T Bone and Weasel (1992)

I grew up in the 90s. I remember the "buddy" craze, the idea of putting two polar opposites together in a film and force them to travel together. I remember all of that. It is rare to find films like that today - yet here in 1992 it was in full effect. Christopher Lloyd - Gregory Hines (the poor production version of Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor) are on the run from the law, randomly, inconsistently, and oddly, they are stopped by every tangent event imaginable as they learn about class, culture, and especially race. The film is T Bone and Weasel and it hasn't found its face in the DVD catalog yet, and alas, I don't think it ever will. This is one of those film destined to be lost in the VHS black hole. It is a painstakingly difficult film to watch, from the mismatched casting to the haphazard plot, the tone of this film is never found - and our ultimate goal is never reached. This is a film with slight possibilities and lacking opportunities. Labeled a comedy, this passionless film never cracked a smile in my hour and a half. Neither from the central cast nor from the surrounding special guest appearances. Nothing in T Bone and Weasel worked - nor would a second viewing help.

The argument is this. Was racism still a central and uprooting issue in the south (specifically South Carolina) in the 90s? Does this film translate into today, providing a message that modern audiences would understand? Alas, with both of these - the answer varies. Sure, racism surrounds us even today - but would it have been as relevant in the culture in which these two "ex-cons" ran? Would Gregory Hines' T Bone really be forced off a job site merely due to the color of his skin (or ostracized by a woman at a beach) and secondly, would Christopher Lloyd's character be so blind to this atrocity? I just don't see the direction director Lewis Teague wanted this film to travel. You have two polar opposites, this could be funny, but alas Gregory Hines cannot capture his character. I think he is supposed to be the firecracker here, but instead dances his way from one scene to the next - he slips in and out of character so much that one cannot tell who T Bone is really supposed to be. The same can be said about Christopher Lloyd's character. From the beginning we see him as one character, in the middle of the film as another, and by the end he has reverted to half of the man and half near the center with no segment of continuity. Teague cannot control his characters - AND - this is the big part - they are completely miscast.

Then, Teague takes us from one random place to another giving us no jokes, no moment of sincerity, or reason to like where we are headed. The moments with Rip Torn, Wayne Knight, and Ned Beatty are just horrendous. Nothing links together - sure, we have a car that occasionally takes us to point A to point B, but it just don't gel together. It doesn't make sense. Add to this that there is absolutely no humor in this film at all. Racism funny? The Wayne Knight joke was like a nail in the coffin for me. I would like to state again, that there were options here, but it is hard to tell if Teague chose not to take them, or if the producers were just looking for a two hour filler. Typically, I can pick one think out of this film, but even the CCR references were dated and overused. It felt stale from the beginning, and the entire final 30 minutes continued to feel that way. T Bone going to jail - the randomness of Beatty, and the brick laying moment (or when they revisit Rip Torn) - it just didn't work. Nothing was of value in this film, and I cannot force myself to watch this again. Urg. I wish there was something to give - but nothing - I am sorry 1992 - you deserve two hours back.

Found in my "Videohound 2005" book - this film obviously is going to get a yellow highlight with black mark - never to be seen again. I would not suggest this film on my worse enemy, or perhaps only to a Gregory Hines enthusiast - to demonstrate the point that even strong actors take really bad parts. Avoid at all costs. It is not even worth the plastic of the VHS. The hunt for this film (found on HALF.COM for $5) is grossly overpriced. Avoid. Avoid. Avoid.