What? He said it was a popsicle!
In the “Tongues So Deeply In Their Cheeks They’re Poking Out The Other Side” genre is Men In Black (1997). This movie plays off many cheesy tropes of the last 40 years, including rumors about the men in black, American tabloid newspapers, and UFOs. But what really makes this tick is the use of contrast.
First, there’s dialog, which often leads in one, often predictable direction, before suddenly veering off in quite another direction which is not only disconcerting – easy enough to do – but does the harder thing of making that switch organic to the movie. Contrast often uses the mechanism of expectation, so when an alien possessing many strong and slithery tentacles gives birth on the freeway, the agent who catches the baby isn’t repulsed, as we might expect, but charmed – until the inevitable baby URP.
There’s even the contrast of the pacing, in which the younger agent is ready to run pell-mell after the bad guys, while the senior agent, aware of his primary duty to not upset the public at large, is far more sedate and patient.
But the real contrast is between the two leads, J and K. I don’t often talk about specific actors, but Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, as the enthusiastic new recruit into the organization and the crusty old senior agent, respectively, are the very picture of contrast – and of chemistry.
Along with this skillful use of contrast, the characters each have a believable motivation, from crusty old K’s reason to stay in MiB, despite having to sacrifice the love of his life, to the antagonist, who has the responsibility of feeding his family.
All 70 million of them.
Like the pathologist says in the movie, “Well, you boys certainly have an interesting job.” It may not be subtle & nuanced, but it’s fun. Recommended.
