I'd heard this 2005 movie was pretty good, and it had Val Kilmer, who was one of my 1990s heartthrobs, so when it turned up on cable I gave it a couple of hours of my time.
I like movies like this -- snappy dialogue, a twisty plot, a little originality, shades of detective drama and a self-aware irreverance -- why didn't more people see this in the theater?
Maybe because it doesn't fit into a neat little category. It's got action, but it's not a blow-em-up blockbuster, comedy, but it's not slapstick, mystery, but not psychological drama -- maybe its a dark comedic murder mystery/how to make it in Hollywood/satire/detective story.
Robert Downey Jr. (it's so nice to see him working again) plays a small-time hood who stumbles into an audition while running from a botched robbery. One bullshit reading later and he's on his way to Hollywood -- and a fateful reunion with his high school crush. Michelle Monaghan is Harmony, the object of Downey's desire. She seems like a fine actress, and this is a far better part than the creepy Katie Holmes clone she was in Mission Impossible 3.
And Val Kilmer is the private detective to the stars who's hired to give Downey "detective lessons." When real dead bodies start turning up, things get really interesting.
Much of the humor rides on the great performances from Downey and Kilmer, who find themselves caught in a buddy comedy from hell. Unlike most buddy flicks, where the vastly different people find themselves the best of friends, these two don't like each other and aren't afraid to admit it. That doesn't mean they don't have each other's backs when the chips are down.
The plot, when it's not riffing on peeing on a corpse, is complex, in a 1950s detective novel sort of way. You cannot zone out and expect to understand what's going on or why that guy just got shot. Keep up -- it's worth it. And keep an eye out for cameos by Lincoln and Elvis.
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