Sunday, October 13, 2024

NY Times Doesn’t Like “Cowboys and Aliens,” But Makes Good Use of Word

Share

Manohla Dargis doesn’t much like “Cowboys and Aliens” in today’s New York Times. But I give her credit for a word usage you don’t see much anymore. She used ‘adept’ as a noun, and called director Jon Favreau a ‘pop adept.’ You usually see (or hear) adept as an adjective, as in skillful. “So and so is very adept at skeet shooting,” someone might say. But a “pop adept” Is that what Jon Favreau is? Good for him, but Dargis is right. “Cowboys and Aliens” is kind of a bust. It’s been so heavily promoted over the last year, you’d think it had already been released.

What a campaign! But in the end, this weird hybrid of a western and a sci-fi thriller is neither fish nor foul. Nothing about it ever really works. And so much of it is borrowed from other films, it’s annoying. I had always thought that “Cowboys and Aliens” would be funny, with inside jokes, lots of meta stuff about film, and maybe a little goofy–like Favreau’s “Iron Man.” Alas, “CandA” is a drag. The first hour moves slowly and seriously. Is it an homage to westerns? It’s no “Unforgiven.” Is it a send up? It’s far away from “Blazing Saddles.” It’s no “True Grit,” either.

Then, the aliens arrive. They are quite ugly and unfriendly. Their “hands” emerge from their stomachs–sort of like “Alien.” Mostly they’re just gross. The cowboys–Daniel Craigf and Harrison Ford–are grim. Luckily, Sam Rockwell is there for a little comedy. He’s the perfect western ‘doc.’ Olivia Wilde is just gorgeous, and much needed. But there are endless nods, from “Independence Day” to “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Too many, in fact. “Cowboys and Aliens” makes no memories of its own.

Anything positive? It was nice to see Keith Carradine. And David O’Hara is always terrific. Paul Dano — highly underused in this story. And Harrison Ford? Very adept.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

Read more

In Other News