Angelina Jolie’s “The Tourist” received a large number of negative reviews. But not by me, although to be clear, it doesn’t exactly knock it out of the park and it doesn’t help that the ending pops the air out of the bag. For those that aspire to see nothing but validated film art, this is not essential. I liked the movie for a great number of off-beat and peculiar reasons, see the original review. But what I will add is that Angelina has never been more beautiful than she is in her latest. When we look back years from now this might be the movie where we say she was at her most elegant, graceful, stylish and ravishing.
Often noted is that Jolie doesn’t watch her own movies. She’s too busy and off being Superwoman, feeding impoverished children in South Africa. One assumes that she could hardly feel nicked by the negative reviews reaped on her movies. She is too above her critics. She is too proud and esteemed to feel other’s derision. I’m sure she is pleased that many of her casual movie fans are entertained by her movies. If you are not one of them and don’t like her movies then find something else to be happy about.
Elegant, graceful, ravishing. Like Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly of the 1950’s. Look at these two classic ladies’ filmographies, hang up a dart board and decide upon any one of their movies at random and you will find those key four adjectives applicably described and Jolie can be applicably described that way too. Jolie is the Second Coming of that level of glamour. Specifically, if you liked “The Tourist” then you might want to check out Hepburn in “Charade” (1963) and Kelly in “To Catch a Thief” (1955). Don’t write in complaining about how those are two better movies than “The Tourist.” Perhaps they are. Appreciate “The Tourist” as a throwback to those films, those lighter-than-air capers of the 1950’s where the world was suave and sheik, but a little naïve.
In her daytime furs and evening gowns, Jolie slinks into costume with oozing sensuality. Her curls are European chic. Her eyelashes are highlighted. Her lips are full and ripe. But how about the way this woman walks, like a classic woman, a classic goddess, a classic Aphrodite. There is one scene where she even teaches Johnny Depp to talk more masculine. Perhaps there are a few reasons to not see “The Tourist” (complain as you will that it’s derivative) but if you behold the best-looking woman in the movies today that’s a thousand reasons to right there. Take what you like and leave the rest.
Earlier in the year she starred as an action babe in “Salt” and you can say that she looked smoking hot in that one, too, you can’t argue there. A few years ago, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” showed off her best assets. These films are examples to show-off movie star glamour. Final note to the jaded: We can nix “The Tourist” and say we don’t need movies like those, and we can tell Jolie to go “serious” and go for an Oscar campaign and star in more “The Good Shepherd” and “A Mighty Heart” stuff. But when glamour comes so naturally to Jolie, I say we need her more movies like “The Tourist” and not the pandering Oscar campaign stuff. A good mix of both is good concession, too.
