Buddy stories abound in Hollywood, but “Three Billbos, AD” seems to break the mold.
Set in a rather fanciful post-Apocalyptic middle earth, Billbos features an unlikely trio of hobbits, played by Danny Devito, Tom Cruise, and of course, Peter Dinklage. In this alternate history fantasy, Sardon won the Battle of the Four Kings a millennia ago, leaving the Hobbit race a despised minority doomed to live in little round ghetto apartments. Into this world stumbles Alice, a naive waif from Kansas with her pet flying monkey, whom she calls Bananas, for he likes bananas.
Makeup and Costumes: Top notch work in both areas, although you can see a seam in Cruise’s bald head, and more than once Billbo Skaggs (yes, he’s related) played by Dinklage complains to the camera that his foot prosthetics feel like walking around in ski boots.
Cinematography: Difficult to tell these days, with so much CGI. Is that mountain real? Who knows. The dragon looked healthy enough. Definitely that voice was not Sherlock Holmes.
Acting: Dinklage for the Oscar, of course. I had no idea the man could pole dance, but there you are.
Directing: We all thought Mel Brooks was done. I know, me too. This latest flick has balls, and it’s saddle is red hot. I liked the meta scene where characters in this movie exit, then enter the stage in another movie as almost the same characters. Metaphor for the Hollywood assembly line. Cliche? Sure, but it’s so true!
Plot: You might not think a trip by three hobbits to a White Castle would be worth seeing, but somehow Brooks makes it work. Loved how the short Indian cashier tells the hobbits that White Castle “don’t serve your kind.” Ironic! After the dinosaurs attack, I did think it was ham-handed to have the trio saved at the last minute by the only operating taxi in middle earth, the Yellow wizard that always knows a shortcut. Does that guy appear in every disaster movie? If not, he should.
The cruelest irony was (I think) unintentional. What’s the point of making two actors look as small as Dinklage, but then on the big screen they all look over six feet tall? Maybe just wait and download this one. Lucky the dialog was snappy.
Jimbo