A truly great movie makes you think about it long after the credits have scrolled.  It stays with you and affects your opinions.  It delivers its message clearly and convincingly, but doesn’t preach.  It makes you want to watch it again and again, and each time you do watch it, the same message rings true.  Gattaca is such a movie.

Although technically a futuristic science fiction movie, Gattaca builds upon current technologies so realistically that the sci-fi label seems a little unfair.  It’s easy to believe that the near future portrayed in the movie is not only capable, but eventual.  It is for this reason that I feel the movie should appeal to more viewers than would a fantastical science fiction adventure.  In Gattaca, the future isn’t used to create a universe where the impossible can happen, but one that is merely the result of the decisions we make today.  It is the story of perseverance and the triumph of the human spirit against overwhelming odds.

In this near future setting, human gene manipulation and DNA sequencing has become commonplace.  Gene manipulation is a standard tool in reproduction, as common as using an ultrasound to determine a baby’s gender. And, like ultrasound, it is not required, but is a choice available for parents who want to conceive a child.  As a geneticist at a fertility clinic explains, “You want to give your child the best possible start. Believe me; we have enough imperfections built in already. The child doesn’t need any additional burdens. Keep in mind this child is still you, simply the best of you.”

The result of gene manipulation and selective breeding is that the world is separated into two distinct classes: the valids and the in-valids.  Valids are the result of in manipulation and vitro fertilization whereas in-valids are the result of “faith births.” Valids tend to be taller, stronger, have better eyesight, longer life spans, and higher IQs.  Although illegal to discriminate against in-valids, people nonetheless do since DNA analysis is widely available and a sample can be taken from a handshake, a doorknob, a coffee cup, the glue from an envelope, or a mandatory drug test.

Ethan Hawke, recently in Training Day, stars as Vincent, a boy born of a faith birth.  During the post-partum checkup, the doctors determine that Vincent is saddled with genetic material that is less than desirable and predict that he will most likely die of heart failure at only thirty years old.  It is for this reason that his father, Antonio, chooses to preserve his namesake for his next son, who they elect to be man-made.  Anton is born a progeny worthy of his father’s name.

Vincent grows up to be a bright, energetic boy, but it is clear from an early age that his younger brother, Anton, is the chosen favorite.  Anton grows faster and stronger than Vincent, easily surpassing his older brother.  However, despite the advantages that Anton has been given, and the recommendation from his parents to accept his fate, Vincent continues to try to prove himself against his brother and reach for the stars, literally.  Vincent dreams of traveling to space and joining the space program at Gattaca.  However, it soon becomes apparent to Vincent that he can not get hired with a short life expectancy and sub-par DNA.  The closest Vincent can get to his dream is to accept a job as a janitor at Gattaca.  Vincent explains: “I belong to a new underclass, no longer determined by social status or the color of your skin. We now have discrimination down to a science.”

Refusing to accept his fate, Vincent continues to study and dream of space.  When it appears that his dream can never be realized, Vincent tries something more extreme.  Through an advertisement, Vincent contacts German who deals in black market DNA, played by Tony Shalhoub who played Antonio on Wings and currently stars in Monk on USA Network.  For a percentage of the salary, German will help Vincent get a job by borrowing DNA samples from a donor.  He introduces Vincent to Jerome, played by Jude Law, a valid who has suffered an accident and is wheelchair bound.  Vincent will dress like Jerome, act like Jerome, look like Jerome, and become Jerome.  For this, he will wear colored prescription contact lenses, scrub his body to remove loose hair and excess skin cells and plant Jerome’s skin cells and hair instead, apply synthetic finger tips containing Jerome’s blood to fool DNA testing machines, and use a prosthetic containing Jerome’s urine for regular drug tests.  Then, Vincent has to undergo a painful operation to his legs to be able to achieve Jerome’s height.  It is only after this operation that Vincent shows his determination and earns Jerome’s respect.

