June 26, 2023
FILM: MAGGIE MOORE(S)
DIRECTED BY: JOHN SLATTERY
STARRING: JON HAMM, TINA FEY, NICK MOHAMMED
RATING: 2 1/2 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Jon Hamm made a name for himself when he starred as Don Draper on Mad Men. During the series, he was surrounded by a great cast including John Slattery as Roger Sterling. The two had unbeatable chemistry. Generally, Hamm seems to have a knack for connecting with the many co-stars he’s had since then, including Tina Fey during his guest appearances on 30 Rock. Now he teams up with both of them. Slattery directs Hamm and Fey in the new film Maggie Moore(s). Hamm even has a new solid acting partner in Nick Mohammad (Ted Lasso) as his police investigator partner. So, given all this great talent, why does the film feel a bit flat?
Police Chief Sanders (Hamm) is trying to find out why two women with the same name, Maggie Moore, have been murdered in the same small town. Fey plays a nosy neighbor who seems to hear and see all in the home next Moore. One might suggest she is the Gladys Kravitz (Bewitched reference for those of you too young to know…) of the neighborhood but she is recently divorced and seems to be a bit lonely so we can give her some slack. The reasons for the murders aren’t exactly a mystery to viewers as we are generally let in on the schemes associated with local sub shop owner Jay Moore, played by a very good Micah Stock. What results is something vaguely similar to Fargo as Moore plays the Jerry Lundegaard-like character who keeps digging himself further into a hole.
The allusions to the Coen Brothers don’t end there as Slattery attempts a tone somewhere between The Big Lebowski and Burn After Reading. All of these Coen films are great but Slattery isn’t Joel or Ethan Coen. Something just feels a bit off. Similarly, the film has romantic comedy elements when a connection brews (surprise!) between Hamm and Fey. There are a few sparks there but nothing to the level of great film pairings such as Hepburn/Tracy or Hanks/Ryan.
Probably the best pairing in the film is between Hamm and Nick Mohammed. The latter has somehow settled in this town from Great Britain and makes a series of amusing observations about all of the goings-on they are investigating. Hamm has some great one-liners in his responses that suggest this pairing that could have been given even more focus than the film does.
All of these elements make for a fairly entertaining if slightly low rent version of those great films and pairings that came earlier. Sure, there is the interesting addition of a deaf hit man (Happy Anderson) but I’m not sure this portrayal is one that particular community would embrace. There’s also a framing device in which Hamm appears in a school room reciting an essay he has written that feels a bit out of place with his character and the plot at hand.
Overall, this is a fairly low-key dark comedy with some surprising and sometimes unwelcome twists. It’s also a quiet film in need of a score that can pull up some of the comedy and tension. It’s not a bad piece of film just one that feels a bit light and forgettable.
Maggie Moore(s) is available for rental on Amazon Prime.
FILM: MAGGIE MOORE(S)
DIRECTED BY: JOHN SLATTERY
STARRING: JON HAMM, TINA FEY, NICK MOHAMMED
RATING: 2 1/2 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Jon Hamm made a name for himself when he starred as Don Draper on Mad Men. During the series, he was surrounded by a great cast including John Slattery as Roger Sterling. The two had unbeatable chemistry. Generally, Hamm seems to have a knack for connecting with the many co-stars he’s had since then, including Tina Fey during his guest appearances on 30 Rock. Now he teams up with both of them. Slattery directs Hamm and Fey in the new film Maggie Moore(s). Hamm even has a new solid acting partner in Nick Mohammad (Ted Lasso) as his police investigator partner. So, given all this great talent, why does the film feel a bit flat?
Police Chief Sanders (Hamm) is trying to find out why two women with the same name, Maggie Moore, have been murdered in the same small town. Fey plays a nosy neighbor who seems to hear and see all in the home next Moore. One might suggest she is the Gladys Kravitz (Bewitched reference for those of you too young to know…) of the neighborhood but she is recently divorced and seems to be a bit lonely so we can give her some slack. The reasons for the murders aren’t exactly a mystery to viewers as we are generally let in on the schemes associated with local sub shop owner Jay Moore, played by a very good Micah Stock. What results is something vaguely similar to Fargo as Moore plays the Jerry Lundegaard-like character who keeps digging himself further into a hole.
The allusions to the Coen Brothers don’t end there as Slattery attempts a tone somewhere between The Big Lebowski and Burn After Reading. All of these Coen films are great but Slattery isn’t Joel or Ethan Coen. Something just feels a bit off. Similarly, the film has romantic comedy elements when a connection brews (surprise!) between Hamm and Fey. There are a few sparks there but nothing to the level of great film pairings such as Hepburn/Tracy or Hanks/Ryan.
Probably the best pairing in the film is between Hamm and Nick Mohammed. The latter has somehow settled in this town from Great Britain and makes a series of amusing observations about all of the goings-on they are investigating. Hamm has some great one-liners in his responses that suggest this pairing that could have been given even more focus than the film does.
All of these elements make for a fairly entertaining if slightly low rent version of those great films and pairings that came earlier. Sure, there is the interesting addition of a deaf hit man (Happy Anderson) but I’m not sure this portrayal is one that particular community would embrace. There’s also a framing device in which Hamm appears in a school room reciting an essay he has written that feels a bit out of place with his character and the plot at hand.
Overall, this is a fairly low-key dark comedy with some surprising and sometimes unwelcome twists. It’s also a quiet film in need of a score that can pull up some of the comedy and tension. It’s not a bad piece of film just one that feels a bit light and forgettable.
Maggie Moore(s) is available for rental on Amazon Prime.