The
Favour, The Watch & the Very Big Fish (1991)
Rated R
Starring: Bob Hoskins, Jeff Goldblum, and
Natasha Richardson
Rating:

out
of

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Louis Aubinard (Bob Hoskins) is having a crisis. He's a photographer
who specializes in religious scenes. Needing to find someone to portray
Jesus for an upcoming shoot, he finds a man (Jeff Goldblum) who looks
the part perfectly. Louis' friend asks him for a favor, and Louis finds
himself recording the soundtrack to a porn movie with a beautiful girl
named Sybil (Natasha Richardson). A strange triangle of coincidence and
possible spiritual intervention unwinds from there.
I can't really go into to much detail beyond that basic setup. The title,
believe it or not, does mean something to this movie's plot. And that
should give you some idea of the odd twists and turns this movie takes
on its path from beginning to end. This is a strange movie, to say the
least.
Hoskins, who's played some wildly diverse characters in his career, including
Super Mario in Super Mario Brothers and J. Edgar Hoover in Nixon, is excellent
as the slightly nerdy photographer. Natasha Richardson, who appeared in
Nell and The Handmaid's Tale, is fine as the love interest. But it is
Jeff Goldblum who really shines in this film. His portrayal of the character
known only as The Pianist is one of the funniest of his career. It ranks
alongside his work in The Tall Guy as some of his weirdest work ever.
It's unfortunate that this film got somewhat buried when it was released
in 1992. (According to the Internet Movie Database, it made less than
$200,000 during its theatrical release.) Although its got a somewhat odd
sense of humor, it's a very funny film that deserves to be seen, especially
if you're a fan of Jeff Goldblum. Trivia: Bob
Hoskins will appear in 1999's White River Kid with Ellen Barkin. Jeff
Goldblum will appear in 1999's Popcorn, also with Ellen Barkin. (Source: The
Internet Movie Database) |