I’ve yet to see Adrien Brody’s Oscar winning performance in “The Pianist.” Actually I’ve yet to really see him anywhere until recently. I just got through watching a film he made shortly before “The Pianist” called “Dummy”, and if this is an example of Brody’s talent, then I imagine that award was well-earned. In “Dummy”, Brody portrays a lonely man still living at home with his parents at 30. He has spent his entire life in a quiet unassuming manner, kept from ever realizing his dreams by an overbearing and non-supportive family. His sister Heidi (Illeana Douglas) still lives at home as well and is no help. His only friend is a wannabe punk rocker by the name of Fangora (Milla Jojovich) who tries to support him, but has enough issues of her own to deal with. It is his one dream to become a ventriloquist, and when he finally gets a ‘dummy’ and begins to practice. The initial set-up for “Dummy” almost sounds like a premise for a horror flick, but it is anything but. Newbie director Greg Pritikin takes this idea and creates a one of the quirkiest romantic comedies I’ve seen in a while.

The characters that are interspersed throughout the movie all seem like they are mental enough to be in an institution, but upon reflection are really no different than the people who surround me in my life, and more than likely surround you.

The entire cast of “Dummy” is exceptional, even Milla Jojovich (who I really never really thought much of as far as acting) does a better job than usual as the ultra-aggressive Fangora. I was especially pleased to see Jessica Walter and Ron Leibmen, who are married in real life, as Steven’s (Brody) parents. I hadn’t seen either of them in anything in quite a while and they are in top form in this movie.

But I’ve really got to hand it to Brody. He is the central figure of this movie and handles the role with the delicacy of a virtuoso. He is the quiet one amongst a sea of nut cases, yet he is able to command your attention with the subtlest of expressions. Watching him clumsily working on his chosen craft is an amazing sight. Seeing his total lack of confidence start to come out through his work with the dummy is quite endearing.

For a movie that really didn’t get much attention at the box office, Artisan really went all out to add in some terrific extra features. I would have to say the commentary provided here is one of the best I’ve seen (or heard) in a long time. Its provided by 2 time Ventriloquist of the Year Jeff Dunham along with his guests, Walter and Peanut. I’ve seen Dunham perform before and he’s awesome. Together they chime in from time to time in a little video box in the lower right hand corner to make comments and jokes. It’s quite hilarious and I enjoyed the heck out of it.

The feauturette “Dummies 101” is another really funny feature that is a sort of mock documentary involving Dunham. We hear form the ’Dummy Doctor’ who worked with Adrien Brody, who comments that they worked closely but he hasn’t heard from the actor since the production ended. Then a ‘psychiatrist’ is asked to comment on Dunham’s lack of social skills, etc…. Then there is a game, which is really just a series of questions with multiple answers that determine what kind of dummy you would be. For those interested in the history of ventriloquism (which I certainly was) you can read through a series of pages full of information. Not to be outdone by other DVDs about ventriloquists, you can also find 6 lessons scattered throughout the menus on how to become one. Jeff Dunham teaches you the basics through this entertaining and informative series of lessons.

“Dummy” turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise, both in the movie itself and the cleverness of the DVD presentation. I’m definitely adding it to my must have list of DVDs for 2004.

Directed by: Greg Pritikin
Starring: Adrian Brody, Milla Jojovich, Illeana Douglas, Vera Farmiga, Jessica Walter, Ron Leibman, Jared Harris
Extras: Picture in Picture Ventriloquist Commentary by Jeff Dunham, Dummies 101: Learning the Ventriloquist’s Dream, Deleted / Altered Scenes, “What Type of Dummy Are You” Game, Ventriloquism: a History of Dummies, Ventriloquist Lessons
Specifications: 16:9 Widescreen Version, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, 2.0 Dolby Stereo
Studio: Artisan
Release Date: 2/17/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (For Language)
Website

We'll give Dummy an A.