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April 01, 2009

Men at Work

Emilio Estevez: A Hero For Hazardous Times

By Ben

This was posted as part of the Third Annual White Elephant Film Blogathon.

In 1986, Emilio Estevez became the youngest person to write, direct, and star in a major motion picture. Unfortunately, Wisdom, starring Estevez and Demi Moore was panned by critics setting in motion a career that would be fraught with works that would end up being misunderstood by either critics or the public. However, to the open-minded filmgoer, if Wisdom hadn't convinced them that a profound talent had just announced his arrival, his follow up film four years later, Men at Work, surely should have.

Avoiding the sophomore slump that many overhyped artists suffer as a result of high expectations, Estevez presented the world with Men at Work only to once again be greeted with indifference by the critical establishment. It was a setback that would keep him from directing another film for six whole years. When he finally made his return with The War at Home, he did it with a decidedly more serious film. In telling the story of a Vietnam War hero struggling to adjust to life back in the states, it seemed to be a far cry from Men at Work.

When The War at Home was released in 1996, Estevez finally received the attention he deserved. Unfortunately, while the film was well received by critics, it is thought to have earned less than $100,000 in its limited release. In the wake of his film's spectacular box office failure, Estevez considered giving up his filmmaking career. However, like Gordon Bombay, Estevez persevered. Ten years after the release of The War at Home, Estevez premiered his fictionalized account of the moments leading up to the assassination of Bobby Kennedy in Bobby. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival and received a seven minute standing ovation. It would go on to play at other major festivals and also receive a Golden Globe nomination for best motion picture. Twenty years after the release of his first film, Estevez's time had finally come.

Amongst the four films in his ouevre, from his precocious debut to his breakout in Venice, the only one that doesn't comfortably fit in is Men at Work. Upon closer examination, this turns out to only be true if you also consider Dr. Strangelove to be out of place amongst the rest of Stanley Kubrick's works because it's a comedy. Like Dr. Strangelove, Men at Work is a subversive, comedic masterpiece nestled amidst a body of otherwise serious works. Estvez has demonstrated a very clear social and political consciousness throughout his career and while those tendencies are somewhat obscured in Men at Work, they are undeniably present.

Men at Work is the story of a pair of garbage men, played by Estevez and his brother Charlie Sheen, who become entangled in an illegal toxic dumping operation when they discover the dead body of a local politician while making their rounds. Because they're constantly being pestered by the police, they're afraid to turn the body in for fear of implicating themselves. What follows is part Weekend at Bernies part La Règle du jeu. While avoiding the thugs who killed the politician and are dumping the toxic chemicals, a pizza delivery man, a black Vietnam vet, and their female neighbor all join in on the fun.

The film's unlikely band of protagonists represent elements of society that are too often overlooked or are generally depicted in an undignified manner. The two garbage men and the pizza delivery guy are presented as human beings and, in the case of the two two main characters, as the heroes of the story. Louis, the Vietnam vet, foreshadows issues that Estevez would deal with in his next film while also introducing complex issues of race (especially in the scene where he is confronted by the Los Angeles Police). Meanwhile, the most intelligent of the bunch is the strong independent woman who happens to have been organizing the dead politician's campaign.

By pitting this ragtag group of people against crooked police officers and evildoers bent on polluting the city, Estevez makes clear where his sympathies and ideals lie. His subsequent films are just as radical and socially progressive. Only the vision of a mature, confident director could juggle the serious issues presented in this film with the slapstick humor that the public so adored upon its release. Realizing that Estevez was not even 30 while managing to do this made the film that much more remarkable.

Most importantly: in directing his brother, Charlie Sheen, Estevez had the good sense to let him loose and Sheen did not disappoint. The film is just as much Sheen's as it is Estevez's. My only disappointment is that Sheen's hasn't gone on to bigger and better things the way Estevez has, but perhaps that's too much to ask? Although his brief appearance in Being John Malkovich was great, Sheen's turn as Carl Taylor is a career defining role. Perhaps it happened too early in his career and it's this realization that led to Sheen's problems soon after. Should this be the case, it's unfortunate that Estevez had to use his own brother's career as a stepping stone to progress his own, but ultimately, we should just be thankful that these two monumental talents were able to collaborate in such a brilliant film (yes, they've done other stuff together since then, but nothing this great).

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