Re: The Wing Kong Exchange
Jack Putter is a hypochondriac store clerk who stumbles and bumbles his way through everyday life. Tuck Pendleton is a brave and bold pilot who has volunteered to be miniaturized and injected into a bunny as part of an experiment. Unfortunately these two cross paths in the worst possible way, as Pendleton is somehow injected into Short by mistake. Now they will have to work together to free Pendleton and save Putter from the ruthless criminals who will stop at nothing to capture him.
"There was a threesome immediately after this picture was taken..."
Innserspace, released in 1987, is one of those films, much like yesterday’s Real Genius, that could have easily failed. On paper the script probably seemed laughable at best, but the direction and performances of all the actors make it a lot better than it could have ended up being. It is another in a long line of 80’s films that remain criminally underrated and unseen, and indeed has a lot to offer any potential viewer. With a rousing plot, great acting, stellar direction and some really memorable moments and characters, Innerspace is a sure win for anyone willing to give it a shot. When it says “Steven Spielberg Presents†on the top of the poster, you know you’re in for a treat, but nothing can prepare you for the savoury sweetness of this quirky and wonderful film.
"Stop or I'll shoot my prop gun with blanks into the fake ceiling above me!"
Directed by Joe Dante (Gremlins) and written by Jeffrey Boam (The Dead Zone, The Lost Boys) along with Chip Proser (Iceman), Innerspace was clearly designed to be a sci-fi/comedy with a heavy emphasis on the star power of the leads. Indeed, Martin Short (Putter) and Dennis Quaid (Pendleton) are up to the task and play their characters very well. Meg Ryan is added to the mix as Lydia, Pendleton’s love interest, while Kevin McCarthy (UHF’s RJ Fletcher) shows up as main bad guy Victor Scrimshaw. Rounding out the main cast are Fiona Lewis (The Fury) as an evil doctor and Scrimshaw’s right hand woman, Vernon Wells (Commando’s Bennett and believe me when I tell you he doesn’t look anything like Freddy Mercury here) as Mr. Igoe, Scrimshaw’s chief enforcer and Robert Picardo (Total Recall, Star Trek: Voyager) as The Cowboy, a ruthless criminal hired by Scrimshaw. All of these actors are known from other classic 80’s films and they all do a remarkable job lending an air of believability to a script that is completely and utterly unbelievable in every sense of the word.
"I know you hated the Three Amigos but this is taking it too far dude!"
For starters, the interaction between Short and Quaid is nothing short of brilliant, as the two share a great on-screen chemistry without actually being on-screen together. Pendleton, stuck in his little probe inside Putter’s body, is as brash as you’d expect a lifelong military test pilot to be, while Short’s Putter, a total basket case, spends the majority of the film freaking out at the prospect of someone being stuck inside him. Yep, as I said, the premise is totally off the wall, but the performances make it work to perfection. There are a lot of great moments between the two leads, such as when Quaid convinces Short to take a huge swig of Southern Comfort so that he can get a sip from his trusty flask. Another great moment occurs when Short and Ryan’s characters kiss; transferring Quaid into her body long enough for him to see that she is pregnant with his child. Again, I’d like to stress that all of this could be very corny if not handled properly, but it is, so it’s not. Short is off the wall wonderful in his zany slapstick way, and his interaction with several characters leads to hilarious results. Ryan is quite good as Lydia, playing the character tough but with a sweetness deep down inside that totally makes me think she is just like that in real life. I’ve always loved Meg Ryan, but I particularly love her performance here.
"He's not a real cowboy folks, he just plays one in this movie..."
As for the bad guys, they totally deserve their own section because they are so damn good. McCarthy douches it up to the extreme as Victor Eugene Scrimshaw. With a name like that you’d think it would be enough for you to hate him on basic principal but McCarthy, obviously preparing for his future role as king douche RJ Fletcher, really sinks his teeth into the role and ends up almost stealing the film. Almost is the key word here, as Robert Picardo (a personal favourite of mine for years) absolutely owns this movie in his brief appearances as The Cowboy. From his holstered hairdryer to his general attitude towards everyone he meets, The Cowboy is a classic movie douchebag of the highest order. By the way, I don’t even think he’s a real cowboy, but whatever! Vernon Wells also dicks it up as Mr. Igoe, a classic henchman and a real jerk. I mean this guy not only kills the kindly scientist who injects Pendleton into Putter, he takes the needle from his dead hands and uses it to pop a child’s balloon. Now that is douche if I’ve ever seen it. Fiona Lewis plays the nasty henchwoman Margaret with a real zest, and gets some great moments in the film as well. These villains all get their comeuppance in different ways, and each of them is suitable for their level of nastiness.
"Hey, a photographic representation of the effects of a potent dose of MDMA...nice!"
Another thing that makes this film stand out is the incredible special effects on display. As a lot of the film takes place within the body of Putter it’s obvious that they had to mimic as best they could the human body from the inside. I’d just like to point out that they do an excellent job of that the majority of the time, and though we know it’s not real, nothing comes across as obviously fake. There’s a lot of great moments in this film as well, from the opening sequence, a really inventive shot, to the chase through the mall where Pendleton is injected into Putter all the way through to the end, where a little Alice in Wonderland spells the secret to restoring Pendleton to his normal size. Short has a lot of opportunities to ham it up, as he fights off a fake television repairman who is trying to kill him, freaks out in a grocery store (where his boss just happens to be Dr. Klopek from the ‘Burbs, Henry Gibson) and dances drunkenly around Pendleton’s apartment. Short is the true star of this film, as he is relied upon to carry the zany comedy on display, and he does an excellent job of it. Indeed his performance as Jack Putter is brilliant in every sense and it’s a shame so few people have seen it. Innerspace did a modest $26 million at the box office, but those numbers were only good enough for 47th place in the yearly totals. Compared to 1987’s comedy box office champs like Three Men and a Baby and Beverly Hills Cop II its numbers aren’t that good, but the film itself is, and sometimes the numbers don’t tell the whole story.
"He doesn't want to tell you where that finger's been."
Mixing science-fiction and comedy is never a safe bet, as I can only count a handful of films that have ever gotten it right, including tomorrow’s (an absolute classic in its own right). This one ranks among those and is a film that I can sit down and watch whenever it’s on. It is by no means a classic, or even a great film, but it is entertaining from start to finish, has some great moments and sends the audience home happy. What more can you ask for from a light-hearted, science-fiction comedy about a guy who is injected into another guy’s butt? Not much says I, and I’m the smartest person I know. I cannot in good conscience give it an extremely high rating, as there are some flaws, but it is definitely a movie you should check out at least once. We’ll go
7/10 here, since it can’t be the Tuck Pendleton machine with zero defects, but it’s still pretty damn good.
