Mom! Well, don't worry. Every self-respecting hero of militants should at least once play the role of an openly comedic kind. Arnold Schwarzenegger himself was one of the first to agree to such an experiment, who had already managed to destroy an entire army of bandits in the Commando and rushed around the city with noise in the form of the Terminator. Having proved to everyone that his steely charisma has no analogues, Schwarzenegger got involved in an adventure called the Kindergarten Policeman and did not lose. Easy, unobtrusive picture fell to the liking of the audience of different ages, and the actor himself had the opportunity to further develop a fertile theme, which was very much to his face. Over time, he exchanged pistols and grenades for a disarming smile and Dolph Lundgren, who replaced Schwarzenegger in the less successful, but still funny and intriguing sequel to the Kindergarten Policeman, and Jean-Claude Van Damme, who over the years did not forget to sit on a spectacular twine, became the main character of a long television project entitled Jean-Claude Van Johnson, in which humor is many times more than action. And, of course, Sylvester Stallone did not intend to stand aside from the comedy, who broke more than a dozen chins in Rocky and showed on his own example that former veterans of the Vietnamese won do not exist. Having appreciated the successful experience of Schwarzenegger’s colleague in terms of entertaining a family audience, Stallone signed a contract to shoot a comedy with the brightly speaking title Stop! Or my mother will shoot, which, however, received far from the warmest reception from the public, turning into a classic of the genre only many years after the premiere.
So, the plot of the film takes place in sunny Los Angeles, where a valiant Sergeant Joe Bomovski (Stallone) serves in one of the police stations. A tough professional who solves problems with a bullet and a blow of a fist, he is used to always and in everything relying on himself and confident partners who know a lot about their business. But in the next few weeks, even such a formidable guard like Joe Bomovski, will have a hard time, because his elderly mother Tutti (Estel Getty), who too much missed her beloved son, arrives in the city. Experiencing excessively strong maternal feelings in relation to the old Joe, Tutti tries to bring order, purity and soulfulness into his life, but the good intentions of the old woman build the way to huge troubles. Not only does the native abode of Joe turn into a shiny castle, which the avid bachelor can not accept, so Tutti also witnesses a nightmarish crime and does everything possible to become a full partner of his son. And since getting rid of a fragile elderly mother is not as easy as it may seem, Joe has to accept the rules of the game and perform with the closest person in life a united battle front.
When Sylvester Stallone agreed to act out a formal comedy in Stop! Or my mother will shoot, he tried to guess all the risks in advance, thereby choosing a project that had to put a director with a name, noted by a number of successful productions. For the story of Joe Bomovski and his mother was responsible directly Roger Spottiswood, who previously shot the charming comedy Turner and Hooch, as well as the brisk action Air America. Spottiswood knew firsthand what a good sense of humor, flavored with action of the highest standard, from which Stallone did not have to worry about the quality of the finished film, as well as its reception with the public. However, longtime fans of the actor’s work did not see in “Stop!” Or My Mom Will Shoot" not a single reason to go to the movies, making Spottiswood's film an object of critical attack, marked by several anti-awards, disappointed absolutely everyone involved in the creation of this detective adventure. The presented story was scolded for openly overplaying Stallone, primitive jokes and predictability of the plot. And yet, what the film can not take away, is a discouraging charm, warmth and soulfulness, which were characteristic of the paintings of the 80s and almost disappeared in the cinema of the 90s.
With most of the attacks, let go of "Stop! Or my mom will shoot, it's hard to disagree. Against the background of such films as “Lethal Weapon” and “The Last Boy Scout”, marked not only by an excellent sense of humor, but also by a complex, multifaceted narrative, Roger Spottiswood’s work looks somewhat faded and unexpressive. But what can not be taken away here, since the desires and desires at all costs cause the public an honest smile. Yes, restless Tutti behaves frankly caricatured, and her son Joe looks like a laughing stock, but from a dozen jokes and comic sketches scattered over a particular time period, you can easily find a couple of three of those that cut into memory and when you remember them, the smile somehow perched on your face. After all, despite the partially lame script, “Stop!” Or my mom will shoot" has such an undoubted dignity as the direction of Roger Spottiswood, who knows how to work with actors of various genre branches, trying to break out of the established role.
Of course, the game of Sylvester Stallone in the tape of Spottiswood is not very deep, since the actor himself did not really imagine what he had to play, and yet it is very funny to watch him. More recently, Stallone with a machine gun was racing through the jungles of Vietnam in the second Rambo, as he has to deal with an overly active elderly lady, as well as solve love affairs with a charming colleague Gwen Harper performed by JoBeth Williams. It is clear that Stallone is trying, although his attempts cause more ironic laughter than respectful. In the scenes with a medium-temperature action, the action star is in his rightful place and no one has the right to challenge his talent. But when the shooting and the chase subside, all the shortcomings in Stallone’s dramatic art crawl out, which cannot be retouched by any artistic methods. And again, it is not for the deep dramatic play and the ability to reincarnate in unusual characters that we love Sylvester Stallone. Yes, he looks too unnatural, grotesque, absurd, but at the same time his charm and charisma have not disappeared. He is still the same spoiler of fate, who once conquered us along with the original "Rocky" and continues to fight our dreams with projects of different content and character.
In the end, I want to say, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot" is far from perfect, but a cheerful and positive film that has the excellent property of entertaining without any residue. Sylvester Stallone considers this experience disastrous, but this work is not as bad as it is usual to think. Therefore, I stand with confidence on its absolute protection and wish only the most pleasant viewing!
10 out of 10
