The Real Blonde

Released 1998
Stars Matthew Modine, Catherine Keener, Maxwell Caulfield, Bridgette Wilson, Daryl Hannah, Elizabeth Berkley, Marlo Thomas, Christopher Lloyd, Denis Leary, Kathleen Turner, Buck Henry, Steve Buscemi
Directed by Tom DiCillo

With The Real Blonde, director Tom DiCillo places another interesting title onto a diverse resume which already includes Johnny Suede, Living in Oblivion, and Box of Moonlight. The Real Blonde, which examines the difference between illusion and reality, and satirizes the acting industry, is easily the lightest of DiCillo's films, and, although the seams in the plot are visible (the movie plays best as a series of loosely-connected comic vignettes), there's enough light substance and lighter humor to warrant a recommendation.

The principals are Joe (Matthew Modine) and Bob (Maxwell Caulfield), a pair of out-of-work actors who are making a living waiting tables for the ever-stern Ernst (Christopher Lloyd). Joe believes in the purity of his craft – the only kinds of acting jobs he's interested in are "serious" ones. His resolve is tested, however, when Bob gets a plum role on the soap opera Passion Crest. There's nothing remotely respectable about the part, but it offers Bob a regular income of $3600 per week and turns him into an overnight heartthrob. Suddenly, a jealous Joe, with some prodding from his live-in girlfriend, Mary (Catherine Keener), decides that if he's going to be an actor, he's going to have to compromise his values. So he goes to his agent (Kathleen Turner) and tells her he's willing to do anything – even a TV commercial or a music video.

Of course, while The Real Blonde has a message, that's not its most noteworthy aspect. The comedy in the film, which varies from clever and insightful ("Empty V" – say that aloud) to downright silly (Joe's bathing suit), frequently works. I especially loved a scene in which just about everyone in a restaurant contributes to a deconstruction of The Piano. That sequence alone is almost worth the price of admission. Overall, however, The Real Blonde would have been even more satisfying if it had seemed like a coherent whole rather than a batch of skits loosely connected by DiCillo's story arc of a struggling actor trying to remain true to both his calling and the woman he loves. Nevertheless, in part because of Keener's appeal and in part because DiCillo gets his point across with a successful portion of humor, The Real Blonde is enjoyable and inviting.

Summary by James Berardinelli

I liked this movie despite Matthew Modine being the lead. He's not my favorite actor, and he brings a load of smarminess to his role. Despite that, it's a funny and engrossing film, but I kept wondering what it was really about. It wasn't until the final scene that I realized it was a non-cynical love story. That was a surprise since it contained so much satire, and I certainly didn't expect it to end that way. It was a nice surprise.

My favorite moment started with something I felt was completely inappropriate. An assistant (David Chapelle) explained to Elizabeth Berkley how the Holocaust was invented by the Jews and never happened. I thought it was especially inappropriate to have a black man spewing this garbage in the middle of a light-hearted comedy due to blacks' hatred of Jews. However, Joe (Matthew Modine) saved the day with a hilarious comeback about how he read the same book, which explained there was no slavery. The Africans came to America of their own accord (many paid their own way), because they heard there were jobs picking cotton, and those jobs could eventually lead to better jobs as muggers and crack addicts. Touche. --Bill Alward, April 7, 2002