Jay's Review: Lonely Street

Another review up at DVDsnapshot.com, this time the disc was a screener so it didn’t have the special features. I took the synopsis from it’s Netflix entry. The Amazon/IMDB description shares a little TOO much... and that's my job.

LONELY STREET Official Synopsis:
After an elusive celebrity hires naïve Det. Bubba Mabry (Jay Mohr) to spy on a tabloid journalist, Bubba becomes the prime suspect when the reporter is murdered. If he wants to stay out of jail, he'll have to solve the case fast. Meanwhile, two pesky journalists (Lindsay Price and Nikki Cox) stay on his tail. Based on Steve Brewer's popular novels, this quirky comic mystery co-stars Joe Mantegna and Ernie Hudson.

Our Take: Lonely Street isn't really a stand alone movie. Adapted from a series of novels, it feels reminiscent of other "introductory" movies of the type. It sets a fun, jaunty tone, but I kept thinking of V.I. Warshawski. However, this doesn't detract from it being a really enjoyable film.

Very much in the spirit of Get Shorty, Striptease, Happy, Texas, and My Name Is Earl; a group of wacky misfits (with overly cutesy names) circle around Bubba Mabry (a miscast Jay Mohr). He's a detective bumbling his way thru a murder investigation filled with gorgeous girls and loopy assistants as he tries to figure out if the mysterious Mr. Aaron really is the story of the century and who's willing to kill over it.

The cast, including the underrated Nikki Cox (sporting some unfortunately over-inflated lips) and Robert Patrick (showing more joyful spark under some heavy makeup than he's ever shown without it) is uniformly charming. As each character tends to be a little overdone, that's no small feat. Constant narration may be the films biggest drawback, but even that isn't intrusive after too long. The writing flows with good humor and the occasional stylistic quirks always bring on a smile.

The real shame here is that this seems to be a stand-alone movie. This should be a pilot, because as a weekly cable show, the verve and spirit shown here could produce a strong, fun series. This isn't a comedy masterpiece, but it IS a gem in the rough and a satisfying way to spend an evening.

Special Features: (PER AMAZON)
Special Feature(s): Widescreen; Behind-the-scenes cast interviews; "Making of Elvis"; "When the Rebel Comes Home" music video; Three exclusive songs
Conclusion:
You'll stay engaged with the southern (or rather, southwestern)-fried wackiness from beginning to end, having a good time all the way. There's nothing here that objectionable for mid-teens and up, aside from the scene showing the aftermath of a murder. The sexuality is rather cartoonish, and the approximation of music by Elvis is well done enough to not offend us who wouldn't mind a new single one bit.

Not only would Lonely Street hold up to repeat viewings, but I wish this was a pilot, because as a series, I'd watch every episode, and I can't think of better recommendation than that.

Overall Picture:
Movie: B
Extra Features: NA for me, but they sure sound swell...