Short Time (1990) 20th Century Fox/Action-Comedy RT: 91 minutes Rated PG-13 (language, violence including gunplay) Director: Gregg Champion Screenplay: John Blumenthal and Michael Berry Music: Ira Newborn Cinematography: John J. Connor Release date: May 4, 1990 (US) Cast: Dabney Coleman, Matt Frewer, Teri Garr, Barry Corbin, Joe Pantoliano, Xander Berkeley, Kaj-Erik Eriksen, Rob Roy, Tony Pantages. Box Office: $4M (US)
Rating: ** ½
A couple of points of interest about Short Time, an otherwise forgettable action-comedy about a cop trying to get killed in the line of duty after learning he has just a short time to live. The lead character played by Dabney Coleman (Nine to Five) is named “Burt Simpson” which leads one to ask if it’s a subliminal promotion for The Simpsons, also a Fox property, which premiered just months earlier. You know, Burt Simpson sounds like Bart Simpson. Also, Burt’s partner played by Matt Frewer (aka Max Headroom) is named “Ernie”. Burt and Ernie, aren’t those the Muppets from Sesame Street? Yeah, I don’t really get the connection. Was either of these things intentional? Who’s to say?
All I know is that they’re the most memorable elements of Short Time, an amusing but inconsequential piece that favors premise over plot. It played at the movie theater where I worked for a short time (totally intentional!) as an usher and it seemed to attract a lot of youngsters. It’s exactly the kind of movie that young teens (13-15 years old) would go to see on Friday and Saturday nights in groups. Judging by the reactions I heard while walking the house, they seemed to enjoy it. But how much of it will they remember a month or so later? Not a lot, I suspect.
Seattle detective Burt Simpson has always played it safe. He’s so concerned about the future that he misses out on life. He’s estranged from his wife Carolyn (Tootsie co-star Garr) and young son Dougie (Eriksen, Boston Public). Just six days shy of retirement, Simpson finds out he’s dying of some rare blood disease. It’s actually a mistake; there was a mix-up at the hospital caused by a bus driver trying to hide his marijuana use.
Believing the news to be true, Simpson inquires about his insurance policy at work and learns that his family will receive hundreds of thousands of dollars if he’s killed in the line duty, far more than they would if he dies of natural causes. The choice is clear, Simpson has to get himself killed. He starts behaving recklessly, engaging in high-speed chases and running headlong into dangerous situations. By way of a plot, there’s this illegal weapons dealer (Berkeley, 24) who just hijacked a military convoy and stole a large supply of armor-piercing bullets that he’s attempting to sell to a gangster (Pantoliano, Risky Business).
You needn’t really concern yourself with that last part; it doesn’t come up all that often. It basically serves as a unifying thread on which to hang the premise. Short Time opens with the aforementioned theft and closes with a fight to the finish between cop and bad guy. In between is a series of scenes featuring Simpson trying and failing to get killed. Predictably, he also learns to live for the present and appreciate his loved ones. He bonds with his 10YO son after years of pressuring him about attending Harvard. Again, the kid’s 10.
Short Time is what I call a “for the moment” movie. It’s entertaining while you watch it, but doesn’t leave much of an aftertaste. In the end, it’s rather insubstantial. Coleman and Frewer make a fun pair, but let’s face it, Riggs and Murtaugh they ain’t. The action scenes are well-choreographed. It has its fair share of funny moments although none of them are of the fall-down variety. It’s 100% predictable, but Short Time isn’t the kind of action-comedy where surprise plot twists are an option. Frankly, it’s a one-joke movie. But at least director Gregg Champion (The Cowboy Way) knows how to stretch it out. It’s a better movie than it deserves to be.
