Sadly Over-hyped

Admirable film.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

***SPOILERS*** Bitter sweet and wonderful little movie about a change of identity when a person takes over the life of someone who died his arms.That in order to keep hope alive for dead man's prison pen pal who's to finally visit him and finally see what he looks like. It's when insurance salesman John Noland,Jeff Goldblum,went down to his local deli-liqueur store one evening to buy a bottle of his favorite wine that his life changed forever as well as the store clerk Auggie Rose,Kim Coates, who life abruptly ended. It was Auggie who was gunned down by a hold up man,Randall Slavin, while Noland was pined on the floor just trying to survive. As if something clicked in Noland's mind he decided to do everything he could for the dead Auggie Rose in feeling that he,in having Auggie get him his wine bottle, was somehow responsible for his death!Not being able to find a next of kin it's decided by the city morgue officials to have Auggie who was just released from prison, after serving a 20 year sentence for armed robbery,disposed of like a the morning garbage. Nolan going to Auggie's shabby apartment in the L.A slums find a letter addressed to him from his prison pen pal Lucy Brown, Anne Heche, saying how eager she's to meet him the following week. Going down to the bus station where Lucy says she'll be arriving Noland instead of telling her the terrible news that Auggie was murdered takes over Auggie's identity and claims to be him! Lucy not realizing that she's being shammed goes along with Nolan's masquerade and before you know it he ends up falling in love with her. Which leads to major complications back at work in the insurance company that he works at as well as with his live in lover Carol, Nancy Travis, who's been waiting for some five year for him to pop the question for her to marry him! What'seven worse ex-convict Roy Mason, Timothy Olyphant, tracks down Noland thinking that he's really Auggie Rose and tries to get him to pull a job with him on the L.A Highway & Transit Department!****SPOILERS**** Living the life of Auggie Rose Noland gets a job as a counter or sandwich man at the McDougall Diner at $6.50 an hour to make Lucy believe that he's game-fully employed. That in giving up his six figure salary as a top insurance agent or salesman. He also get's the pesky Mason out of his and Lucy's life by falsifying a insurance policy by the late Auggie Rose making him soul beneficiary.That in the really not to bright Mason not realizing that he'll end up behind bars when he ever tries to claim the money. ***MAJOR SPOLERS*** The heart wrenching ending is when Noland finally reveled the truth to Lucy about Auggie and his impersonation of him that has her break down in tears and take off to he nearest bus station to leave town and Noland behind. But alas Lucy in realizing what Noland did for both Auggie,in getting him a proper burial,and herself ,in keeping Auggie alive for her, has a sudden change of heart! As she shows up at Nolan's place of work the McDougall Deli to order a ham & cheese sandwich that he's more then happy to make for her. And not only that the tab's on him!

This is a real undiscovered gem. The few criticisms posted so far seem based on the peculiar assumption that all stories must be taken literally, like news reports of real-world events.The fascination of this well-mounted 'little' movie depends on the pivotal fact that taking over someone else's life would be a totally bizarre and irrational thing to do. What makes the story fun is our own unexpected realization that sometimes irrationality really is preferable . Goldblum's character is someone who needs to do something crazy, to break out of the calcified shell of his stable existence. If you can't identify with that feeling, all I can say is you must be leading a far more exciting life than I am.Beyond some believably seedy locations (the whole movie is seemingly shot 'on the wrong side of the tracks'), Beyond Suspicion has several great performances going for it. Goldblum is perfect as the ambivalent impostor, not sure what he's doing, feeling at once creepy, guilty and yet strangely also more alive than he ever has before. Anne Heche is the perfect foil, very believable as a simple, lower-class girl with no reason to be sympathetic to Goldblum's peculiar activities. And Joe Santos (best known from The Rockford Files) adds a wonderful grace note as the amiable neighbor.You can typically buy this DVD in the bargain bin for about the cost of a rental. Definitely worth the investment.

Jeff Goldblum is known for his quirky characters and his off kilter delivery. Once again his quirkiness works in this small gem of a movie. Having no expectations, I was pleasantly surprised by this tale of mistaken identity and rebirth. Jeff Goldblum plays John Nolan, an insurance executive in Armani suits and a rather nice car. His life seems to be idyllic, if not a bit stalled, when a bottle of wine and a bullet change everything. Nolan finds himself drawn to the life and death of a store clerk until he slowly begins to assume the man's life. Why would a successful business man want to step into the shoes of an ex-con? Goldblum's performance makes this life change subltly understandable. Anne Heche, craziness aside, has always been a fine actress and she is great here as the ex-con's pen pal. Sweet and naive she believes in this man and her capriciousness is contagious. She leaves her small town life to live with a man she's never met, but he's not the man she thinks he is. Check this one out for yourself.

Not knowing what to expect we were pleasantly surprised by this intriguing and clever movie. It will keep you guessing. Without giving away the plot, I will just say that Jeff Goldblum gets involved in another person's life.