Well... It could have been worse... And I really wanted to like this one, too...."Mortdecai" is a comedy that follows Charles Mortdecai (played by Johnny Depp) as travels around the globe trying to find a stolen piece of art, that also has ties to a hidden bank account that allegedly holds Nazi gold.
The movie showcases an all star cast. In addition to Depp, there is Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn, Paul Bettany, Jeff Goldblum, and others. But, even though there are a lot of big name actors and actresses, the story was kind of... well, flat.
The story itself feels a little over done. And by over done, I mean it's been used in all of the Pink Panther movies. However, instead of Peter Sellers playing the bumbling inspector Clouseau, we have Depp playing the bumbling [criminal?] art aficionado Mortdecai.
I've noticed on the website Rotten Tomatoes "Mortdecai" has received a 17% rating, and I can see why. The movie wasn't atrocious or completely unfunny, but a lot of the humor was either really bland and/or juvenile, the lines are forgettable, and the characters just aren't that interesting. The actors gave good performances; if anyone else had been cast in their place the movie probably would have been a big flop- but even with their performances, the movie just wasn't all that engaging. I can't help but feel that the actors in this movie were entirely too good for it.
I know a lot of people have been saying that this isn't one of Depp's best performances. I would have to disagree to an extent. While the jokes were stale and the story was bland, Depp really did give an interesting performance. He was probably the most interesting thing in the movie, to say the least. I've always been a fan of Mr. Depp, and it's good to see him stepping away from the Tim Burton and Pirate realm where he's been for the past decade or so, and go back to some of the more quirky and different roles that made him famous in the first place. While I would still love to see him in more power-house roles like the ones he had in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", it still is good to see something that isn't pale faced, or asking where the rum has gone.
The other characters were fairly forgettable, though. In fact I've already had to look at the IMDB page just to be reminded of their names. Gwyneth Paltrow plays Mortdecai's wife Johanna, who is the smart and sexy pants-wearer of the relationship. Throughout most of the movie Mortdecai and his wife are having marital issues that revolve around his mustache. Yep. Granted, the mustache is a bit on the dated and odd side, but really? Another factor in their dinged relationship is the fact that they're flat broke and need to make money. Now, that would be
Ewan McGregor plays Alistair Martland, an inspector who went to college with Mortdecai and Johanna, of whom he is still insanely in love with. That makes for a little contention between the Charles and Alistair, but not enough to really be considered funny. The main joke with Martland is that he wants desperately to have an affair with Lady Mortdecai and always gets shot down for one reason or another.
Paul Bettany plays Mortdecai's manservant/bodyguard Jock, who is pretty much the Kano to Depp's Clouseau. The main on-going joke about Jock is that not only is he always there to save Mortdecai's ass and also get his kicked in the process, but he's really into having sex. Again,
nothing super funny about that, nor surprising.
Those are the main characters. Then you have secondary characters like Munn and Goldblum that show up halfway through the film and really, were just used as plot devices and not actual characters. Which I get- not every character can have the main spotlight, but honestly, you could probably keep them nameless or cut them out of the movie entirely and still about the same amount of half-humor that you have with them in it.
All in all, "Mortdecai" has a few chuckles, but I would be lying if I said I had any big laughs from it. It's not the worst movie I've ever seen but it's definitely not the best. Probably on the lower end of the mediocre movies I've seen. If you want to see Depp in a quirky role, it's worth checking out, but I would honestly suggest seeing "Tusk" or "Into the Woods" instead- he plays minor characters there, and are just as enjoyable (one more so than the others) than his full length role as Mortdecai.
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