DVD Movie Review - Dom Hemingway

Jude Law screams, laughs, drinks, and punches his way into the title role of Dom Hemingway.  A movie that will leave you wondering just how many days Jude lost his voice after filming.

STORY:

Dom Hemingway (Jude Law) has spent twelve very long years in the slammer.  During that time he has done nothing but wait to return to society, to his family, to his ridiculous criminal behavior, and most importantly…to his money.  That's right, out of everything tough-guy Hemingway wants, it's his money that's makes him the most eager to be free.  After his release, big Dom and his thick sideburns head to France to collect his dough.  But his behavior is so vulgar and so reckless that his money and future may quickly disappear, leaving him broke and desperate.  So Dom does the only thing a man in his situation can do…he gets piss drunk and collapses on his estranged daughter's doorstep.  Terrible street-crossing ethics, rude behavior, vulgar language, serious monkey art, safe shagging, and topless ping pong players ensue.

"I'm taking this with me, so shut your mouth."

"Just be careful Dom, the expiration date on that package expired four STD's ago."

THOUGHTS:

Dom Hemingway is the type of movie that is easy to pin down in the first five minutes.  In that meager span of time, there are more curses, more hip thrusts, and more talk of Renoir than the average person might be able to handle.  But if you get past that scene without blinking, then you'll have no problem swallowing the rest of Dom Hemingway's over-the-top raunchy behavior.  Now, if after the first five minutes you feel violated, then this probably isn't your type of film.  And don't let the mushy trailer showing Dom and his daughter, fool you.  This film's first hour is a massive party containing witty banter, brief nudity, terrible language, cocaine snorting, binge drinking, and fully-clothed swimming.  The next 30 minutes or so is a man making mistakes and humping safes.  And then the last few minutes of movie forcefully comes full circle and may even contain a bit of redemption.

"Why, God?!  Why have you done this to me?  Why take the clothes off my back?"

"God didn't take your clothes, Dom.  You took them off right before you got drunk and decided to 

frolic through the woods."

THE ACTING:

After years of playing the quiet character in the background, Jude Law finally obtained a role that allowed him to yell as much as he wanted before passing out from asphyxiation.  If nothing else, this role will probably land him a few more gigs as an enforcer, which he plays very well.  And the director must have loved him, because the camera spends most of the time just below Law's chin, making you really feel the spit flinging out of his mouth and onto the camera lens.  Dom's banter with his best friend Dickie (Richard E. Grant) is the film's bread and butter humor.  Some of the jokes run a tad too long, making the punch lines hard to enjoy, but there are still hilarious moments that will catch you off guard.  It's just a shame Richard E. Grant doesn't really have much to do besides attempt to be Dom's somewhat good criminal conscience.

There are other people floating around in the movie like Emilia Clarke, but this is basically a one-man show of total destruction and bad decisions, so liking Law is a must.  Hold up…Did you just say Emilia Clarke?  Yep.  Wait…like the Emilia Clarke from Game of Thrones?  That's the one.  So is she like naked and running around with dragons and stuff?  All a person has to read is Game of Thrones and their mind goes straight into the gutter.  No, you'll be unhappy to know there's no Clarke nudity and she definitely isn't raising dragons.  In fact, her screen time doesn't extend past five minutes.  She's in front of the camera just enough to exhibit her singing ability and to tell her father, Dom, how much she hates him.  So if you're expecting GoT type acting or scenes, you're in for a depressing revelation.  Demian Bichir shows up to play Mr. Fontaine, the man who holds all of Dom's money and Kerry Condon (Rome HBO series) sneaks in just to point out to the viewer that Dom is changing throughout the story...even if his character development doesn't back it up.

"Boy, is she good."

"You ain't seen nothing yet.  Wait until the encore, when she brings two wyverns on stage for a 

cover of Tutti Frutti."

SO IT'S A FILM ABOUT FAMILY?

Nope.  Dom Hemingway is a dark comedy, focusing on genital jokes, obsessive behavior, and unrealistic consequences.  The terrible language seems to be in there for more shock value than hilarity, but thankfully witty lines are peppered throughout the excessive swearing.  So is there an actual plot happening?  If you count partying, sex, cocaine, and bad choices as plot…then yes, something like that is happening.  Wait…what the hell does that mean?  Well, follow along: towards the end, when the movie wants you to understand it's a story about one man's redemption, you'll find yourself thinking more about the plot lines that were completely dropped along the way.  Then with about a half hour left, you'll wonder whether or not "Dom heading back into the criminal life" is the start of a story.  But then that scene also turns out to be ridiculous and twenty minutes later, you'll be wondering if a plot will happen at all…and then it ends.  But there's the kicker.  The very last few minutes brings the movie full circle, leaving you with a partial feel-good vibe, instead of a what-the-hell-did-I-just-watch vibe. 

"Hey, sweetheart.  No more PTA meetings for me...okay?"

CONCLUSION:

Jude Law's acting range is the only real shining light of the film.  If you don't like vulgar language, or nudity, or a bipolar character that can't seem to make the right choices—even though they're staring him in the face—then you might want find something else to do…like flying a kite.  That seems like fun doesn't it?  With a supporting cast included just to push the film's almost nonexistent redemption theme, Dom Hemingway, despite its laughs, still needed more character development to become an actual story.  Instead, the film feels more like a hilarious conversation between friends about an idiot who just can't seem to get his life together.

3 out of 5 Stars (add 2 stars for Law’s acting and 1 star for the occasional laughs)