Dead Simple Movie Review

Is James Caan in every direct-to-video flick put out these days? I guess there are only so many Godfather movies that can be made to keep his career kicking.

My sarcasm aside, Dead Simple is actually a fun little movie. While the title is a shameless riff on the classic Blood Simple, the movie is also a fun black comedy with a juicy body count. Daniel Stern stars as Frank Jacobs, a hapless motel owner, situated at the geographic center of the United States (which is otherwise a totally flat wasteland). His wife (Home Improvement's Patricia Richardson) wants nothing to do with grand designs -- to become a big country singer/songwriter. But Frank ends up in the sack with local chanteuse Julie (Lacey Kohl), wife of the local star singer Roy Baker (Caan). And then his wife ends up dead... and then the fun begins.

While not so much mysterious, Dead Simple is at least an amusing time. Stern has that lost-in-the-headlights that has never failed him before, and sure enough his hopeless loser in Simple is so pitiful it's fun. Caan's long, gray hair is hysterical, and Sherry Stringfield's role as Frank's good-times-or-bad compatriot is a welcome addition. By the last half hour, the plot is rolling along with enough nutty spins (centered around the cadavers buried in the garden and the opening of a nightclub on the premises) to turn forgettable video fare into a worthwhile rental.

Aka Viva Las Nowhere.