Living as a “borrowed ladder,” Vincent is amazed at how quickly doors are opened for him and he is ushered into the program at Gattaca.  As easy as it was to get there, though, Vincent has to work twice as hard as everyone else to keep his place.  His hard work pays off and Vincent advances to Navigator First Class and is scheduled for a one-year mission to Titan, the fourteenth moon of Saturn.  He also meets Irene, played by Uma Thurman, a beautiful, young valid in the space program.  Everything seems to be going in Vincent’s favor when a gruesome murder takes place at Gattaca and after a police search, a single eyelash of Vincent’s is discovered in the building.  Without an explanation for this eyelash, the police immediately focus their attention on locating this in-valid as the prime suspect in the murder, jeopardizing Vincent’s future.

WARNING: SPOILER. If you have not seen this movie and are interested in it, do not read further.

There are many important characters in Gattaca which serve to demonstrate the underlying theme.  Veteran actor, Ernest Borgnine of TV’s Airwolf, plays Caesar, the head janitor at Gattaca who tries to help Vincent accept his lot in life, as he himself had done.  Although a scene later in the film shows a confrontation in the stairwell between Vincent and Caesar where it appears Caesar doesn’t recognize him, deleted scenes available on the DVD appear to make a case that Caesar would definitely have recognized Vincent and instead may have helped him to flee.  However, more important to the theme, the character of Caesar serves as a contrast to Vincent and an example of what he may have become if he had in fact settled for less.

Xander Berkeley, an accomplished actor who has had a recurring role on CSI and played George Mason on the first season of 24, plays Dr. Lamar.  Unbeknownst to Vincent, Dr. Lamar had always seen through Vincent’s fraud, but he secretly hoped for Vincent to succeed and used his example for his own son, who wasn’t “all they had promised.” It is Dr. Lamar who is ultimately responsible for overriding protocol and allowing Vincent to board the ship in the end.  In an earlier scene in the movie, Vincent substitutes a vial of Jerome’s blood for a vial that had been pumped directly from Vincent’s arm.  Although Vincent makes a good effort to conceal the switch, it had seemed improbable for him to have escaped detection.  However, in light of Dr. Lamar knowing the truth, it’s more likely that he didn’t successfully conceal his action, but instead, Dr. Lamar went along with the ploy.

Quentin Tarantino’s femme fatale, Uma Thurman, does a great job as Irene, the valid with a flaw.  Incidentally it was during Gattaca that Ethan Hawke had met Uma Thurman, eventually marrying, having children, and eventually divorcing.  Irene was born with a genetic makeup that sets her above most other people; however, she was also born with an initially undetected heart disorder that she has grown to rely on as a crutch.  While Vincent constantly strives to overcome his imperfections, Irene sees her own as a limitation that prevents her from succeeding.  A scene, in which Vincent follows Irene across a busy street without his prescription contacts, further demonstrates his determination and possibly serves as a comparison to what Vincent will learn about Jerome, using the cars as a metaphor for the difficulties we all face in life.

Jude Law, shining in Artificial Intelligence: AI and riveting in Enemy at the Gates, plays Jerome perfectly.  Jerome is born with everything it takes to be a success.  From birth, he had been raised to expect nothing but the very best from himself.  It is this confidence and supreme standard that ultimately undoes Jerome and cripples him figuratively and literally.  One night, Jerome explains to Vincent that his paralysis was not an accident.  After failing to achieve a gold medal in diving, Jerome despairs of being thought of as second best, and attempts suicide by stepping into the path of a moving vehicle.  From that moment forward, Jerome feels he has no reason to continue living and only lives vicariously through Vincent, delaying the inevitable long enough to see Vincent succeed.

Alan Arkin, who has had a lengthy career and acted brilliantly in the short lived series, 100 Centre Street, plays Detective Hugo, the homicide detective relentlessly pursuing Vincent.  Hugo is the physical manifestation of the prejudice against in-valids.  Although a good detective who ultimately solves the crime, he initially overlooks the circumstantial evidence that suggests a grudge murder and instead focuses on weeding out the in-valid from the rest.  He reveals the subtle prejudices of this society, and our own, through his brute force methods of rounding up in-valids and interrogations without merit.

