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Kiss Kiss Bang Bang


 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang should have been a bigger movie.But the studio apparently did not have faith in it. And it doesn't take much imagination to see why, if one is being honest. Robert Downey Jr. was trying to make a comeback after years of substance abuse and arrests. Both co-star Val Kilmer and writer/director Shane Black were currently in a bit of a slump. And it's kind of a weird flick. It shares some dialogue DNA with Tarantino's movies, the plot is based on old noir pulp detective stories, it has hijinks that would not feel out of place in a t.v. sitcom were they not so dark, and a couple of zany sight gags that feel like they're right out a Leslie Nielsen Naked Gun movie. Robert Downey Jr's character narrates the movie, and in this capacity mentions he is in a movie several times. The movie is set at Christmas time, but this has nothing to do with the story, and the only impact on the movie is the occasional Santa hat worn by someone on-screen. When I consider Lethal Weapon and Iron Man 3, I think Shane Black just likes setting movies at Christmas.
It's hard to summarize the plot of the movie without giving away too much. Downey is a thief, who stumbles into a movie audition while running from the police. This results in him travelling across the country to Hollywood, where he bumps into the girl who got away, whom he grew up with in Indiana. Harmony is played by Michelle Monaghan, who is believable as the small town girl doing what she can to make it in Tinseltown.Val Kilmer is a gay private eye who is giving Downey's character lessons on being a P.I. He takes him on a case, and the two end up embroiled in something way bigger when they witness a body in a car trunk being dumped in a lake. The story is stacked on a pile of coincidences that should make it wobble, but it's goofy enough that for the most part you find yourself willing to just go along with it.
Occasionally the movie crosses a line in it's goofiness, mostly in the dialogue which feels stilted and forced at a couple of points. And there are times when it becomes a little hard to follow what is going on. There's a clue that leads them to a hospital that still makes no sense to me at all. But at the end of the day Downey is charismatic enough to keep you invested even when the story has weak points. He is the man on which the multi-billion dollar MCU was built, after all. This movie was a big factor in him getting that. Corbin Bernsen plays a very different kind of dad than the one he would play beginning the next year in Psych, but he's not in the movie enough to make much of an impact. It's mostly the Downey and Kilmer show, and it's a good one. In fact, if you've ever wanted to see these two actors make out, this is the movie for you. Fun fact, before this movie Kilmer played billionaire turned superhero Batman, and after Robert Downey Jr played billionaire turned superhero Iron Man. 
For a movie that seems to favor style over substance, it weirdly can't seem to settle on a style. That's not quite right, it's a crime comedy, but the tone shifts from zany comedy to gritty and dark comedy. And maybe it was ahead of it's time, as audiences are much more open to weird, fourth wall breaking, genre tweaking fare these days thanks to the likes of Deadpool and a steady diet of Tarantino. 2005 was less than 20 years ago (holy crap it has been almost 20 years, that doesn't seem possible) but in terms of how much movies have changed seems like longer. Whereas at the time the content of this movie was mainstream the style was strange. Now it would fit right in stylistically speaking, but the content would seem old fashioned. But I realize that much like a character form the movie, I have been rambling on and on. As for the movie itself, despite the weaknesses I have pointed out it's a fun movie that is definitely worth watching. It's also a movie that set the stage for much of what followed in theaters. And if you;ve ever wanted to see Robert Downey Jr make out with a guy, get his hand mutilated, and get his nut sack electrocuted, this is your dream movie. What more could I possibly say to convince you?

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