Media Review

Movies: Tea Leoni's Wit

A few months ago I went through a Cher revival phase where I praised her brilliant and discerning choice in film projects. Today I will be repeating the exercise with Tea Leoni.

While I remember her from Flying Blind, the TV show she starred in about 15 years ago, I have also seen several of her movies. Recently, I brought home Fun With Dick and Jane on a whim and without great expectations. It turned out, though, that it is a hilarious movie and that much of the success of the film comes from Leoni's acting. Her timing is perfect and her delivery is great. She has a dry wit and can hold her own with Jim Carrey in this movie, and Ben Stiller, Woody Allen and Ben Kingsley in others.

I remember thinking the Flirting with Disaster was really funny when i saw it ten years ago (it was released in 1996), but worried that it might not be as funny as I remember. After being impressed with her role as Jane, I decided to watch the movie again and was so glad to see that it was is, indeed, as funny as I remember. It still holds up to current viewing, even if you can't help wanting Ben Stiller to get a hair cut. The love triangles that happen between the three couples are well written, and Alan Alda and Lily Tomlin are perfect as Ben Stiller's biological parents. Again, Leoni's straight-woman role is executed perfectly and her deep, raspy voice provides great delivery.

I also re-watched Woody Allen's Hollywood Ending and liked her in this, and a few months ago saw You Kill Me, where she is Ben Kingsley's love interest despite him being an assassin who is in Alcoholics Anonymous. The one movie of hers that I do not recommend is Spanglish. The combination of Tea Leoni and Adam Sandler may sound tempting for a good-laugh movie, but trust me, pass on this one. The acting is good, and I remember hers as being the note-worthy performance, but the writing was not good enough for these high-quality actors. People I Know with Al Pacino was also good, but is not a comedy. It is much heavier and darker, and her role in it is short. Next time you are looking for a good, reliable choice of movie, try something with this actress in it.

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