"THE WHOLE NINE YARDS"
(2000) (Matthew Perry, Bruce Willis) (R)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Moderate	Minor	Extreme	Minor	Extreme
Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Mild	None	Mild	None	Heavy
Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Extreme	Moderate	Mild	Moderate	Extreme

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QUICK TAKE:

Comedy: Upon learning that his new next door neighbor is a former hit man, a mild-mannered dentist finds himself increasingly and unhappily involved in a lethal plot to retrieve ten million dollars.

PLOT:

Nicholas "Oz" Oseransky (MATTHEW PERRY) is a mild-mannered dentist living in suburban Montreal. Although he's not particularly happy about his failing practice - courtesy of his former father-in-law partner racking up a huge debt - or his failed marriage to Sophie (ROASANNA ARQUETTE), a spoiled French Canadian who'd like him dead, things could get worse. After all, a former hit man could move in next door.

That's exactly what happens when Oz goes over to greet his new neighbor only to quickly identify him as Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski (BRUCE WILLIS), a hit man who testified against a dangerous Chicago crime family fronted by Janni Gogolak (KEVIN POLLAK). When Sophie gets wind of this, she commands that Oz travel to Chicago, inform the Gogolaks of Jimmy's whereabouts, and collect a finder's fee for their efforts.

Willing to do anything to get away from his obnoxious and demanding wife, Oz then travels to the windy city, but is intercepted by the hulking Frankie Figs (MICHAEL CLARKE DUNCAN), who then takes him to see Janni. There, Oz not only meets Jimmy's estranged wife, Cynthia (NATASHA HENSTRIDGE), but also learns of a former three-way deal between her, Janni and Jimmy where the survivors, or survivor, of the trio will collect ten million dollars.

Oz, who's actually grown to partially like Jimmy - and vice-versa - reluctantly returns to Canada knowing that Janni and Jimmy will try to kill each other and then Cynthia. The only problem is, Oz has fallen for Cynthia. As the various participants' plans are set into motion, Oz must contend with surprising revelations about Jill (AMANDA PEET), his dental receptionist, and agent Hanson (HARLAND WILLIAMS), a local cop, while worrying about what Janni and Jimmy, not to mention his wife, might have in store for him.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?

If they're fans of someone in the cast (including Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry from TV's "Friends") they just might, but it otherwise seems unlikely that most preteens would be interested in it.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R

For some sexuality/nudity and violence.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:

MATTHEW PERRY plays a mild-mannered, but nervous and bumbling dentist whose practice and marriage are shot. After meeting his new, next-door neighbor, a professional hit man, he becomes more nervous and bumbling, ends up sleeping with the hit man's estranged wife and drinks some.

BRUCE WILLIS plays a former hit man who's just been released from prison after ratting out his former associates. During the film, he kills several people and drinks martinis.

ROSANNA ARQUETTE plays Oz's obnoxious and demanding wife who wants him dead (going so far as trying to hire a hit man to kill him), has sex with one such man and smokes.

MICHAEL CLARKE DUNCAN plays a hulking thug who's conspiring with the bad guys and briefly roughs up Oz trying to get him to talk.

NATASHA HENSTRIDGE plays Jimmy's glamorous, but estranged wife who ends up sleeping with Oz.

AMANDA PEET plays Oz's receptionist who turns out to have a taste for contract killing, uses full nudity to distract some bad guys and ends up shooting one of them.

KEVIN POLLAK plays the crime boss who wants both Jimmy and Cynthia dead so that he can collect ten million dollars. He briefly uses strong profanity.

HARLAND WILLAIMS plays a local cop who has sex with Sophie and agrees to "whack" Oz.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

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Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

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OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

The following is a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated comedy. Violence, while bloodless and played for laughs, is rated as extreme due to several people being shot and killed. Those responsible obviously have bad attitudes (as do others for various reasons), while some viewers may also see the film as being in bad taste for taking a rather flippant attitude toward violence and murder as sources of comedy.

Several scenes involve sexually related material, with two characters engaged in intercourse and later oral sex, while another couple also has an affair (that occurs off camera). Some sexually related comments also occur. Profanity is rated as heavy, while a few sexually related comments are also uttered. Various characters also smoke and drink.

Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, we suggest that you may wish to take a closer look at our more detailed contest listings.

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ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE

Jimmy drinks Martinis at least four times during the film.

Some people at an outdoor restaurant drink beer.

Oz quickly pours and then downs a shot of liquor.

Oz and a newspaper friend of his have wine with a meal.

Janni has a drink and then offers one to Oz (he has a Scotch and soda).

Oz pulls out a tiny bottle of Scotch from his hotel mini-bar and then calls room service informing them that he'll need a bigger bottle. Moments later, room service shows up and we then see Oz and Cynthia drinking some Scotch.

Jimmy tells Oz to have a martini (and he does, guzzling it down).

Jimmy pours another martini for Oz.

Jimmy has a beer and tries throwing one to Oz, but he barely sees it going by him. Later, however, we see Oz drinking one along with Jimmy

We see some champagne in a champagne bucket.

BLOOD/GORE

We see a patient's teeth that are all yellow and near rotting looking in appearance.

We hear the sound of Oz vomiting in the toilet from being nervous.

We see a small scar on Jimmy's chest from where he was shot in the past.