The younger lieutenant to whom Detective Hugo must answer is later revealed to be none other than Vincent’s brother, Anton.  Anton is played by Loren Dean, who got his first starring role playing Billy Bathgate in the film of the same name, but will always be remembered by me as playing Joe in Say Anything, about whom John Cusack’s female friend, Corey, pens the song, Joe Lies (When He Cries).  It seems unlikely that Anton would have been able to keep the connection between him and the prime murder suspect a secret, but the film doesn’t make any attempt to explain this lapse.  However, since Anton is as aggressive in hunting down Vincent as Detective Hugo, it’s possible that the revelation wouldn’t have mattered much.  Even after the killer is revealed, Anton pursues Vincent until they confront one another.  During this scene, Vincent challenges Anton to a swimming competition that the brothers had used as boys to compete.  It is during this time that Vincent explains to Anton how he had succeeded where Anton failed: “Do you know how I beat you? I didn’t leave anything for the return trip.” Vincent never played it safe.

And of course, no character is more powerful than Vincent himself.  Ethan Hawke plays Vincent with a grace that makes him both special and someone to whom the average viewer can relate.  We sympathize with Vincent because nothing comes easy for him; he has to work hard his whole life.  However, we admire Vincent because despite his disadvantages, he continues to work hard.  This is the underlying theme of the movie.  If we work hard, if we don’t give up, if we continue to reach for the stars no matter how many times we fall, we just might reach them.  And just as Vincent’s example served as a lesson for Dr. Lamar’s son, so should it serve for us all.

"Never underestimate a man who overestimates himself.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt

The movie, Kingpin, contains some of the funniest lines in any movie and shows the Farrelly brothers, Bobby and Peter, at their best.  The movie features an impressive cast, hysterical writing, an evocative soundtrack, and a few sincere flourishes which take it beyond the comedy moniker and surpass many other serious sports movies.  I enjoyed the plot so much that I think I’d still enjoy the movie if it were written as a sports drama.  Starring Woody Harrelson, from Cheers and Natural Born Killers, as Roy Munson, the movie takes us from Roy’s early days bowling in the backyard with his father, through his tour on the professional bowlers’ circuit, and ultimately to his downward spiral.  The scene which shows Roy as a young boy, running home to play with his father is both funny and sentimental as it plays out over Cat Stevens’ bittersweet Forever Young.

Shortly after setting out on the tour as the fresh faced, golden boy of bowling, Roy comes under the power of Ernie McCracken, played deliciously by Bill Murray, who manipulates Roy into joining him on a series of bowling alley hustles.  Things take a turn for the worse, when young Roy is uncovered as a hustler in a particularly seedy alley.  Abandoned by the unscrupulous McCracken, Roy becomes the victim of a vicious attack and is left without a hand or a future.  This is when the movie takes a sharp turn and shows us how poorly things have turned out for Roy Munson.

Without a hand, Roy has given up on bowling, but continues to be involved in the sport as a bowling alley supplies salesman.  It is at one such alley, that Roy hears the crack of the pins and discovers Ishmael Boorg, an Amish man with the innocence that Roy has long since lost.  After hearing of Ishmael’s average score and believing that with a little guidance, he could become a professional bowler, Roy hatches a plan to manage the young bowler and lead him on to victory.  Obviously, Ishmael’s na‹vet‚ and border-line idiocy doesn’t play a small part in Roy seeing the advantages of such an arrangement.

After posing as an out-of-town Amish man, Roy invites himself into Ishmael’s house and into his life.  It is here we discover that the fact that young Ishmael is played by a 46-year old Randy Quaid (a long time actor and brother to Dennis Quaid with notable roles as Cousin Eddie in the National Lampoon’s: Vacation series) hasn’t escaped everyone’s attention.  We’re never quite certain of Ishmael’s age, but it’s clear from his family that although Ishmael is old enough to be treated as a man, he lacks the common sense to warrant it.  His family would never approve of him going out on the bowling tour, but Ishmael is determined to prove himself and save the family’s farm from foreclosure, so he sneaks off with Roy and heads out on tour.

WARNING: SPOILER. If you have not seen this movie and are interested in it, do not read further.

