Renaissance Man (1994)

Very well executed

best movie i've ever seen.

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I recently saw Renaissance Man for the first time and loved it! I am a big fan of Penny Marshall's films and wish she would direct more often. She has a wonderful vision that can only come from a woman, yet the films are not specifically feminist. She just seems to direct from her heart and let the chips fall where they may. Her movies make me laugh, cry and cheer like a modern day Frank Capra, with a more realistic eye. Renaissance Man casts Danny DeVito as a curmudgeonly "Mary Poppins" who shows up at a military base, and changes lives with a "Spoonful of Shakespeare." Danny DeVito gives a wonderful performance as an unemployed advertising executive who winds up teaching army recruits English. He soon discovers they can relate to Shakespeare through Hamlet, and eventually takes them to see a performance of Henry V. A very moving moment takes place when a recruit recites the "Band of Brothers/Saint Crispin's Day speech to his Sargent. I recommend this film to both men and women, even if they usually don't care for military films.

Movies with story about one teacher/one messenger are so many. I think it got no certain time to flourish or to be a common fashion. As the cinematic and the TV movies have to deal with the matter of one-loyal-messenger-whom-sent-to-rectify- young-underachievers quite yearly, maybe because it's a forever catchy touching subject, maybe because education still an exploding case in the USA, or maybe for both reasons.In a school, a playground, or in the army, the story is all one. And the great thing about it is not that it works every time but that it has a messenger who's teaching and studying at the same time, to change and be changed also.Here..(DeVito) at his best, it's a nice polished atmosphere, tranquil rhythm, smooth photography, and great soundtrack that summarized the personality of the movie as a very simple sweet one. However it doesn't utilize a lot of what it brings up, or characters it presents.The drama wasn't hot whereas the alterations have been perfected so easily, for instance : (Gregory Sporleder) as Pvt. Melvin, a unique invalid character that beats his family problems and frustrations by sleeping, became suddenly one smart student at the end who understands Shakespeare brilliantly ! You'd find a misused character, and I mean for sure (Gregory Hines)'s. I didn't just grasp what was the need of his character Sergeant Cass ?!, simply he could be a part of the conflict as the one who, one way or another, hampers the mission of the hero, or maybe the one who represents the violent side of the military whom excessively may be unable to see the meaning of this mission in the first place. Actually the final result was that yet in so idiot way ! (Hines) was totally wasted in scenes where he looked so kind and supporting at the physical drills ! So when (Hines) listens to the Shakespearean monologue to turn into more soft person, more estimator for (DeVito)'s efforts you have to ask yourself what he was turning from basically ! And to tell you the truth according to all what we saw till this moment, (DeVito) was the one who needs to show more respect to (Hines), he was the wrong one with him not the other way around. Making that Sergeant that mild from the very start weakened it, along with the conflict, and made his alteration, if there is any, kind of naive.As for the dialogue I felt bad while the scene of the students read "why I joined the army" whereas they were all poets, and so eloquent. Or correctly speaking in the same eloquent poetic way ! I didn't like the whole scene of (DeVito)'s descending the wall. It wasn't to demonstrate how further that teacher may go to apologize to his students, but to have a scene which (Danny DeVito) the short fat guy hanging over a long sharp vertical board. It was absurd and fabricated...Speaking of which, how all the military forgot about honoring a formal hero of it (the father of the neat private) ?, to have that sentimental scene at the end with the fatherly teary eyes (Cliff Robertson) decorates the young man. In fact this is a rare time not to condemn the "System" in a one teacher/one messenger's movie ! I think that writer (Jim Burnstein) with director (Penny Marshall) wanted nothing but a fine dream out of so dark subject, to show it in plainly lovely way (more than discuss it openly and deeply) through that small world which's close to bonbon where Shakespeare solves everything !Despite all of that, it is optimistic movie that makes you love to watch it, to give you hope that Renaissance is not an impossible thing to achieve, and Hamlet can be a wonderful rap song after all. So it is simple and sweet before being weak at parts.

The older I get the more I realize how this movie is a little cheesy, But if you really like a feel good movie you can't go wrong with this one. Danny Devito did a wonderful job playing a teacher in the army.(a job he didn't ask for and is not looking forward to)He is brought in to teach these kids that everyone thinks are stupid. Every one of the characters left an impression in my mind. They all did a wonderful job at playing their roles.Each one of the student's are different and everyone knows someone in real life like each one of them. It is a little like dead poet's society but with more comedy and a more "happy good feeling" I am always in a GREAT mood at the end of this movie!

Let me start off by saying that this movie is miss-marketed as a comedy. As a comedy, this movie is, at best, mediocre. Sure, there are some funny moments, but it isn't nearly as hilarious as it claims to be. However, what this movie lacks in comedy, it makes up for with it's other qualities. This is a warm, fuzzy, feel-good movie with a lot of wisdom in it. The character development is excellent and we really get to like the characters. The bond between DeVito and his students is strong. This movie is very touching, with a few funny moments in-between. Sure, there are some corny scenes (the rap scene) but hey, every teacher has their own way of making their students understand their material, right? I would recommend this movie, although not as a comedy.