Human Nature
Release Date:
April 12, 2002
Limited release
From the unique mind of Charlie Kaufman, Oscar-nominated writer of Being John Malkovich, comes another strange little film starring Tim Robbins and Patricia Arquette as a couple. Robbins plays an obsessive scientist, while Arquette is a naturalist, and the two of them discover a man who was raised and has been living in the wild all his life (Notting Hill's Rhys Ifans). While Robbins' character, Nathan, tries to civilize the wild man, she tries to reacquaint the wild man with his wild past.
While the film will likely play much like a comedy, it will probably have some poignant moments and will have a serious message told in a very subtle way; a perfect black comedy. And while it is likely that the story will be as irreverent as the casting - with Arquette being pulled out of the straight-to-video staple category - the film might find an audience as it builds word-of-mouth, much like Being John Malkovich did. Malkovich pulled in an impressive $28.6 million against a $13 million budget. The movie also found a home on video, as it grossed a hefty $23.8 million from rentals while having one of the most impressive DVDs released at the time.
Malkovich once again proved that there really is no substitute for quality. Without the support of any major stars, and with the early indication being that the film will receive a limited release, this film will have to build an audience based on a quality product. The key factor here is the director, Michel Gondry, who comes from a background of directing music videos and commercials. This mirrors the background of Malkovich director Spike Jonze, but it remains to be seen if he shares the same eye for dark humor and sly wit that Jonze does. (Walid Habboub/BOP)
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