Roy coaches Ishmael in the ways of bowling, trying to impart on him some of the guidance his father had given him.  However, after Ishmael loses his first match to a club bowler, Roy is disappointed to discover that the Amish man’s average score wasn’t what it seemed.  Having learned the game from a kind grandfather, Ishmael had been playing fifteen frames instead of the requisite ten, explaining to Roy, “Ten frames? That’s for Quakers.” The setback appears to be too much for Roy who immediately quits.  He is only persuaded to continue when it’s clear Ishmael will continue on without him and a glimmer of humanity and a rubber hand remind Roy of the dangers a young, na‹ve man can face on the bowling tour.

After agreeing to continue coaching and managing Ishmael, Roy makes it clear that Ishmael must do everything Roy’s way.  Roy turns out to be an excellent bowling coach and guides Ishmael toward becoming an exceptional bowler.  However, Roy isn’t as great as a life coach and Ishmael is quickly led into forsaking his upbringing and engaging in smoking, drinking coffee, alcohol, gambling, and even getting a tattoo.  Along the way they meet up with Claudia, played by the beautiful Vanessa Angel who had acted in the very short-lived TV series version of Weird Science, who is a hustler in her own right, but returns some of Roy’s dignity by adding some motherly love to the mix.

For me, the seminal moment in the movie is when Roy and Claudia chase after Ishmael who had run away again to escape the constant bickering and an actual fistfight between his two friends.  Roy and Claudia let go of their animosity and focus on finding and helping the vulnerable Ishmael before he gets into too much trouble.  When they find themselves in the area of Roy’s hometown, the two make a side trip to visit where Roy grew up.  It is here that the movie pulls at the heartstrings when Claudia tries to cheer up Roy by telling him that his father would be proud and Roy responds, probably correctly, that his father wouldn’t have been proud at what Roy had become.  Roy adds that he got word that his father had died a few years ago, but his shame kept him from attending the funeral.

More determined than ever, Roy finds Ishmael working as a cross-dressing stripper and rescues him from depravity.  The three wrap up their hustling and head to Reno, Nevada to the Odor Eaters(tm) Bowling Open.  After registering for the event it seems that nothing can stop Ishmael from becoming champion until they meet the present champion, Roy’s old nemesis, Ernie McCracken.  Big Ern, as he is lovingly called by fans is as despicable as ever, but it seems to go completely unnoticed by everyone else in the movie.  Bill Murray adds some hilarious lines to this character and even acts in a commercial for a Big Brothers-type charity where it appears that Big Ern’s only desire is to bed attractive, single mothers.

Incensed by McCracken’s derogatory insults toward Roy, Ishmael takes a swing at the bowling champ, misses, and breaks his hand.  After Claudia disappears with the money they had hustled, Roy is left with no other options: he must summon the courage to take to the alleys once again in order to save Ishmael’s farm.  The years haven’t been kind to Roy, he’s rusty, and he’s playing with a rubber hand, but he manages to win his matches and makes it to the championship game, against none other than Big Ern McCracken.  McCracken is the announcers’ clear favorite, but Roy is determined to unseat the champ and return a hero.  Just before the match is to begin, Ishmael’s brother shows up and summons the boy home.  With very little protest, and without even letting Roy know, Ishmael leaves with his brother and Roy is left all alone to face his demons.

The match is close between Big Ern and Roy, coming down to the last frames.  Roy is faced with a very difficult shot in order to pick up a spare which will put him ahead of the reigning champion.  Showing that he hadn’t lost all his skills, Roy picks up the spare and appears to be a shoe-in for the win.  However, Big Ern still has his last turn and proceeds to make three strikes in a row to beat challenger.  Despicable to the last minute, Big Ern makes some disparaging comments to the reporters, “Well, I didn’t want to lose to a guy with a hook,” then seizes Roy’s rubber hand and throws it to the crowd.

Roy’s disappointing finish is just another one of the reasons why I think this film sets itself apart from other sports films.  It’s great to see a champion win, but sometimes it’s more important just to see someone try.  Few movies are bold enough to show this, excepting maybe Rudy and Friday Night Lights.  Kindly, the film doesn’t leave us with Roy’s failure.  Instead, it shows Roy back at home, dumping out the bottles of alcohol in his cupboards, signifying that all was not lost and Roy has come out of it for the better.  Claudia also shows up at Roy’s house and explains that she didn’t walk out on him, but was forced out against her will by her violence-prone ex-.  She wants to start fresh with Roy and returns to share the money with Roy and Ishmael.  With a bit of good news himself, Roy explains that due to his bowling nickname of the Rubber Man, he’s been signed as the new spokesperson for a condom company and earned almost as much as if he had won the championship.  The two share the money with Ishmael, save the family farm, and the credits roll with a scene of everyone dancing while Blues Traveler’s But Anyway plays.

