Don Juan DeMarco

**_Brando, Depp and Dunaway in an amusing and inspiring romcom_** After a psychiatrist in New York (Marlon Brando) talks a young Lothario out of committing suicide (Johnny Depp), the supposedly delusional man is interned at a mental hospital for examination where his charisma has an interesting effect on the people. Faye Dunaway plays the doctor’s wife. "Don Juan DeMarco” (1994) is a whimsical romantic dramedy with psychological insights highlighted by the three stars. Brando was verging on 70 during shooting and would only do four more feature films while Depp was a rising star who wouldn’t hit it big for another five years, as far as box office success goes. While the movie performed mediocrely in America, it made almost three times its cost worldwide and thus was considered a success for New Line Cinema. This was Marlon’s beefiest role since “The Missouri Breaks” (1976) and “Apocalypse Now” (1979) with the rest of his late-era films having minimal parts (for big bucks). While it’s criticized that he “coasts” through the role of the psychiatrist, mumbling, his performance fits the fun, insightful and inspiring tone. Depp would team-up with Brando again for his dismal oddity “The Brave” (1997). The film runs 1 hour, 37 minutes, and was shot in Southern Cal (Saugus, Los Angeles and Santa Clarita) with second unit work done in O'ahu and New York. GRADE: B

Does anyone else think that maybe Donald Trump modelled his 2020s image on Marlon Brando here? Anyway, Brando is veteran psychiatrist "Mickler" who is on the cusp of retirement and a contented life with his wife "Marilyn" (Faye Dunaway) when he is charged with evaluating a young man who has recently tried to commit suicide. It ought to be a straightforward enough job except he claims to be the eponymous, legendary, Lothario. Intrigued, "Mickler" decides he will try to get to know the fella (Johnny Depp) and evaluate him without putting him on medication. In best Cervantes style, "Don Juan" regales the doctor and pretty much the entire hospital staff with far-fetched stories of his amorous conquests and of his general joie de vivre. It's the latter man who also beings to impress upon the doc just how his own marriage has stagnated over the years and perhaps these romantic tales are having more of a beneficial effect on the clinician than they are on the patient! Meantime, corroborating evidence is being conflictingly provided as to just whom "Don Juan" actually is. Might he even be the real thing? It's quite entertaining in spurts, this film, but there are not enough of them and the shrink-session style of conversation starts to run out of steam and rather repeat itself after a while. Depp is charismatic enough but Brando is really just going through the motions and the comedic elements are few and far between. It's watchable but somehow it's just devoid of any spark.