By Megan Bianco
What exactly happened to director Robert Zemeckis’ career to make him become such box-office poison? I’m beginning to feel like a broken record with this question appearing in my reviews of his films for the past five years, but it is a real question that movie fanatics have been asking even longer.
The filmmaker was at the top of his game in the 1980s with the classics “Used Cars” (1980), “Romancing the Stone” (1984), “Back to the Future” (1985) and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988). Following the lead of his protege Steven Spielberg, his films were the perfect blend of excitement and lightheartedness, but still had his own signature touch. Not as gritty as Martin Scorsese, or as sentimental as John Hughes, Zemeckis was every geek’s favorite filmmaker in the ‘80s. The 1990s brought him the cult film “Death Becomes Her” (1992), and the Academy awarded him Best Director for the megahit “Forrest Gump” (1994). The sci-fi drama “Contact” (1997) would be divisive with audiences, but Harrison Ford and Tom Hanks would help win them back as the leads for his “What Lies Beneath” and “Cast Away” in 2000.
The “Polar Express” (2004) was the beginning of Zemeckis’ experiments with computer animation and the start of his box office problems. Then “Flight” (2012), his first R- rated film in 32 years, became a success thanks to star Denzel Washington. The times he does well at the box-office are when his lead is already a big name like Hanks, Washington or Jim Carrey. His 2015 feature “The Walk” took a big dive in theaters with indie darling Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the protagonist. It’s even more interesting that Zemeckis’ movies for the most part don’t get horrible reviews, and still manage mixed to decent critical feedback. But all the same, it’s becoming harder and harder for his films to reach the wider public.
Take his latest film currently in theaters, the World War II romantic thriller “Allied.” It stars two A-listers, Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard, has a script by Steven Knight of “Peaky Blinders” acclaim and an Oscar-winning director. Yet it couldn’t reach No. 1 on opening weekend. There are a couple of things to consider: 1) the R rating restricting certain ages, 2) Paramount dropping a bomb on the press after Pitt’s very public divorce from Angelina Jolie, and 3) the generally bland story and subject matter.
Set in 1941-43 French Morocco and London, Allied is obviously targeted at baby boomers and is a homage to romance films of Hollywood’s golden era like “Casablanca” (1942). Two government assassins played by Pitt and Cotillard, who are disguised as a married couple, end up falling in love for real before it’s discovered one of them is a German spy. The film does have some gorgeous costumes and art direction, and the cinematography makes Cotillard look as beautiful as ever, but the story is rather cliche and there are some awkwardly out-of-place elements — one of which is the obviously computer-generated opening shot.
One thing I’ve noticed with Zemeckis’ films, that I think has become more apparent over time, is his insistence on computer-generated special effects in live-action films. Another is how cartoony acting of minor characters. In the “Back to the Future” movies, Lorraine has a friend who walks around with her, but is never given any dialogue and is left just observing all the action with exaggerated facial emoting.
“Back to the Future” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” remain two of my favorite movies, but Zemeckis’ recent work is disappointing. It could be that his direction hasn’t changed over the past 30 years and it just doesn’t mesh with modern cinema. Whatever the reason, I’m sure Zemeckis is just as frustrated as his fans feel at the struggle.
Megan Bianco is a Southern California-based movie reviewer and content writer with a degree from California State University Northridge.
