The Long Kiss Goodnight

In some ways, this may be the stupidest movie I’ve ever watched. It takes its premise from an idea—the bump on the head that both gives and relieves amnesia—that is so idiotic that even sitcoms have largely turned away from it these days (and, indeed, in the mid-'90s when this film was made). Most of the dialogue is just blandly unremarkable, but at certain points it goes deeply south into true stupidity. And yet, there are enough positive elements here—mostly in the screen presence of the two leads, Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson—that it can’t be chalked up as a total loss. They’re watchable, in contrast with a cast of villains so generic that I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that not one of them ever made another movie again. Many of the action sequences work all right, too, and that goes a long way towards papering over the weaknesses. Then again, the film seems to chicken out at the end, when what would be the obvious ending pairing in any other circumstance—meaning, not cross-racial—does not come about at the closing. That’s a weird note considering all that goes before it. Ultimately, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this movie to anyone, but if you watch it and decide you like it I won’t bother to argue with you, either. Totally your call.