"Let us have wine and women, mirth and laughter. Sermons and soda water the day after.”
Lord Byron

Some years ago, I shared an apartment with a friend, Mike. Mike and I had a lot in common and were good friends, so becoming roommates seemed like a good fit and that turned out to be the case. One of the things we enjoyed was watching movies at home or at the cinema. At the time, I was an avid listener of a Boston radio station that regularly offered free sneak preview movie passes for calling into the radio station’s contest line. They offered enough tickets to fill the entire theater, and the contest was usually held on the day of the showing, so my odds at winning a pair of passes were pretty good.

It seemed they offered tickets every week, so every week Mike and I saw a new movie for free. The movie cinemas varied and were usually smaller locales than the thirty theater multiplexes we usually attended, so in addition to seeing some good movies, we got a good education on the excellent theaters of Boston. We’d usually have to head out to the theater immediately after work to take the train into town, transfer to a couple different train lines, and walk a few blocks and still arrive at the theater in time. Sometimes the adventure of the trip was more exciting than some of the movies we had seen.

As I said previously, the free preview was usually held at small venues, so we were surprised when a particular movie was held at large cineplex in Cleveland Circle. We were even more surprised to arrive at the theater and find the entire lobby packed with people waiting for the showing. We had arrived pretty close to the designated time, so we had to stand pretty near the back of the crowd. To make matters worse, this particular theater required the radio station to hand out individual tickets to the contest winners which in turn had to be collected at the entrance to the theater.

I had never seen such a packed theater lobby and began to grumble that it would take an hour for us to just get to our seats. Soon, an announcement was made that they were going to start admitting people. Mike and I both took our places in line, if you could call standing in the mob truly waiting in line. Suddenly, the crowd started to move forward and we could see a steady stream of people being admitted to the theater. I nudged Mike and said that the owners must have decided that it was a better idea to just admit everyone, rather than attempt to collect all the tickets from the crowd.

We continued to move forward toward the entrance, as the lobby emptied. When we reached the velvet rope gate, I was surprised to find that an attendant was in fact present, collecting the tickets. He stood firm in front of the crowd, with both hands outstretched, taking tickets from people to his left and his right. More, surprising than merely collecting the tickets was that he was actually separating the stubs and returning them to each patron. He accomplished all this, without missing a beat, by grasping the ticket between his two forefingers and thump, snapping it to separate the two parts, collecting the receipt in the palm of his hand, and returning the stub between his thumb and index finger. His fingers snapped constantly and consistently as he set about his business until the entire lobby was processed and had entered the theater in a matter of minutes.

Several things struck me about this young man. He executed his job gracefully and efficiently. His movements had the rhythm and flow of a percussionist in a salsa band. He was faced with a difficult situation in front of a large crowd and stood his ground. I’ve seen smaller crowds cause terrible destruction and mayhem if provoked or left unchecked. He took a thankless job that many people may even consider beneath their consideration, added his own flair, and improved upon it. I’ve wondered if this snapping technique was something he invented himself or was taught by some ticket-taking guru under whose tutelage theater employees advance out from behind the concession stand. Although, I suspect he was self-taught, because I’ve never seen this performance repeated anywhere else in all my years of attending concerts, movies, sporting events, amusement parks, and haunted houses.

Although I may never know his name and doubt he still works at the Cleveland Circle cinema all these years later, I think he deserves recognition and admiration. I’ve often thought of his example, usually when I encounter a retail employee who looks less thrilled in receiving my money as I feel in handing it over. I know there are a lot of difficult, thankless, and tedious jobs that people nonetheless have to show up for and perform daily, but that’s not sufficient reason to fail to take some pride in those jobs. I also know that people who do take pride in their work, who respect what they do and expect the same from others, usually succeed in whatever job they perform. And, I don’t think that’s a coincidence at all.

"Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well.”
Lord Chesterfield