Phenomenon . Tucson Weekly . 07-11-96

Phenomenon

DIRECTED BY: Jon Turteltaub

REVIEWED: 07-11-96

It's hard to spell and even harder to watch: Phenomenon, a corny, cloying, life-is-a-gift type of flick that tries its darnedest to recreate the optimism of Frank Capra movies like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and It's a Wonderful Life. The marvel of Capra's movies though, is that they're actually incredibly bleak stories with a burst of light at the end, while Phenomenon keeps to a steady level of saccharine drivel throughout. John Travolta stars as a dimwitted mechanic who sees a light in the sky and then becomes breathtakingly intelligent, except that he can't figure out how to do practical things, like consult with the faculty at Stanford when the guys at Berkeley refuse to see him. Sentimental music and hazy, gold-filtered shots sabotage any chance at dignity this project may have ever had. This is one of those movies that might have been kind of good if it wasn't so idiotic.

--Stacey Richter

Full Length Reviews
Phenomenon

Capsule Reviews
Phenomenon

Other Films by Jon Turteltaub
Instinct
While You Were Sleeping

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