THE SHAPE OF THINGS Rating: (out of 5 stars) Director: Neil LaBute Producers: Neil LaBute, Gail Mutrux, Philip Steuer, Rachel Weisz Writer: Neil LaBute, based on his stage play Director of Photography: James L. Carter Cast: Paul Rudd, Rachel Weisz, Gretchen Mol, Frederick Weller Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew

Click on the photo to buy merchandise from The Shape of Things.

(Read the interview with Neil LaBute)

Review by: Warren Curry
5/5/03

Just when you thought Neil LaBute was embracing a softer disposition after his last two relatively lighthearted outings, Nurse Betty and Possession, here he comes with his latest venture into the horrors of contemporary inhumanity, The Shape of Things. LaBute's return to cinematic form can obviously be traced to the fact that, unlike his last two films, the filmmaker also authored the screenplay for The Shape of Things, based on his stage play of the same name. This is LaBute's best film since his debut, In The Company of Men, but detractors will probably point to the fact that what he's done here is basically just quote the themes and structure of that film while being content simply to reverse the gender roles. At his most effective, LaBute is probably the finest purveyor of the practice of filmmaker as puppet master, pulling the strings of his audience in a tantalizing and ruthless way.

At times an almost cartoon-like embodiment of ineptitude, Adam (Paul Rudd), a student at Mercy College, meets fellow student, Evelyn (Rachel Weisz), as she's about to vandalize a statue in the art museum where he works as a security guard. This odd first meeting leads to a romantic coupling between the two opposites -- Evelyn being a volatile (or passionate, depending on your point of view) artist, while Adam is the good natured, easy going everyman. Evelyn convinces Adam that he should change his slovenly ways, and as their relationship progresses, so, in a sense, does Adam -- the young man drops several pounds, sharpens up his wardrobe, changes his hairstyle and goes to even further lengths to tremendously upgrade his appearance. Adam's friends, the bouncy, happy Jenny (Gretchen Mol) and the cynical, hard-edged Philip (Frederick Weller), themselves a couple, are reticent to accept that Evelyn's influence is really in Adam's best interest.

The plot of this film hinges on a big reveal, so I would be remiss to detail the story any further. The Shape of Things is a shrewdly calculated movie, and LaBute an artist who isn't content to just stick the knife in the viewer -- he also relishes giving it a final, definitive twist. One might even fairly wonder if the man's motivation for creating films and plays is solely to upset his audience. But it's hard to deny that the reaction he nearly flogs out of you is sure to lead to some amount of analysis. The Shape of Things will unquestionably stir discussion, and if we truly welcome the evolution of an interactive dimension to our entertainment, then it seems logical that LaBute is a filmmaker whose work we should value.

Although the film only contains a total of four characters, it doesn't feel small or confined. The film is, of course, dialogue-driven but isn't "talky." The characters aren't shaped to be replicas of people you know, but many of their characteristics should be easy to recognize. LaBute uses the characters as tools to satisfy the end goal and his brand of social commentary isn't interested in the slice-of-life narrative form. There's a button pushing agenda, but it goes down easier because of the film's satirical aspects. Yes, this movie, thanks to some of the bloated behavior of its characters, is quite funny.

Paul Rudd is note-for-note perfect as Adam. A man so kind hearted yet oblivious that he invites your affection and pity. Rachel Weisz is just the right amounts of conniving, sexy and mysterious -- alluring but alienating (it's an eye opening moment when she physically confronts Philip during an early disagreement). The noticeable casting issue is that LaBute, in using the play's original cast, has chosen performers to play college students who are certainly older than the age of their characters. At most, this was a minor distraction to me.

While I definitely recommend The Shape of Things, I can't help but hope that LaBute will challenge himself more with his next effort. It feels that with this project he's reached a limit -- not so much thematically, but in the structure of the vehicle he uses to explore these themes. He's not breaking any new ground with this film and is guilty of stealing from him previous work. The Shape of Things is clever enough to warrant overlooking any of these transgressions, but let's hope that LaBute doesn't move on to become merely a second-rate version of himself.

(A Focus Features release. Opens in NY and LA on May 9, 2003. Expands to more cities at later dates.)

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