Red Meat

A film review by Christopher Null - Copyright © 2002 Filmcritic.com

They "go to the gym, eat red meat, and talk about girls."

And so this straight-to-DVD-after-five-years-on-the-shelf flick would be dismissed as a pale imitation of In the Company of Men, if only it weren't written and directed by a woman, Allison Burnett. And not only is she a woman, she's the very woman who wrote both Bloodsport III: Forced to Fight and Autumn in New York!*

Burnett's pedigree combined with actresses Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing) and Lara Flynn Boyle (in a small role) might make this stand out on the video shelf, but don't be fooled. I had trouble keeping my eyes focused on this train wreck, despite all the sex and perversion going on. I laughed once (at a gag involving a restaurant napkin and a guy's sweaty armpits). I checked my watch about a dozen times.

Tiresome, repetitive, and wholly, wholly unlike anything akin to reality.

* Reader Douglas Johnson writes to tell us that "Allison Burnett" is actually a man. Oh well.

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Rating

2.0 out of 5 Stars

Cast and Crew

  • Director: Allison Burnett
  • Producer: Oliver Eberle, Marco Weber
  • Screenwriter: Allison Burnett
  • Stars: Lara Flynn Boyle, James Frain, Dee Freeman, Jennifer Grey, Anna Karin, Heidi Lenhart, Traci Lind, Stephen Mailer, Billie Neal, Julia Pearlstein, Andrea Roth, John Slattery
  • MPAA Rating: R