Show Ladder a er D' D If Hallmark a mar Cards ar Were sere Modes OVles I Ml r t 1 Li 1 N CI Ii 3 u ua Ii c a co N c CI o 0 V F a 3 Joaquin Pheonix crawls through flames in Ladder 49 Allen Johnson Movie Editor Basting in its own sweetness Ladder 49 is ablaze with schmaltz but like an the over-the- top Hallmark card it still makes you smile This film is little more than a self-glorifying self recruiting tool for firemen Joaquin Phoenix and John star in this sweet sticky tale of Americas America's new favorite heroes The film opens with an intense fire swallowing swallowing swallowing lowing up an old warehouse Fire crews storm the building looking for people left behind despite the intense flames During the course of the fire the rest of the story is told in flash flash- backs only backs only to return to the big fire in progress Phoenix plays Jack Morrison an ambitious ambitious ambitious ambi ambi- rookie entering entering entering enter enter- ing Baltimore's busiest firehouse After some good natured hazing by his fellow firemen and Chief Kennedy he is plunged into his work There is no real story here just here just just a bunch of scenes that show the life in inthe inthe inthe the firehouse and a afew afew afew few of the charac- charac nf of F w r mr or k n mainly appearing in an Irish pub During one of the flashbacks Morrison meets Linda Jacinda Barrett and the two begin a tender relationship The flashbacks cover 10 years leading up to the big blaze that opened the film and do a decent job of developing a sense of character and empathy for them All this still doesn't cover up the fact that there is little plot other than wondering what is going on in the fire we keep cutting back to Even then the back story becomes more interesting than the supposed supposed supposed sup sup- posed climax You do however smile at the firehouse practical jokes and binge parties atthe atthe at atthe the pub There are enough cutesy moments to satisfy the women and enough big explosions to appease the men Joaquin Phoenix has been a busy man this last year Between the long shoot for M. M Night The Village Ladder 49 Hotel Rwanda premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and currently filming for Walk the theLine theLine theLine Line staring in the role as Johnny Cash Phoenix has quickly quick quick- ly become a household name His role as Jack Morrison requires little little little lit lit- tle so there isn't much of a performance performance performance per per- to get excited about about about- but at least he doesn't do terrible What to do with John A box office powerhouse in his youth with hits like Saturday Night Fever and Grease he then exploded with a reinvention of himself from the legendary Pulp Fiction but has since been struggling to find his niche Trudging through dismal films like Battlefield Earth Swordfish and The in recent years this seems to be a tiny step in him exploring new roles This will be essential as he moves out of his prime years and into that early middle age group where only Richard Gere still sees himself as sexy If you or your family or friends serve as firefighters this will probably probably probably ably be very fun and touching to you If not then its it's really just a s about the life of a firefighter Lai Lal nothing great but its it's not a po i P CI 3 4 1 o oc oo c a o CI c 3 Joaquin Pheonix down a building appy sappy story movie It will flicker for a bit in the box office cider 49 is is' and will be gone in time for the cinematic orly made Thanksgiving turkeys 5 10 |