The Tall Guy

Infobox Film
name = The Tall Guy


caption = Goldblum and Kim Thomson
writer = Richard Curtis
starring = Jeff Goldblum
Emma Thompson Rowan Atkinson
director = Mel Smith
producer = London Weekend Television
Working Title Films
cinematography = Adrian Biddle
distributor = Virgin Vision
Miramax
released = September 21, 1990 (USA)
runtime = 92 min.
language = English
country = flagicon|UK | imdb_id = 0098436

"The Tall Guy" is a 1989 romantic comedy and the feature film debut [http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,,1084020,00.html It's magic] , a 2003 article about Richard Curtis from "The Guardian"] of screenwright Richard Curtis and director Mel Smith. It was produced by London Weekend Television for theatrical release and stars Jeff Goldblum, Emma Thompson, and Rowan Atkinson. Curtis's script draws from his experiences as straight man to long-time collaborator Rowan Atkinson.cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/thetallguyrkempley_a0a0a0.htm|title=The Tall Guy|last=Kempley|first=Rita|date=1990|work=The Washington Post|publisher=Washington Post Company|accessdate=2008-08-23]

Cast

The cast includes (among others):
*Jeff Goldblum as Dexter King
*Rowan Atkinson as Ron Anderson
*Emma Thompson as Kate Lemmon
*Geraldine James as Carmen
*Anna Massey as Mary
*Kim Thomson as Cheryl
*Hugh Thomas as Dr. Karabekian
*Emil Wolk as Cyprus Charlie
*Harold Innocent as Timothy
*Joanna Kanska as Tamara

The film includes cameo appearances from Melvyn Bragg and Jonathan Ross.

Plot

The protagonist and narrator is Dexter King (Goldblum), an American actor working in London and living platonically in Camden Town with his "educated, charming...nymphomaniac" landlady (played by Geraldine James). He's just finished his sixth year playing "The Tall Guy", a straight man in a two-man, long-running comedy revue starring (and dominated by) Ron Anderson (Rowan Atkinson, playing a role based on himself).cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=109065|title=The Tall Guy Review|work=Channel 4 Film|publisher=Channel 4|accessdate=2008-08-23]

Chronic hay fever prompt him to see a doctor, where he meets and falls quickly in love with Kate (played by Emma Thompson), who works there as a nurse.

Soon after meeting Kate, Dexter is fired by Ron. After being rejected for a role in a new Steven Berkoff play for "lacking anger", Dexter wins the title role in a new Royal Shakespeare Company musical based on "The Elephant Man". It's a "nasty send-up of Andrew Lloyd Webber" called "Elephant!" which features a song called “He’s Packing His Trunk” and a finale which ends with the lyric "Somewhere up in heaven there's an angel with big ears!"

During rehearsal, Dexter succumbs to the advances of a married co-star (played by Kim Thomson). On the new musical's opening night, Kate puts together evidence of the affair from a few subtle clues, and leaves Dexter without further ado.

After seeing a scene in a televised award show that suggests Ron is now dating Kate, Dexter impulsively gives up his role in "Elephant!" just before the curtain rises, with plans to make an impassioned plea to Kate to take him back. With Ron's involuntary help (Dexter ties him up in his dressing room and steals his car), Dexter presents his case to Kate in a busy hospital ward. Kate agrees to give him another chance.

Critical reception

"Entertainment Weekly" gave it a "B-", describing it as "mildly charming and mostly too broad" and accusing it of overplaying "Dexter's dorkiness in the same way it overplays the big sex scene, the romantic montage, the breakup scene…" [ [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,318262,00.html The Tall Guy] , a 1990 review by "Entertainment Weekly"]

Caryn James of "The New York Times" wrote "even when its bright theatrical satire gives way to men dressed as nuns dancing in wimples and red sequined shorts, this modest comedy is always wickedly endearing, thanks to the off-kilter characters played by Mr. Goldblum and Emma Thompson as the unlikely woman of his dreams." [ [http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C0CE2DD1E31F932A1575AC0A966958260 Nuns! Elephants! Must the Show Go On?] , a 1990 review by "The New York Times"]

In a 2003 mid-career retrospective about Richard Curtis, "The Guardian" described the film as being "patronised in one sense by critics while not patronised in the other by audiences.". It also identified several tropes from "The Tall Guy" that would be utilized in his subsequent romantic comedies, ("Four Weddings and a Funeral", "Notting Hill" and "Love Actually"):
*romantic lightning strikes that "Curtis seems to believe in as much as any figure in history apart from Cupid";
*the "willingness to sacrifice realism to a gag" (e.g. turning cartwheels in front of a giant moon to show that Dexter is in love);
*the "wacky but wise" flatmate;
*the use of eccentric obscenities (e.g. Ron's question "What in the name of arse is going on?").

oundtrack

The soundtrack includes Labi Siffre's "It Must Be Love", performed by Madness. The film features a montage in which various characters sing along to this song, and which includes a cameo by Madness frontman Suggs.cite web|url=http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=5290|title=The Tall Guy|last=Sutton|first=Mike|date=2003-02-07|work=DVD Times|accessdate=2008-08-23] Other tracks include "Let the Heartaches Begin" (Long John Baldry), "Heartbreak Hotel" (Sam Williams), "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" and "Crying in the Rain" (both performed by Phil Pope).cite web|url=http://www.mooviees.com/4770/soundtrack|title=The Tall Guy (1989) Soundtrack|date=2002|work=Mooviees.com|accessdate=2008-08-23]

Alternate versions

There are significant differences between the American release of the film and the original version, including cut or replaced scenes and overdubbing of British slang and popular culture references. For example, in the scene featuring John Inman reading the nominees for the theatre awards, three American actors are named in addition to Ron Anderson, rather than the British actors named in the original.Fact|date=May 2008

As of March 2007, the original version has not been released on DVD or video in the United States.

References