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From: Viv
Category: Films
Date: 15 June 2001
"Don't take ma wings ma'am" - possibly one of the worst lines of dialogue ever written, and just one of the many gems in the screenplay of Pearl Harbor (sic). Yes, it's basically Titanic meets Top Gun with a Dubya Dubya 2 setting: crappy love story set against real historical event with lots of explosions and people suffering horrible deaths, including one of the protagonists.
But, y'know, depsite all that I rather enjoyed it. Once the mindset has adjusted to the crassness of the plot it's really rather involving and touching, and surprisingly informative. The writers do at least try to make the Japanese sympathetic, although they do converse in dense metaphorical "Crounching Tiger" speak.
The main action sequence was a bit too long for my taste and the revenge bombing of Tokyo (er..let's destroy a couple of factories) felt like a sequel, but is necessary to resolve the love triangle - although by this time it's blindingly obvious which one of Kate Beckinsale's suitors is going to buy it and you just wish they'd get on with it.
There's also a strange "America was never the same again after that day" speech from La Beckinsale at the end, which is quite weird when you think it comes from the daughter of Alan off Rising Damp.
Look out for Ewen Bremner in a supporting role, as well as Alec Bladwin and Dan Aykroyd, who between them appear to have eaten all the pies.
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