The Caveman's Valentine

Well, my jury is still out on this one. I wasn't very moved by when it first came out but good friend C.J. listed it as an all-time fave so I thought a closer look might be in order. Let's run this down, it is an interesting premise with a former piano genius going mad and living in a cave in a park. He then, in his madness, has to solve a complex murder case. As I said, the premise is good even if the actual execution is standard. As far as the visual aspects, actress turned director, Kasi Lemmons does an excellent job and the scenery here a wonder to behold, alas we get to the acting and here is where my problems begin. As much of a fan as I am of Samuel L. Jackson I don;t think he should have been cast in the lead. See, even though we have notables such as Colm Feore (who is excellent here by the way!), Ann Magnuson and even Anthony Michael Hall, they blend into the woodwork, they are their characters. In the case of Jackson, you are not watching Romulus Ledbetter, you are watching fucking Samuel L. Jackson and this destroys the film. Don't get me wrong, his acting is great but it's his schtick, the one he's famous for, cursing and swearing and looking all bug eyed and spooking people out. If they had cast somebody else, somebody not as well known, this film would have been a thousand times better in my books. Another pet peeve with Jackson is he's just too damn clean to be a homeless person, a small thing which should have been fixed. All of this being said, if you approach THE CAVEMAN'S VALENTINE as you would a stage play you may find it more enjoyable. As I said, my jury is still out on this one but I will say it is certainly worth a look.