The Whole Nine Yards is the story of Oz Oseransky who finds out that his new neighbor is gun-for-hire Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski. Oz's wife then convinces him to track down the mob boss who wants Jimmy dead. I found this movie extremely entertaining to watch and the comedy, for the most part, is hilarious. Having just watched this movie for the first time, I found the story a tad hard to follow, but not so much that it makes for a bad movie. It is simply that so much was going on so fast that I cannot wait to watch it again just so I understand it clearly. I have one minor problem with the movie, and one HUGE problem (more on that later). My minor problem is that throughout a majority of the film, Oz is nervous to be around Jimmy except for one part where they act like they are best friends....and this is right after Oz finds out Jimmy is a contract killer. This minor story point made no sense to me. However, as I said before, the story as a whole is one of the things that kept me glued to the television during the movie.
Bruce Willis is glorious as Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski. You never know whether Jimmy is going to shake your hand or kill you, and that is because of the way Willis plays him. His banter with Matthew Perry, for his part, is sheer genius. He is delightfully funny in the movie as well, which is something I do not think Willis gets enough credit for. It is always great to see an actor step out of their comfort zone, and Bruce Willis is the other reason why I cannot wait to watch this movie again.
Remember that HUGE problem I mentioned earlier. Well, that problem is Matthew Perry. He is just not a good actor. It seems like all he can ever play is Chandler from Friends, and that is exactly who he is in this film. I mean it was great watching Chandler for 99 minutes, but I think it would have been better to get an actor who is actually funny to play the part of Oz.
Jonathan Lynn is the director of The Whole Nine Yards. This movie thrives on the banter between Willis and Perry, and Lynn is great at comedic timing with his shot selection, especially with the reaction shots. Also, as horrible as Matthew Perry is in this film, Jonathan Lynn knows when to keep the camera on him when he is being threatened by Bruce Willis's character because he actually is funny from time to time. I have a feeling that the sequel, The Whole Ten Yards, would have done better critically and financially if Lynn had been involved.
I have not enjoyed a movie this much in a long time. It is one of those rare action-comedies that actually has a great story. If you are a fan of these kinds of movies, and of course Bruce Willis, definitely check this movie out.
