Shootin and Smoochin

I'm for Genaro's, but then, what do I know? I'm a bear. I suck the heads off of fish.

If you know this line, then you know of the wackiness that is Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, my new favorite movie.

Man I love this movie. I can pick it up and watch it any time. Still don't really understand it though. Who is the real bad guy, what's his motivation, who is his real daughter and who was that chick in the wig? But who cares.

Val Kilmer (Gay Perry) is excellent as the gay cop with the dry wit. I much prefer the puffier Val. He doesn't take himself so seriously. He should pursue the comedic route more often. It has turned out better for him. Where would we be without Real Genius and Top Secret?

Robert Downey Jr. (Harry Lockhart) is of course excellent. He never ceases to amaze me with his talent. I especially liked him in this because he plays an idiot of sorts. His characters are usually just that "characters" and it was nice to see him play more of an average Joe as opposed to the smartass know-it-all.

And Michelle Monaghan (Harmony Faith Lane) I could watch on a three minute video that's looped to play all day long. She plays the crush of Harry's that has no idea what she's doing yet seems to have it all together.

There are two scenes that do it for me.

The first is when Harry is in the bathroom taking a piss. He is talking with Harmony and not really paying attention. Meanwhile there is a dead woman in the shower next to him. Harry catches a glimpse of this and of course then turns his body towards the corpse and begins to piss all over it. He wants to stop himself but can't. It's a weird, funny, crazy scene all at once. And it's at this point in the movie when I knew I was on to something.

Harry: I peed on the corpse. Can they do, like, an ID from that?

Perry: I'm sorry, you peed on...?

Harry: On the corpse. My question is...

Perry: No, my question. I get to go first. Why in pluperfect hell would you pee on a corpse?

The second scene that got me is an easy one. It's an easy gag, but it's played beautifully.

It's toward the end of the movie and Harry tries to play bad cop at this point. He's questioning a thug as to the whereabouts of Harmony. He puts a bullet in the chamber of his gun, spins it a la Russian Roulette. Of course he assumes that the gun will click an empty chamber making the thug piss himself and tell Harry everything. And of course, the gun goes off and he shoots the guy in the head killing him instantly. Like I said, it's an easy gag, but it happens so fast you really don't see it coming. It's so anti-action movie because there's no tension, no drama, no close-ups. It just plays out in real-time. And it once again re-enforces Harry's character as this everyday idiot who tries to be suave and detective-like, but can't seem to get anything right.

Perry: What did you just do?

Harry: I just put in one bullet, didn't I?

Perry: You put a live round in that gun?

Harry: Well yeah, there was like an 8% chance.

Perry: Eight? Who taught you math?

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is the equivalent of an average evening that you planned with your friend that went crazy wrong and turned out to be one of the best nights of your life. Everything about it feels fast and crazy and in the moment. It says a lot about the movie that I still don't get it and love it as much as I do. Or maybe that says a lot about me. Either way, it's worth viewing and reviewing several times.