We see a dead man (but beyond being dead he's not bloody or gory) and then hear is neck cracking in a postmortem type fashion as Oz works on his teeth (and removes a tooth with a bloody end).

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE

Some viewers may see the overall film - and its use of contract killing for humor - as being in bad taste and/or having both types of attitudes.

Jimmy is contract killer who's previously murdered many people before killing even more here.

Janni and Frankie are also professional criminals who want people dead.

Despite their marriages nearly being over, Oz and Cynthia have an affair.

Sophie is mean and obnoxious to Oz, tries to hire a hit man to kill him, and has sex with one of the men she's chosen.

Hanson is a cop who has sex with Sophie after agreeing to "whack" her husband.

Oz mentions that his father-in-law got caught molesting a patient, then borrowed money from loan sharks, spent it all, and left Oz, his dentist partner, with a great deal of debt.

Cynthia mentions that Jimmy cheated on her.

FRIGHTENING SCENES

Although everything's played for laughs, it's possible some viewers might find some scenes listed under "Violence" as suspenseful or unsettling.

GUNS/WEAPONS

Handguns: Carried, cleaned and used to threaten or kill various people by several different characters. See "Violence" for details.

Machine gun: Carried by a guard at Janni's estate.

Molotov cocktail: Used to set a car on fire.

We hear the sound effects of guns and machine guns firing while seeing a sequence of newspaper headlines about Jimmy.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR

Phrases: "Piece of sh*t," "Bitch," "Laid" and "Schtupped" (sexual), "Piss," "Screw that," "Hell bitch," "Screwed" (nonsexual) and "Balls."

A Molotov cocktail is used to set a car on fire.

JUMP SCENES

None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)

A mild amount of comically suspenseful music plays in several scenes.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)

None.

PROFANITY

At least 1 "f" word, a few "s" words, several slang terms for sex ("schtupped"), 8 hells, 4 asses, a few damns, 5 uses of "Oh my God," 2 of "Jesus" and 1 use each of "God," "Oh God" and "Swear to God" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY

Oz comments that Jimmy would probably sleep with a meat grinder after spending five years in prison.

Sophie shows cleavage in various scenes.

Upon hearing that Oz is going to Chicago by himself, Jill tells him, "Go out and get laid" and tells him to call her afterwards with all of the details (and then amends that to call him right afterwards and then during sex).

Cynthia taps Oz's crotch when she comments about him not having the guts to do something and then adds that maybe the problem was "further south."

Cynthia shows some cleavage.

Cynthia returns to Oz's hotel room and tells him that she has until midnight. We then see them making out and she tells him, "Go slow, I haven't made love in five years." He then adds that he hasn't either, and then clarifies that by adding that's because he's married. Later, we then see them under the sheets, presumably after sex. He then gets up and she sits up in bed holding the sheet up to her chest (showing some cleavage and we also see most of her full bare back while still in bed). When he then tells her that it's time (for her having to leave), she misunderstands him and asks, "Again?" and then asks if he had oysters for lunch.

When Oz returns to Canada, Jill asks if he "did it," and then adds that she can tell that he had sex.

Jimmy tells Oz that "friends don't engage in sexual congress with each other's wives."

While touching Jimmy's bullet hole scar, Jill sensuously licks her lips.

We hear some sexual sounds and then see Sophie on top of Hanson in bed (he's lying down, she's sitting upright) with some movement and more sounds. Other than her showing a lot of cleavage, however, we don't see any nudity.

Although we don't see the actual act, we do see Sophie move her head down to Hanson's crotch while parked in his car (after hearing her unzip his pants). Later, we see her head pop up from there and she wipes off her mouth.

To distract some men, Jill walks out completely nude in front of them (we see her bare breasts, but a railing blocks a view of her pubic region). We then see more views of her bare breasts in several shots and Frankie comments that there's nothing finer than a naked woman carrying a gun.

Jill figures out and comments that Cynthia is the woman that Oz "schtupped" in Chicago. Jimmy then angrily says "You schtupped my wife?" and then "You engaged in sexual congress with my wife?

Cynthia tells Oz that she thought the only reason he was interested in her was sex ("great sex") and Oz then comments that it was pretty good.

SMOKING

Sophie smokes around five times, Janni and Cynthia also smoke a few times, and Sophie's mom and miscellaneous characters also smoke.

We see a photo of Jimmy with a cigar.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES

Oz and Sophie's marriage is just about over, neither can stand the other and she eventually tries hiring a hit man to kill him.

Jimmy and Cynthia's marriage isn't any better, and there's rumor that he wants to kill her to collect her portion of a ten million dollar booty.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT

The film's use of violence and murder as a basis for comedy.

VIOLENCE

A car is set on fire (using a Molotov cocktail) with two already dead people inside it. It then explodes.

Jimmy throws something into his house (off camera) that causes something to break (we hear the sounds).

A man shoots another man dead.

There's some slapstick style material that includes Oz bouncing off of Frankie and then knocking over a lamp, Oz falling to the floor after trying to run out of the room with a gas mask on, and Oz running into a closed sliding glass door.

Jimmy shoots two people dead (no blood).

Jill shoots and wounds one man and Jimmy then finishes him off (no blood).

Jimmy shoots another man dead (no blood).

Frankie punches Oz several times in the side to get him to talk.

Reviewed February 12, 2000 / Posted February 18, 2000

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