Stars: Liv Tyler, Matt Dillon, Paul Reiser, John Goodman, Michael Douglas, Reba McEntire

Director: Harald Zwart

Summary: A black comedy which follows the effect that a woman called Jewel has on the men she meets. Randy the bartender and Jewel become an item but Jewel becomes increasingly more demanding about things and encourages Randy to commit crimes...

The title refers to the night when three men, Randy (Matt Dillon), his cousin Carl (Paul Reiser) and Detective Dehling (John Goodman), all meet Jewel Valentine (Liv Tyler) at a bar called McCool's. Actually, they don't so much meet her as fall under her spell when they first lay eyes on her. In her clinging red dress she looks like a cross between a beautiful damsel in distress and the Lady In Red looking for John Dillinger. The story begins with Randy, desperate to be rid of Jewel, hiring a sleazy hitman, played by Michael Douglas in an outre toupee. His story of how Jewel lead him to ruin, filmed in a stylized flashback bathed in blue, is mirrored by Carl talking to his therapist--played with a delicious verve by Reba McEntire, and Detective Dehling talking with a priest; each telling their own stories of obsession with Jewel. Tyler is clearly beautiful, but it's the evil, scheming side of her character--delivered with voluptuous softness and irresistible badness--that makes the men's actions, however ridiculous they become, feel completely believable. Dillon, Goodman, and Reiser are all type cast in their familiar personas, but the story moves quickly, the dialogue doesn't have that forced sitcom feel, and a running gag involving a wooden Indian builds to an amusing pay-off.

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One Night at McCool'sis a giddy attempt to combine a standard film noir plot and a contemporary sex farce about men who (to quote John Hiatt's song) let their little heads do the thinking. Not as polished as Grosse Pointe Blank, with which it shares a similar offbeat sensibility, it's a promising comedy that never quite hits full speed, coasting along amiably enough before spiralling into violence that clashes with its trashy sensibility. But it's fun enough, especially for those who drool at the sight of Liv Tyler. The movie begins by suggesting that Liv is sexy, then proceeds to prove it, and continually insists upon it until you're left with no choice but to agree wholeheartedly.

As bombshell Jewell Valentine, Tyler lures three guys into her criminal scheme. Happy homemaking. Bartender Matt Dillon's the first to take the bait; as Dillon's lawyer cousin, Paul Reiser also can't resist; and when murder complicates everything, detective John Goodman employs his own love-struck brand of chivalry. Sporting a tacky pompadour, Michael Douglas steals the show as a hit man hired to whack the scheming sexpot--and Andrew Dice Clay is surprisingly funny in a dangerous dual role--but of course Liv can hold her own. It's all quite amusing, but rarely is McCool'sas funny as you hope it will be; the dialogue by Stan Seidel (who sadly died before filming completed) is zesty enough but lacks the Coen-esque punch that would kick it over the top. It hardly matters, though; with a femme fatalesuch as Liv in control, the movie's faults will easily be forgiven. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Trailer - 1. Original Theatrical Trailer, Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel, Featurettes - 1. WHERE DID WE SHOOT THAT?, 2. HOW DID WE KILL PAUL REISER?, 3. CAST READ THROUGH, TESTS, Music Videos, Storyboards
Year:	2001
Release Date:	October 22, 2001
Runtime:	89 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	E D V 9091
Keywords:	Night, One, Comedy, General, Mccool's
Genre:	Comedy