Date: Fri 19-Jul-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: CHRISL

Illustration: C

Location: A10

Quick Words:

Playing-Phenomenon-Travolta

Full Text:

(Now Playing rev of "Phenomenon," 7/19/96)

Now Playing-

Travolta's Resurgence Continues With A Poignant `Phenomenon'

By Trey Paul Alexander III

In past columns, I have taken on the cause of "chick flicks," decrying the

stereotyping and labeling that pigeonhole them into being only for females.

Many of those movies are flat-out solid and shouldn't be sold short. Besides,

I like some of them and my ego would prefer that the term "chick flick"

vanished from the lexicon.

Speaking of said films, Phenomenon , playing at the Crown Cine Theatre, could

be labeled as such, and I admit to a bout of acute self-consciousness when I

screened it. Though struggling with my allergies, which means intermittent

sneezing, constantly watering eyes and frequent tissue use, I courageously

took my seat in the darkened theater. By the film's second hour, I began to

notice that a large female contingent of our audience had become progressively

moved by the movie. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but I felt

myself shrinking in embarrassment as I noticed my own glassy eyes and lapful

of Kleenex... but it was from my allergies, honest!

Starring John Travolta, Phenomenon could just as easily be the title to this

stirring phase of Travolta's resurgent career. By now nearly everyone has

heard how his professional life was pulled out of the dumpster by his

Oscar-nominated work in Pulp Fiction . He then made good on his return to

glory by giving a high-wattage star performance in Get Shorty , followed by a

delightfully loony, scene-chewing turn in Broken Arrow . He continues this

steady run in Phenomenon , an engaging drama that shoots straight for your

heart.

Although looking every bit like the heartland of America's Midwest, the film

is set in a dusty, California town where a humble auto mechanic, George Malley

(Travolta), lives a nice, quiet life full of such simple pleasures as

gardening, sharing life with man's best friend (a lazy but lovable dog) and

enjoying the cozy comforts of his small-town friends. On his 37th birthday,

during a warm celebration at the burg's local haunt, George has an encounter

with a strange light no one else sees or hears, and feels strangely affected.

Before long, George is manifesting aspects of himself he never thought

possible, absorbing page upon page from numerous books and bewildering his

buddies with his growth. The one person totally nonchalant about his sudden

change is Lace (Kyra Sedgwick), the woman whom George has been trying to woo.

Although George's experience has the whole town abuzz with questions (Did you

see a UFO, George?), he seems unable to win her affections.

But when George's abilities continue to progress, Phenomenon takes an

interesting twist as the town begins to grow suspicious of their increasingly

knowledgeable citizen. Although the amiable George remains modest and

grounded, in the eyes of the townsfolk he becomes less and less a curiosity

and more and more a potential menace. George's only support comes from his

best friend (Forest Whitaker), the town's doctor (Robert Duvall) and,

surprisingly, Lace.

Phenomenon is seasoned with a bit too much New Age flavor, but is not the

trite pabulum I feared it to be. In fact, if I didn't know any better (but I

do), I might be tempted to interpret the character of George Malley as a

Christ figure. Alas, such are the peripheral effects of too many pretentious

cinema classes.

Make no mistake, the main draw of Phenomenon is not its symbolism (either real

or imagined), or its terrific song, "Change the World," by Eric Clapton; the

winning performance by Travolta in the central role is the lure. As a

small-town everyman who must shoulder the burden of giftedness, Travolta

quickly wins the audience's favor and eventually gains our fondness as well.

Rated PG, Phenomenon is fairly mild with a few profanities and a shot of one

character mooning another.