Watch It (1993) Peter Gallagher, Suzy AmisDirector: Tom FlynnCo-stars: John C. McGinley, Tom Sizemore102 minutes, ColorDVD-R: Region ALLPeter Gallagher, who became a patron saint of the yuppies-in-distress sub-genre with SEX, LIES AND VIDEOTAPE, heads a capable cast in this above-average contemplation of modern urban mores, marking a promising debut by writer/director Tom Flynn.Gallagher plays John, whose aimless wandering since leaving college has landed him on the Chicago doorstep of his estranged first cousin Michael (Jon Tenney). Immediately, John is recruited as a pawn in an ongoing game played by Michael and his two roommates, wounded romantic Rick (John C. McGinley, who also co-produced) and goofy sports car mechanic Danny (Tom Sizemore). Called "Watch It," the game consists of the three playing stupid, sometimes elaborate, practical jokes on each other--Michael, for example, crams a confused John into the house refrigerator so that he can spring out and scare Rick.Soon afterward, John meets and is smitten with veterinarian Anne (RICH IN LOVEs Suzy Amis), without knowing that she has just broken up with Michael, a remorseless womanizer. Rick, meanwhile, fears making a commitment to his girlfriend Ellen (THE PLAYERs Cynthia Stevenson), while Danny, the only one of the trio to lack sex appeal, depends on bar pickups for fleeting fulfillment. John is also skittish where commitment is concerned, making his budding relationship with Anne vulnerable when Michael decides to reclaim his former territory. John prepares to relinquish Anne and hit the road again, but changes his mind and puts into motion a "Watch It" prank that results in the permanent separation of Michael and Anne, the temporary separation of Rick and Ellen, and some tense moments for Danny. John then gets a job and sets about trying to win Anne back, but breaks with his cousin over the latters immaturity and callousness. These qualities in Michael, though, are revealed to have resulted from a dysfunctional childhood; we learn that Michael envies John for the stable upbringing he received, and is constantly trying to revenge himself on womankind for having had to grow up with an alcoholic mother.WATCH IT is awash in "mens movement" psychobabble, including a particularly lamentable tendency to excuse men for their swinish behavior by attributing it to their painful childhood experiences. It finally redeems itself, however, by illustrating the need for individual responsibility, exposing the typical "Iron John" excuses for what they are. Rather than stressing the boyish boisterousness of the title game, Flynn makes it clear that it functions as a substitute for real involvment with the outside world, and particularly with women. Ultimately, the "sensitive" discussions in which the men confront their problems come to seem like the same thing, but on a more sophisticated level; its only when John learns that some things about human behavior cant simply be explained away or talked through that he begins to show some promise as a decent human being.
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