The Watcher is James Spader’s film, not Keanu’s - STAR BYTES by Butch Francisco

Two foreign films that are showing in Metro Manila theaters this week are Boys and Girls and Keanu Reeves’ The Watcher.

Boys and Girls is a romantic film set in the Berkley campus in San Francisco. In this movie, Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Claire Forlani play students with differing opinions. Although they can’t seem to agree on anything, they still hang around each other and even go out on double dates. Eventually, their friendly disagreements become just a facade for both of them because deep inside, they’ve fallen in love with each other. The problem, however, is that they keep suppressing their feelings – and in the process hurt one another.

Boys and Girls is a love story where you’ll hate the two lead characters. Really now – I cannot for the life of me understand why they have to deny what they feel toward each other. Of course, I do know that the very essence of the story is about two people with eternally contrasting views who fall in love with each other. Okay – fine. But when they go on holding back their feelings for one another to the point that they’re already both suffering, well, you just want to bop them on the head.

After more than one hour of pretending they’re not in love with each other – when actually they do – they eventually jump into bed. Hooray! What a relief this is – not only for the two characters – but also for the viewers who are sick to their stomach with the senseless charade played by the two young lovers (or non-lovers).

Just when you think everything’s going to go smoothly between them, they go back to pretending they’re not in love with each other – that what happened was a mistake. At this point, you – as a viewer – could only wish you could turn this love story into a tragedy and kill the two stars of this darn movie.

In the end, after a long time of trying to avoid each other, the girl finally makes the move. She hops on the same plane with him (bound for Los Angeles) and professes her love for him in what could be the corniest scene ever staged in Hollywood film history. Too bad, the plane doesn’t crash. It could have brought down with it this ill-conceived love story.

Now, before anyone accuses me of being too harsh with this movie, let me point out some of the film’s finer points. Number One is the character played by Jason Biggs, who is cast as Freddie Prinze Jr.’s best friend who can’t seem to score with women. Biggs is provided with truly hilarious scenes that work well with the audience.

Then there are the supposedly witty lines mouthed by the lead characters that are funny at times – but more often than not fall flat.

But the best things you’ll see in this movie are the colorful San Francisco landmarks: the Golden Gate bridge, the Fisherman’s Wharf and the world’s most crooked road.

Actually, some teenage viewers may still find this movie cute. But really, Channel 7’s Click and ABS-CBN’s G-mik have produced far better stories than the one used in Boys and Girls.

The Watcher is a suspense thriller about a serial killer (Keanu Reeves) who sends photos of his potential female victims to the police as a warning before strangling these hapless women to death. This film offers nothing new aside from the fact that the killer here seems obsessed with one law enforcer (played by James Spader) whom he follows from Los Angeles to Chicago where the series of killings continue.

The Watcher, however, has a lot of exciting moments that come out like guessing games. The viewers, for instance, are forever at the edge of their seats – wondering if a potential victim would be killed by Keanu Reeves or saved by the police.

Then, there is also this one long chase scene in the arteries of Chicago that leaves moviegoers almost breathless.

Fans of Keanu Reeves, however, may get disappointed because he practically just plays a supporting (though very crucial) role here in The Watcher. The film actually belongs to James Spader who has a bigger part and who is really the bida in the movie.

And considering how good James Spader is in The Watcher, it won’t come as a surprise if he wins the fans of Keanu Reeves over to his side on the strength of this one film.