Perfect (1985) Columbia/Drama RT: 120 minutes Rated R (language, sexual references, brief nudity) Director: James Bridges Screenplay: Aaron Latham and James Bridges Music: Narada Michael Warden Cinematography: Gordon Willis Release date: June 7, 1985 (US) Cast: John Travolta, Jamie Lee Curtis, Anne De Salvo, Marilu Henner, Laraine Newman, Matthew Reed, Jann Wenner, Kenneth Welsh, Murphy Dunne. Box Office: $12.9M (US)
Rating: **
The James Bridges drama Perfect presents something of a conundrum. It’s too shallow and simplistic to be taken seriously and too self-serious to be taken as a great bad movie. What we’re left with is a dull, unfocused drama about ethics, journalistic integrity and aerobics populated by vaguely defined characters with less depth than a puddle.
John Travolta (Saturday Night Fever) plays Adam Lawrence, a roving reporter for Rolling Stone who’s been trying to land an interview with a successful businessman (Welsh, Twin Peaks) facing drug charges. Although his lawyers consistently refuse requests for interviews, Adam doesn’t give up. His persistence finally pays off when the businessman agrees to an interview in which he claims the whole thing is a frame-up by the government in retaliation for his doing business with Communist countries (how very 80s!).
Because the story takes Adam to L.A., his editor Mark (real life Rolling Stone publisher) tells him he may as well do another story while he’s out there. Adam decides to write one about how fitness clubs have become “the singles bars of the 80s”. He chooses a place called The Sport Connection where he meets Jessie Wilson (Curtis, Trading Places), a popular aerobics instructor with an intense distrust of reporters for reasons revealed later. She has zero interest in being part of his story, but it doesn’t stop them from getting sexually involved.
A long stretch of Perfect is devoted to Travolta and Curtis’ characters going back and forth about her distrust of reporters, his lack of ethics and the direction of the story. Although he promises her it will be a thoughtful piece, her unwillingness to cooperate forces him to shift the focus onto the more salacious aspects of the fitness scene.
It isn’t until near the end that Bridges finally decides to present his protagonist with a real dilemma. He’s ordered by prosecutors to turn over the tapes of his interview with the businessman. If he does, he betrays his profession. If he doesn’t, he’ll go to jail. It would be one thing if it was just handled haphazardly and superficially, but it’s not. Bridges treats it as a mere plot device to change Jessie’s low opinion of Adam.
Why don’t I cut through all the BS and just say Perfect is as shallow and superficial as its characters even though the makers would like to think otherwise. Just like the previous collaboration between Travolta, Bridges and co-writer Aaron Latham (Urban Cowboy), the screenplay is based on a series of articles Latham wrote for Rolling Stone. I can’t speak for the articles, but the script, in addition to lacking focus, fails to get beneath the surface of its subject or characters. Take Adam. What’s his deal? Is he a sleazy opportunist willing to sacrifice his soul for a story? Is he a decent reporter who does a few questionable things? Arguments can be made for either one, but the movie never provides a definitive answer. Curtis’ character is afforded a little more depth with her past experience with reporters. Let’s just say she has a good reason for not trusting them. She actually delivers the best and most convincing performance in the movie. She also looks HOT in those tight leotards.
The idea of being “perfect” is a major theme running throughout. Several characters talk about it. One in particular, fitness club regular Linda (Newman, SNL), cites it as the primary reason for working out. She’s an insecure sort described by one character as “the most used piece of equipment” in the place. If any character deserves her own story arc, it’s her. It’s clear she has self-esteem issues that cause her to compensate with loose morals. At a party, she says, “I guess I’ll go see if I scare up a gang-bang” after witnessing her bff Linda (Henner, Johnny Dangerously) get engaged to her male stripper boyfriend Roger (Reed). The screenplay is inconsistent about her psychology. When the crap hits the fan with Adam’s story, she barely reacts. You’d think somebody in her fragile state would go off the deep end. As for Wenner, he need not quit his day job. He’s not at all convincing which is really bad considering it’s what he does in real life.
The only other point of interest in Perfect is the aerobics scenes. These people seem obsessed with keeping their pelvises nimble. That’s mostly what they do in Jessie’s classes. One scene is particular is rife with double meaning. When Adam participates in one of her classes, it’s sort of like the famous dinner scene in Tom Jones only with suggestive gyrating instead of suggestive chewing. It’s the funniest scene in the whole movie. The rest of it is fairly slow and boring.
If you looked up the term “dated movie”, you’d probably find the poster for Perfect next to it. It is so very 80s with the hairstyles, fashions and soundtrack that includes cuts from Jermaine Jackson (“[Closest Thing to] Perfect”), Berlin (“Masquerade”) and Dan Hartman (“Talking to the Wall”). If that isn’t 80s enough for you, the businessman is clearly modeled after John DeLorean, the wealthy car manufacturer charged with dealing cocaine.
Oh my! I almost forgot to mention Travolta’s performance. It’s not one of his shining moments. He looks lost at sea as a reporter in an ethical quandary. Also, he doesn’t have any real chemistry with Curtis. In his defense, he’s done worse. In any event, he’s just one of many things that don’t work in Perfect, a misnomer of a title if ever I saw one.
