Truly Dreadful Film

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

After he is discovered to be having weekly intercourse with a friend's wife, studly Joaquin Phoenix (as Clay) must dispose of the suicidal man's body, or be accused of the shooting. While trying to fend off the advances of his dead pal's sexpot widow, Mr. Phoenix meets burping cowboy drifter Vince Vaughn (as Lester) in the local watering hole. The two men bond over cigarettes and beer. Soon, they are fishing buddies.Then, prowling widow Georgina Cates (as Amanda) shoots estranged lover Phoenix' newest bed-pal pick-up, while the two are in the act; and, Phoenix must again dispose of a body. Next, Mr. Vaughn hooks up with Ms. Cates, and stabs her forty times. As it turns out, Vaughn is a serial killer, with over a dozen victims to his credit. Vaughn decides to frame Phoenix as the killer, as FBI agent Janeane Garofalo (as Shelby) tries to sort out the bloody mess.David Dobkin's "Clay Pigeons" offers surprisingly little sense, or suspense; however, it is an enjoyable effort. The cast helps a lot. Ms. Garofalo participates in some particularly effective scenes; check out her pizza ordering, and aborted barroom "pick-up" scene. Garofalo, Phoenix, and Vaughn are refreshingly assailable performers; and, this quality is pleasingly evident throughout the film. Vince Vieluf (as Barney) does "Deputy Fife" proud. Finally, Eric Edwards' photography is lovely.****** Clay Pigeons (9/15/98) David Dobkin ~ Joaquin Phoenix, Vince Vaughn, Janeane Garofalo

The film beautifully captures the goofy good natured attitude of small town life. In fact the film itself could be described as goofy and good natured. Which is kind of odd considering i'm describing a film with multiple murders, disgusting people, and all kinds of strange happenings. The film has a similar feel to Twin Peaks without the Lynchian flourish.Without the acting performance of Joaquin Phoenix who is perfectly cast in this the film, it could have become a farce. Phoenix brings a brooding depth to the film that grounds it in reality.The film is also smarter than many people give it credit for. First it creates a real sense of place and time which is more difficult to accomplish than most people think. Also it operates on a more subtle allegorical level than that. A fact that most people seem to miss. Some of the characters in the film are archetypes of the past.All in all a well filmed piece that sucks you in. Lots of dark humor, and many quality acting performances.

Clay Pigeons has all the ingredients of a first rate film; Outstanding acting by Joaquin Phoenix (before he became a superstar) and Janeane Garafaolo (before she became a left wing stooge); Vince Vaughan in one of the great performances of his or any career; a leitmotif of outstanding country music that perfectly sets the mood throughout the picture; laugh out loud dialog; and, last but not least, gorgeous half-naked women.Alas, the movie's shortcomings, from start to finish, are too great to overlook. The incident upon which the whole plot depends is a suicide that the victim has made to look like a murder by Clay (Phoenix), who had been having an affair with the dead man's wife. Never mind that the victim's fingerprints are all over the gun - Clay panics and pushes the victim and his truck over a cliff rather than admit to the affair and report the truth. What makes this decision all the more ludicrous is that we later learn that the sheriff and Clay are old buds. When evidence from two murders that happen consequential to the initial incident point definitively to Clay as the killer, the sheriff still refuses to believe that he is guilty.Everything else about the story is pretty ridiculous, too. How did the murder weapon get into Clay's fireplace? And, wouldn't the murderer have placed it in a more obvious location, since his whole point was to set up Clay? How does Clay know where to find the murderer when he escapes from jail? How does Agent Shelby (Garafaolo) know where to go, and why would she go alone after a serial killer who's about twice her size? Why does Clay misdirect Shelby when she gets there? Why is the last bit of trickery, when Lester(Vaughan) thinks he's taking a ride to New Mexico with "Robert" necessary? And on and on.If you're looking for a night's worth of entertainment, you can do a lot worse than Clay Pigeons. The problem is, Clay Pigeons is a lot worse than it should have been.

Before striking gold by teaming with Vince Vaughn in last year's Wedding Crashers, director David Dobkin tabbed him for his debut Clay Pigeons. The movie had some buzz behind it upon its release in 1998, however I never got around to checking it out. A few months ago, while listening to my podcast of choice, the movie review show Cinecast (recently renamed as Filmspotting), Pigeons was brought back into my consciousness. It is a well-made effort—dark subject matter mixed with pitch black humor. This is vintage Vaughn who really lights up the screen with his infectious smile; even the high-pitched hyena laugh stays in tact as he must not have been asked to tone it down as it seems his more recent films have required. Joaquin Phoenix plays a man who seems to not be able to catch a break. How many times must one character take care of dead bodies that he hasn't even killed? Everyone has something to hold over him so that he must cover up the chaos happening in the town. Pigeons is shot well and nicely paced. It's a shame Dobkin seems to have forgone the edge this film contains for more general fare like Crashers and the forthcoming Vaughn vehicle Joe Claus. He shows some nice flare and hopefully will continue making entertaining movies.