Gert Portael</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Michael: Victor Low</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Director: Dominique Deruddere</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="304" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B>30 Second Bottom Line</B>: A father pushes his teenage daughter to be the successful performer he always wanted to be. The price he pays is higher than he expected. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Story Line:</B> Marva is the shy 17 year-old daughter of Jean and Chantal Vereecken, who constantly push her to enter talent contests, only to be loudly applauded by her parents and given low scores by the judges. Local customs in talent shows in Belgium have the singers perform covers of hit songs and dress to look like the star. When Marva does Madonna, she has on a "cone shaped" bra. The singer who croons <I>Try a Little Tenderness</I> has on a light cover of black face to impersonate Otis Redding. The man in blackface sounds and looks more like the real thing than Marva as Madonna, with her chubby build, and her face loaded with makeup. It's obvious that Marva lacks self-confidence and she demonstrates dance moves you would expect from an eight-year-old, rather than someone hoping to turn professional.</div> <bR> <div> It's clear that things don't look good for the Vereecken family after Marva loses one contest after another and Jean's job disappears when his factory is closed. He is so emotionally busted up about losing everything, that he still leaves home to go to work so he does not have to share this added disappointment with his wife Chantal. Since she does not look at the TV news or read the newspaper, it may be a few days before she finds out that he no longer has a job.</div> <bR> <div> The person the Vereeckens want Marva to emulate is pop star Debbie, who seems to have a modicum of talent, as she sings under cover of a long blue wig. Debbie's bringing in the big money and is constantly singing her songs on TV. Debbie and her manager Michael, an opportunistic manipulator, a Don King type of promoter, get into an argument about the direction of her career. Michael's car is running a little rough, Debbie immediately diagnoses the problem and he dismisses her idea. Her mechanical knowledge plays a key part later in the film. </div> <bR> <div> Through a set of circumstances, not planned by Jean, the opportunity presents itself for him to kidnap Debbie; and he demands an unusual ransom from Michael. Jean wants his daughter Marva to get the break she has yet to deserve. Complicating the situation is the fact that Michael tries to use this set of events to create personal gain for himself.</div> <bR> <div>  Jean's young friend Willy, who has also lost his job, can best be described when he's told by his girlfriend, "You're not an idiot, stupid." Jean leaves Willy to guard Debbie at the cabin where she is being held hostage, while he goes off to meet with Michael (in disguise) to implement his unorthodox plan. Rather than keeping her bound and gagged, Willy befriends Debbie, and what could have been a gritty crime drama becomes a farce. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Tell Me More About It</B>: This satirical tale mixes the street reality of being a hit at the local drinking hole, as in <I>The Full Monty,</I> with the big time stardom of a #1 song on MTV. The film is an international collaboration, with Belgium, Germany, France and the Netherlands sharing credit. It is in Flemish with English subtitles.</div> <bR> <div> We've all heard about getting our 15 minuets of fame (<I><B>15 Minutes</B></I> with Robert DeNiro is a recent example of this). For sure, many of us have jobs that will never get us one <I>moment </I>of fame. For the majority of folks, ones lot in life is not only routine, but hard work, often for the pleasure of making others live the good life they really want.</div> <bR> <div> Sometimes what we think we want is totally off the mark and we don't realize it until we get what we <B>thought</B> we wanted. Being famous is of questionable value; having money <B>should</B> never hurt. Given the choice of being poor or being rich, there is no contest. A person with financial riches can still have a good soul. Some want to be rich and famous...maybe being rich but not famous is the best position of all.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="591" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div>  R Rated</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> George O. Singleton © 2001</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> <A HREF="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com"><U><U>George@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>