Marlon Brando and Bernard Judge changed the course of one another’s lives. This meeting and subsequent friendship is the basis of Waltzing With Brando.
Waltzing With Brando Review
Billy Zane is a fine actor. Great performances in a variety of films such as 1989’s Dead Calm, 1993’s Tombstone, 1995’s Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight, and 1997’s Titanic, solidified the actor as one who refuses to be pigeonholed. His latest starring role in the new release, Waltzing With Brando, gives the actor the greatest acting challenge of his career, starring as the legendary Marlon Brando. This would be a Herculean task for any performer, but Zane works hard to cut through the mythos to find the man.
Brando was as reclusive as the world would allow, existing as the most celebrated actor to ever take on the craft. His private life was a swirl of tabloid rumors and stories that Brando himself would often make up in the hope of throwing the press and public off his scent. The work was all anyone needed to know. It was this purposeful lack of invitation into his personal life that caused the reclusive actor to all but give up on the Hollywood culture (a culture he already despised) and purchase an island paradise in Tahiti. The business side of show business didn’t interest such a dedicated and groundbreaking performer.
Celebrity was another thorn in the side for Marlon Brando. He loved acting and put his soul into it. The glitz and glamour mattered not. Acting was his life, until it became a chore. When the important cinematic works began to dwindle as the mid-1970s shifted into the newly-minted age of the blockbuster, Brando’s disillusionment became too much for him to handle. After his Oscar-winning performance in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, the acting titan began doing pictures just for the money, save for a few. The on-set antics and eccentricities began to overshadow the work, as Brando’s name became associated with being a curio rather than the greatest actor to ever grace the screen. It is at the precipice of this change (before the filming of Coppola’s classic) where Waltzing With Brando begins its story.
Based on the memoir Waltzing With Brando: Planning a Paradise in Tahiti by architect Bernard “Bernie” Judge, and adapted by director Bill Fishman, the film follows Bernie (a decent Jon Heder) as he receives his big architectural break when he is sent to meet Marlon Brando, as one of his “higher-ups” Jack Bellin (a wasted Rob Corddry) wants to build a new hotel in Tahiti. For an architect, Bernie was ahead of his time, as being environmentally-conscious in such a business generally made one an outcast. When Bernie lands in Tetiaroa, he falls in love with the surroundings. Once he tells the legend of his desire to protect the Earth and its natural resources, Brando understands this young man is no “suit” just telling the actor what he wants to hear. Kindred spirits and a lifelong friendship are born.
Zane and Heder have a nice chemistry and their scenes together are as natural as the two actors can make them; their enemy being Fishman’s screenplay and the unnecessary need to make this an outright comedy. There is no doubt the two men had a good time in the Tahitian paradise and Brando was a man who liked pranks, but the level of juvenile silliness the director tackles ruins the realism. A running gag of how Brando wants to create a clean water supply from his own urine is out of place. Natural humor born of human characters should have been the driving force here.
Brando discards the plan for a hotel and tasks Bernie to sell his bosses on an environmentally safe complex that will preserve the land. Costs rise and Brando must return to big paycheck films; a wise decision, as this would lead him to do the back-to-back masterpieces, The Godfather and Last Tango in Paris. Big paydays and a second Oscar would secure balance in the financing and calm Bernie’s bosses. As the film continues, Bernie’s family comes to the island and joins him in surrendering to paradise, until his daughter must return to school. A conflict with his wife (Alaina Huffman) and a dalliance with a French woman (Camille Razat) are handled with the depth of a daytime Soap Opera. Both characters never rise above cliché although both actresses work hard in their respective roles.
It is on Brando and Bernie where the film sets its sights. The collateral damage is every other character, big or small. Beyond the beautiful land, the film doesn’t explore the depth of what brought Marlon Brando to the island or the powerful pull that hooked Bernie as well. The people who surround them are caricatures who add nothing to the story. The screenplay struggles with finding a place for its characters and fumbles as it searches for a cohesive tone. Moments of self reflection and scenes of Bernie taking in the majesty of the island are too few. Much of the dialogue between Heder and Zane goes by too quickly. Brando and Bernie had many conversations. The film would have benefited by the director trusting his characters to be interesting, rather than quick-cutting away to silly moments and pedestrian drama.
Heder is serviceable, but Billy Zane is to be commended. While he doesn’t always have Brando’s voice perfectly mimicked, the actor gets everything else correct. From Brando’s posture, to his facial expressions, to his tone, to the way he eats; Billy Zane does incredible work. There are moments when we lose him and Marlon Brando fully takes over. It is a shame that Zane’s hard work (probably a career best) and the true story from the real Bernie Judge are wasted on such a pedestrian picture.
Verdict
Marlon Brando and Bernard Judge changed the course of one another’s lives. Their friendship was born of mutual trust, honesty, and respect. Their “adventures” on the island and their first meeting should have been the beginning of a film that dug deep to explore the lasting brotherhood between two very different men.
Marlon Brando was too important a person to “make light” regarding such a major turning point in his life. His influence on Cinema, Civil Rights, Native American Rights, and Bernie’s life and career are ripe for exploration. This film is about Brando and Bernie. In life, the two were friends until Brando’s death in July of 2004. The two men worked together to better the environment and the lives of those who live amongst it. To witness these conversations and follow these events are the ingredients for a fascinating film. With director Bill Fishman’s desire to sugar coat almost every scene, Waltzing With Brando is a failure.
Waltzing with Brando releases in theaters September 19. Runtime is 1 hour 44 minutes
Reviewer: Anthony Francis. He is the CEO and Editor-in-Chief of The Movie Revue. You can find his reviews, interviews, and other works at TheMovieRevue.com, as well as on Instagram and Facebook.
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