Harvard Man

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That there is not a likable or sympathetic character in the lot does not necessarily spell curtains for a movie.  However, <I>Harvard Man</I> attempts to blend a slew of sensationalized elements into something coherent. The intent seems to be that we might adopt a perspective and come away reflecting on the experimental nature of contemporary undergraduate reality.  The unfortunate outcome is that there is little plausibility in any part of this self-important, over ambitious stew.  The first fundamental requirement is that a movie should proceed in a logical way and the second is that it be unpredictable enough to keep us watching.  This film is illogical and pretty predictable<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Symbol" >¾</FONT>bad combination.</div> <bR> <div> In spite of being populated only by airbrushed model types, the movie holds ones interest for a while, but the convoluted plot goes nowhere fast.  Mere fast pacing fails to fascinate long enough to sustain its relatively short 100 minutes.  Some honest efforts by cast members Joey Lauren Adams (<I>Chasing Amy</I>) as philosophy professor Chesney Cort, cannot save a screenplay that lets her (and us) down. She cautions Alan, her student and sometime lover, about the dangers of dabbling in drugs.  She paces back and forth across a lecture hall stage waxing philosophical (what else?) and looking more MTV than Harvard professor.  Alan's life is complicated by his vapid other girlfriend, Cindy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and her high stakes sports-betting Mafia father.  Alan's campus days are further tangled by the demands of his position as key player on the Harvard basketball team and last but not least his philosophical quest to find the "I" behind the "self," through drugs if necessary.  The drug shortcut to wisdom is much easier and faster than the more time consuming way of an intellectual course of study as a philosophy student.  That's our man at Harvard.</div> <bR> <div> Needing some instant provocation for Alan to behave rather carelessly, we get the briefest snapshot of his background from a working class family.  He is the great hope of his uncomplicated parents.  He doesn't have daddy's deep pockets and can not afford to be caught doing drugs and fixing the point spread of the game, but he doesn't think about those things too much.  Huh?  How smart do you need to be to get into Harvard again?  Director and writer James Toback ties up this plot point by providing a wholesome motivation for Alan to get enmeshed with the gangster's daughter's scheme.  His parents' home has been destroyed in a storm and they need 100 grand cash real fast to build a new one so they don't have to live in the high school gym with the other storm victims anymore.  This requirement comes not from his parents but from the screenwriter's need to give Alan some good reason to act bad.</div> <bR> <div> Alan is too clever for his own good.  So is just about everyone else in this movie.  Cindy is her father's daughter as she attempts to use her cunning, along with her more carnal skills, to pull a fast one.  This is where the FBI comes in.  In response to a fairly complex set up for a sting implicating the gambling gangster, the professor sets up a counter sting to extricate Alan from the mess he's gotten into.  Alan feels this is the right moment to clarify the situation by dropping a massive hit of LSD.  I found myself wishing for some clarity about the point of this film. </div> <bR> <div> Sarah Michelle Gellar (<I>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</I>) is perfectly cast as Mafia princess Cindy and some performances in other roles lend some credibility, notably Alan's teammate Marcus (Ray Allen) and gambler Teddy (Eric Stoltz).  Nevertheless, for the most part the banality continues, as evidenced by the gangster's two hit men, borrowing heavily from <I>Pulp Fiction.</I> The ludicrous behavior of the FBI agents and the equally inane ending seemed tacked on out of a desire for a quick, tidy conclusion.  Drug excess has been done much better recently (<I>Requiem for a Dream</I>) and there certainly are more compelling stories about college life and coming of age.  Still for those who like non-stop energy and beautiful people, this may be the movie for them.  The behind-the-eyeball (Alan's) view of the effect of his LSD tripping is pretty authentic.  Don't ask me how I know. </div> <div>     </div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="592" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="588"><div> Shelley Cameron <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Symbol" >Ó</FONT> 2002</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="588"><div> <A HREF="mailto:shlcameron@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:shlcameron@aol.com"><U><U>Shelley@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>