Few phrases capture the agony of a sports fan like “Bucky F***ing Dent.”
The Yankees shortstop made Red Sox fans miserable in 1978, turning his name into a Beantown insult. His impressive, three run home run in the tiebreaker of a game between bitter rivals is one of the greatest moments in baseball.
It also inspired the title behind David Duchovny. “Bucky, damn Dent” He made the novel his second effort as a director.
“Reverse the Curse” should vibrate with the undying passion of a fan. Instead, the story oscillates between forced humor and saccharine melodrama. Some touching moments rise to the surface, suggesting what a much better film would be like.
It’s a shame because Duchovny hasn’t been this convincing in a while.
It’s 1978 and our main character spends his days throwing peanuts at hungry fans at Yankee Stadium.
Teddy (Logan Marshall-Green) wants to write novels, but he’s stuck in perpetual adolescence, right down to his Wolverine-like sideburns. His stupor is shaken by the news that his estranged father Marty (Duchovny) is dying.
The son reluctantly moves into Marty’s house and their past disagreements quickly boil over. Marty’s “death trainer,” Mariana (“Brooklyn nine nine‘s” Stephanie Beatriz) lowers the temperature, but there is so much anguish between father and son that it will take more than their presence to keep the peace.
At least Marty and Teddy can agree to love the Sox, locked in an epic battle with their rivals in the summer of 1978.
And we know how that ended.
Screen Rant presents an exclusive clip of #ReverseTheCurse, starring David Duchovny, Logan Marshall-Green and Stephanie Beatriz. See it in theaters or on demand on June 14! https://t.co/QUa1oLJvaM pic.twitter.com/URSuPKK06M
— Screen Rant (@screenrant) June 11, 2024
“Reverse the Curse” has a romantic comedy-level gimmick that even Kate Hudson would reject. Teddy tricks Marty into thinking the Sox are taking the division. As? He intercepts the morning newspaper and delivers a doctored version using cut-and-paste headlines.
The scheme is silly on more levels than an abacus can count, and Duchovny, the writer and director, knows it instinctively. Other films would have linked his story to this tactic. Here, it is discarded long before the critical third act.
Until then, Duchovny creates a compelling variation on the theme of the repentant father. We don’t know exactly how Marty failed his son, but the couple understands that those emotional wounds are not easily resolved.
Team Duchovny worked on a tight budget on “Reverse” and it often shows. A quick street sequence uses ’70s-era B-roll footage in embarrassing ways. We see little of New York City or Boston, visual elements that could have expanded the film’s canvas.
The fake sports announcers in the movie wouldn’t fool a minor league player.
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“Reverse” still finds ways to move us. Beatriz’s ability to channel authentic characters is impressive, whether here or as the toughest cop in “Brooklyn.” Duchovny withholds a key part of Marty’s backstory during the film’s final moments, but the payoff is considerable.
So is his performance, a worn-out soul processing pain while holding out hope for reconciliation.
It’s even more frustrating when Duchovny trots out a prolonged flatulence riff or spends screen time with Marty’s old friends, neither of which pays off as expected.
And even this writer is exhausted by the “author who wants to write the great American novel” trope. Can’t the characters aspire to other career options?
“Reverse the Curse” proves that Duchovny has the heart of a poet, right down to the unpublished fragments of Marty’s past. His film shows that he has a long way to go before he masters the tone of a film.
Hit or miss: “Reverse the Curse” offers some meaty dramatic moments, but they’re scattered among cringeworthy humor and meandering themes.
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