The Extra Man

Created on Friday, 16 July 2010 19:53

Written by Jonathan Jacobs

The Extra Man should be re-titled The Three Comedians. I have not laughed this vociferously since watching MacGruber in front of a stunned press group wondering who the laughing lunatic was. Let’s hope nobody else connected with the media reads this article and identifies me! Kevin Kline has always been a guilty favorite of mine and he has outdone himself with this latest effort. Many actors choose independent films or low-budget pictures to showcase their talent. Given the nature of these scripts passed over by studio executives, the actors' performances are often hit or miss. Kline’s are never a miss, they are always over the center of the diamond-shaped home plate. Building the cast meant casting the next great actor Paul Dano as the lead and pitting him against Tom Cruise’s gorgeous wife Katie Holmes. Between Kline, Dano and Holmes we have ourselves a romping good time.

     Louis Ives (Paul Dano) is a complicated young man. Being a preparatory school teacher is never an easy occupation, I would know as a former high school literature educator. One fateful day Mr. Ives watches a pretty student bend over to pick up fallen books. What he notices temporarily changes the fabric of his world. My reaction to the young woman’s lacey thong was “now that is delectable, is it edible?” Ives’ reaction is wonderment about how he would look in woman’s clothing. This initial thought turns into his undoing at Princeton Prep as he is caught holding a bra belonging to the headmaster to his chest. Ives is immediately terminated and seizes the moment to move to New York City to begin his long-delayed career as a writer.

     Once in New York his two loves (cross-dressing and classical 1920s literature [Fitzgerald in particular]) become three. The first apartment he interviews for belongs to the eccentric Henry Harrison (Kevin Kline). Henry is also a playwright and a self-absorbed aging gigolo. His clients are millionaire elderly ladies wishing to be wooed to fulfill a fading fantasy. This is where the film’s title The Extra Man comes in. Henry's services are available for the price of a woman’s company, a room within a condo in Palm Beach, or even a dinner affair anywhere fancy. Earning money is not his objective however despite his obvious penury. Henry has no qualms about sneaking into an opera or leaching favors from friends and acquaintances. It is the price of both his company and fatherly disapproval as he calls it.

     Henry and Louis are truly the “odd couple”. They are made for each other in the most peculiar of ways. Louis is diffident and confused. Henry is gruff, demanding and direct. Henry has an ancient car that is on the verge of being un-rescuable. Louis has inherited a functional automobile from his deceased father that is his prized possession. Henry has an apartment and Louis needs a room. What more can two nutcases start with? Both as writers have overactive imaginations and delusional senses of grandeur. Louis believes his entire life is being narrated by a classical author. Henry loves dancing by his lonesome and feeling wanted. They are two peas of the same extra-terrestrial pod.

     The two other main characters are equally as fascinating. Mary Powell (Katie Holmes) works with Louis at a green conscious publishing/editing house. She is a vegan and he a carnivore. I apologize for the excessive comparisons but they help to build the dynamic of these oddballs pairing together so brilliantly. Mary is dating someone and is closed to the idea of welcoming a new male friend into her life. Nonetheless Louis continues to be a perfect gentleman to her and offers her gentlemanly favors. He is quietly in love with her, and her lingerie! Bearing out the idea of whether or not he is destined to be a transvestite has many implications for Mr. Ives.

     We must not exclude the comedic dark horse of the show. My favorite character has to be Gershon (John C. Reilly). Reilly has been known to choose challenging roles requiring that he transform his persona utterly. His character Gershon is a subway mechanic and a neighbor of Henry’s. When Louis finally meets the mysterious bearded stranger he discovers Abraham Lincoln has stepped on his testicles (I only mention this because Lincoln’s voice resembles the description I am about to offer about Gershon’s). Gershon’s voice is high-pitched and shrill. It sounds ladylike but to an extreme. He looks disheveled and greasy but he has a heart of pure gold. Finding himself trapped in the cycle of bedding too many woman he turned to Henry for guidance. He followed Henry’s advice and believe me folks it is truly a doozie. Henry advised his friend to forget about women by riding his bicycle and reading the dictionary incessantly. The end result is he chronically masturbates and leaves a trail of tissues in his wake. Somebody has to keep Kleenex in business.

     Ladies and gentlemen, The Extra Man is quite possibly the funniest oddball comedy of its kind. Frankly I have never seen anything like it. I believe in the old adage “laughter is the best medicine”. That must mean The Extra Man is a pharmaceutical panacea. If you have recently asked friends or consulted movie sites for a comedy movie that will elicit bellowing laughs you have come to the right place. Put your prejudices aside and give this shining gem a chance. It may not look like Tiffany’s on the surface but it is worth so much more in its coal-like form.