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GAME 6 Send This Review to a Friend
The fatal attraction between Boston Red Sox fans and their fabled team that never could get over its jinx until the recent World Series triumph is the subject of “Game 6,” with a personal tie in to a playwright who fears being a loser and associates his problems with the fate of his beloved Sox. Michael Keaton plays Nicky Rogan, who has a new play opening on Broadway and thinks he is headed for disaster, especially since the play will be at the mercy of a feared theater critic, played by Robert Downey, Jr.
Written by Don DeLillo and directed by Michael Hoffman, “Game 6” melds Rogan with a blown Sox opportunity that is inter-cut on television as the personal drama develops. Little is convincing, although Keaton’s performance is enjoyable. But the story is extremely contrived and unlikely.
The character of Schwimmer, the dangerous critic, is the most absurd. He comes to the theater in disguise, and although there have been nasty critics with power, the sight of Downey in a fright wig is ridiculous. The screenplay ultimately involves him with Rogan’s daughter, with a confrontation between Rogan and Schwimmer. I’ll spare you the details. Bebe Neuwirth as Rogan’s girlfriend—he and his wife are at odds—has what is meant to be a hot scene between her and Rogan, and she’s always enjoyable to watch.
There is a lot of driving around in taxis, with chit chat between Rogan and a series of ethnic cabbies. Add some nice shots of Manhattan and some funny scenes on stage with Harris Yulin as an actor who can’t remember his lines, leading to awkward pauses that the critic interprets as brilliant. But the mess of a screenplay undercuts Keaton’s sympathetic performance as a man whose life is in emotional turmoil. The cast includes Shalom Harlow, Griffin Dunne and Catherine O’Hara. A Serenade Films release.
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