Curtain Call (1999)
directed by Peter Yates
starring James Spader, Polly Walker, Michael Caine, Maggie Smith, Susan Berman, Buck Henry, Sam Shepard, Marcia Gay Harden
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MPAA rating: Studio: Longfellow Script: Todd Alcott Music: Richard Hartley Tags: Comedy; ghosts; New York City; Romance Tactical strength: [5/10]
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for brief strong language
Stevenson Lowe (James Spader) heads the book acquisitions department of a publishing company founded by his grandfather. For whatever reason, a large corporation has acquired Stevenson's company and is pressing him to accept books for their income value rather than their literary value. In addition to Stevenson's stress at work, his girlfriend introduces him to a New York City brownstone, hoping to inspire Stevenson into proposing. Two early 20th Century Broadway stars, Max Gale (Michael Caine) and Lily Marlowe (Maggie Smith) once owned the brownstone, and their ghosts still inhabit it.
True to the cliched form, only Stevenson can see the ghosts, and the subsequent conversations and situations seem to threaten Stevenson's employment and relationships. Stevenson spends the majority of the film trying to resolve his issues at work and to regain his girlfriend's love. As a subplot, Max and Lily start out despising each other only to realize that they have truly loved each other from the day they met.
Michael Caine and Maggie Smith outclass all other performers, and Spader's character either through his performance or Alcott's script bungles so many situations, that I had a hard time believing that Stevenson could successfully run a publishing company. Alcott's script has far too many cliches -- especially the scenes where Stevenson talks in public to the ghosts.
Unless Spader can soon find a role where he does not play a bungling but gifted character, his career will soon slip until he'll be lucky to get roles like his in Curtain Call.
