They Might Be Giants

            I am convinced that George C. Scott was 45 years old the moment he was born.

            On to the review!

            I opened up the film-watching decisions to the internet and the first suggestion was They Might Be Giants, a 1971 drama/comedy (no, I’m not saying dramedy.  You can’t make me).  The plot seems pretty simple at first, but then it fortunately (and fantastically) goes off the rails. 

            Justin Playfair (George C. Scott) is a brilliant former lawyer and judge who, after the loss of his wife, had a mental breakdown and now believes that he is Sherlock Holmes.  His brother Blevins (BLEVINS), played by Lester Rawlins, is a total dickbag and wants his brother’s entire estate handed over to his control.  Just such a thing can happen if Justin…err…Sherlock…is committed to the loony bin.

            The doctor responsible for making that decision is Dr. Mildred….dun-dun-DUN…Watson!  Played by Joanne Woodward, Watson finds the perfect balance between curiosity, excitement and exasperation as she deals with all of Justin/Sherlock's shenanigans.

            Fortunately the main plot is set aside quickly to become almost an afterthought until the last quarter of the film.  Instead we get to watch Justin/Sherlock traipse around New York City looking for clues that will lead him to Moriarty.  Justin/Sherlock constantly skirts the law as he skips from random encounter to random encounter, his troubled mind always turning happy accidents into deliberate clues. 

            Yeah, it’s a little schlocky at times, but there is a true sense of wonder and mystery surrounding our characters.  Watson undergoes your typical transformation from stuffy to eagerly hopeful, but she doesn’t do it in such a way as to be a corny character.  More importantly, George C. Scott is fantastic as Sherlock.  He plays the character with aplomb, and even though you know from the plot that he’s not really Sherlock, he does his best to make you forget.  Seeing Sherlock navigate the filthy streets of 70’s NYC with such confidence and poise is very entertaining.

            There really aren’t too many other people that I recognized in the film, what with being negative 10 when it came out.  Rue McClanahan (Blanche from Golden Girls) plays a small part as Blevins’ wife, and Al Lewis (Grandpa from The Munsters!) has an entertaining bit part.

            When all is said and done, They Might Be Giants is a really interesting, entertaining take on the Sherlock mythos.  Can anyone be like Sherlock Holmes if they simply pay attention and expand their mind?  Is Sherlock an idea as much as he is a ‘person?’  Do we all have our own Moriarty?

            In all, I enjoyed They Might Be Giants.  It was fun, had just enough humor to keep it from being a depressing film about a nutcase, and between this, Patton and The Changeling, I’m becoming a huge George C. Scott fan.