B. Monkey (1999)

So much average

One of my all time favorites.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

As some others have said, this film is carried in large measure by its central players. While some plot dynamics are typical of the genre, I disagree with the claims some have made that the plot itself is weak. There are, in fact, some plot elements that constitute unique dramatic formulations, at least relative to English-language films. There are numerous social and cultural themes that are woven into the storyline. Substance abuse and other modes of addiction are incorporated. Domestic violence, too, comes into play. The film itself does not offer much in the way of commentary on these sociocultural facets, and the portrayal of broader social themes appears primarily to serve as a vehicle for character development.The soundtrack is excellent and incorporates quality jazz instrumental tracks as well as contributions from the critically acclaimed band Portishead. The presence of jazz on the soundtrack is paralleled by its presence in the story, so much so in fact that jazz itself takes on thematic and symbolic values.The cinematography is of a high quality, and is characterized by rich, vibrant images. The selection of images and their composition serve several purposes, one of which is to orient the viewer to shifts within the direction of the story. Such mechanisms enjoy considerable subtlety and their use strikes me as neither pretentious nor overly ambitious.Asia Argento deserves special mention, and not just because she is easily one of today's most attractive actresses. Although she is not the only exceptional actor in this cast, it is Argento that really makes the film.

Saw this film the other night on cable. Michael Radford's "Il Postino" had played the night before, and never are there two more different films than "B Monkey" and the other one! The novel by Andrew Davies was a joy and it's translation to the screen suffers because of the adaptation we see in front of our eyes. It appears this movie has been badly chopped up as indicated by comments by Mr. Radford.This is a film about opposite characters that attract one another in ways that in other circumstances, they wouldn't have met. We meet the nerdish Alan Furnace, a teacher who also volunteers at a hospital where he loves to play jazz at night. He is fond of the great Django Reinhardt, a legend guitarist, whose records one hears on the background.Beatrice is a young woman with a past. She is trying to get out of that life and the unsavory characters around her. When she meets Alan, she has no clue of what is going to happen to her, but she falls for him. Alan wants to get out of London to a quieter and more subdued atmosphere in which he feels Beatrice will feel happy too.Beatrice's past gets in the way as Paul and Bruno come to interrupt the idyllic home life Alan and Beatrice have made for themselves, but in spite of the dangers, in an ironic twist, the couple finally manage to find peace in their newly found paradise.Jared Harris is perfect as Alana. Asia Argento gives a complex reading on Beatrice a role that offers her a lot of opportunities. Rupert Everett and Jonathan Rhys Meyers make good contributions to the film.The original film score by Luis Bacalov, a contributor to Mr. Radford in "Il Postino", is easy on the ears. The other non original songs are well selected and give the film another texture.Although Mr. Radford did his best with the film, one can only recommend the viewer to check out Andrew Davies novel that is the basis of the movie.

B.Monkey has one main attraction, and it's sporting it's bare back on the front cover of the case; Asia Argento. Italian women are very attractive, but Dario Argento's daughter is more attractive than most. Luckily for her fans, she isn't too bothered about public image either, which is always a bonus. Asia is well known for pushing the boundaries by doing things such as admitting to taking drugs and having no problems with posing nude for photo shoots and doing nude scenes in her movies. And this movie features plenty of Asia!Unfortunately though, Asia is about this film's only asset. It's true that it is well directed, but that is somewhat lost under the unlikely and predictable storyline. The film tries to blend too many different elements; thriller, romance, feel good and crime most notably and it doesn't blend too well and ends up rather messy. It also doesn't feature too many stand out moments and overall it feels very much a B-movie. The movie tries to lend itself a heart with the way that the two main characters are the complete opposite of each other and yet they still find romance. However, even this aspect of the movie doesn't feel quite right, as in real life a hardened criminal would be very unlikely to fall for a dorky schoolteacher. Another major flaw with this movie is the dialogue, which at times is a little suspect, especially some of things Asia says, they just aren't right for her character. Still, any movie with an often naked Italian babe, sporting an angel tattoo across her stomach has got to be worth a watch, even if it poorly plotted, badly scripted and on the whole, extremely unlikely.

*****SOME SPOILERS (as if you care)*****B. Monkey is half serious drama about how the past can catch up with you, half violent, all-out action flick, and the combination of the two just doesn't come off. Mainly due to the film being really quite ridiculous.Beatrice (aka B. Monkey) is a jewel thief. She inexplicably falls head over heels for an extremely boring school teacher called Alan. She quits the crime game and tries to be nice and normal, but her past comes back to haunt her and she's forced to go on one last job. This doesn't please Alan, who whines for a bit. They make up and go and live in the countryside, before that troublesome past resurfaces once again in a climax that is neither thrilling nor touching.None of this is helped by Jared Harris' awful acting as Alan, or a script that bores incessantly and is full of huge, gaping holes. The only thing that saves the film from being a total disaster is Beatrice herself, or to be more precise, Asia Argento. She has more screen presence than everyone else in the film put together, and steals pretty much every scene she's in. When she leaves the screen (such as in the horrible, tacked-on subplot about a young boy who's being abused by his mother), you're left begging for her return. Overall, definitely not worth the effort.