Sonny (2002)

Directed by Nicolas Cage. Starring James Franco, Brenda Blethyn, Mena Suvari, Harry Dean Stanton, Josie Davis, Brenda Vaccaro. [R]

Nicolas Cage, an accomplished thespian who also happens to be a maestro of the unhinged—virtually unrivaled in American film history—proves wild abandon doesn’t serve him when he’s in the director’s seat: without discipline and a clear-eyed vision, the guy in charge can’t rein in anyone in his cast or sort out the story he wants to tell. It’s an Etch-A-Sketch portrait of a former gigolo (Franco) who returns home after a stint in the army, and after he fails to find respectable work, returns to turning tricks. Fails on a scene-by-scene basis, and as they start adding up, I was left scratching my head over what Cage and writer John Carlen are trying to communicate. Whether succumbing to histrionic outbursts or chewing the scenery with “colorful” line delivery and accents, almost everyone onscreen clocks performances that rank among the worst of their respective careers (even Harry Dean Stanton lets it spin out of control…by his in-the-pocket standards, that is). Cage has never tried directing another film since, so at least he learned a lesson with this disastrous misfire. He appears in a cameo—a weird one, of course—as do Scott Caan and Seymour Cassel.

19/100