Hugo Pool (1997)
Alyssa Milano, Cathy Moriarty, Malcolm McDowell
There's a fine line between quirky and gimmicky; at times Hugo Pool can't decide whether to be a cute comedy or a mawkish melodrama. Alyssa Milano is Hugo, the owner-operator of a pool company. She has a staggering 44 pools to service in one day, so she shanghais her gambling-addicted mom (Ca... (read more) There's a fine line between quirky and gimmicky; at times Hugo Pool can't decide whether to be a cute comedy or a mawkish melodrama. Alyssa Milano is Hugo, the owner-operator of a pool company. She has a staggering 44 pools to service in one day, so she shanghais her gambling-addicted mom (Cathy Moriarty), a drug-whacked director (Robert Downey Jr.), and a new client, who happens to be an ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) sufferer (Patrick Dempsey), to help her. Hugo's under an or-else deadline to fill a mobster's (Richard Lewis) pool, so she dispatches her alcoholic junkie dad (Malcolm McDowell) to fetch Colorado River water in a tank truck and bring it back. He picks up a strange hitchhiker (Sean Penn) and becomes obsessed with his shoes; meanwhile, a romance blooms between Hugo and the new client. Of course, Milano is the only sane one in this melange of weirdoes. McDowell channels both Jimmy Durante and Wallace Beery in a bizarre role, Sean Penn is inexplicable, and a rough-looking Downey Jr. sports an indeterminate accent (imagine if Inspector Clouseau was from, say, Romania). Fans of eccentric comedies and offbeat characters (and Alyssa Milano) may enjoy this, while others may find it a little contrived and tedious. --Jerry Renshaw
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R, 93 min.
Directed by:
Robert Downey Sr.
Release Date: Dec 12, 1997
DVD Release Date: Sep 28, 1999
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utter rubbish... this movie's only saving grace is getting to watch the star-studded cast in their younger days. McDreamy does a Hawking, Iron Man does Eurotrash & Milano does a Rory
Robert Downey's (that's senior) quirky and stilted film about . . . well, Alyssa Milano being adorable, basically. She is, but so is everyone else in the film. If there's a single more adorable film in existence, I don't know about.
Hugo Pool is no... (read more) Robert Downey's (that's senior) quirky and stilted film about . . . well, Alyssa Milano being adorable, basically. She is, but so is everyone else in the film. If there's a single more adorable film in existence, I don't know about.
Hugo Pool is not perfect. It's a bit double-edged, and is almost like two entirely different films-- one off-beat comedy and one serious drama-- were sewn together. The film is clearly close to Robert Downey's heart, dedicated in the meory of his late wife (not Jr's mother) who died of ALS, the same condition that Milano's film love interest is stricken with. At times, this secondary plot looks out of place, but it's thankfully kept to a minimum.
Sean Penn's relationship with Malcom McDowell is the most adorable on-screen unspoken romance since Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. Robert Downey Jr.'s spastic and semi-coherent performance as a murderer/director is endearing and worrying. Cathy Moriarty is smokey, rough and self-assured. Alyssa Milano is the star and doesn't allow any secondary character's to take our attention-- a remarkable feat considering the stellar performances all around.
The film is a Robert Downey Sr. film, though, which means it's not a polished Hollywood production, despite the aesthetic and stars. The directing is intentionally stilted and the characters exist in barely over-lapping realities, with Milano being the only string. But what a lovely and endearing string she is.
What a terrible waste of so much talent. And what was with the creepy racetrack security guard?
I must not be in on the joke--I'm used to Downey's stories/productions being rather obtuse and rambling, but this was over the edge. Milano typically overacted, while the rest of the cast was unexpected (did they all have the week off?) but droll. I ... (read more) I must not be in on the joke--I'm used to Downey's stories/productions being rather obtuse and rambling, but this was over the edge. Milano typically overacted, while the rest of the cast was unexpected (did they all have the week off?) but droll. I liked the bit about the blue shoes, but the bizarre murdering film director neighbor (played by Downey Jr.) and the ALS-suffering wheelchair-bound character played by Dempsey were really tiny bright spots in a sea of ridiculousness. But I'll probably see it again in an effort to understand it, so clearly there's "something" there...
Patrick Dempsey et Robert Downey Jr. dans le même film ? Je veux voir XD
Im not too sure about this film,but i really like alyssa milano and then its worth watching once
an odd film, mostly funny but also very sad. sometimes it's a bit all over the place, but it's watchable.
This movie is made by Robert Downey Jr.s character, and the fact that it doesn't really have a plot, and it has McDreamy in a wheel chair.
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