"TRIXIE"
(2000) (Emily Watson, Dermot Mulroney) (R)

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

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QUICK TAKE:

Comedy: After taking a job at a lakefront casino, a security guard meets a colorful array of characters there and then tries to solve a mystery involving corrupt business and politics.

PLOT:

Trixie Zurbo (EMILY WATSON) is a well-intentioned security guard who's been assigned to undercover work at a lakefront casino watching for pickpockets and the like. Known for butchering well-known sayings through her constant, but unconscious use of malapropisms, Trixie instantly befriends several of the regulars including barfly Ruby Pearli (BRITTANY MURPHY) and washed-up lounge act and impersonator Kirk Stans (NATHAN LANE).

She also meets Dex Lang (DERMOT MULRONEY), a self-proclaimed ladies man who immediately tries to put the moves on her. After repeated attempts at doing so, Dex finally convinces Trixie to come along for an afternoon of fun on a yacht owned by his boss, Red Rafferty (WILL PATTON), a corrupt and mean spirited land developer.

Unbeknownst to Dex, Red has arrived with his two henchmen, Vince (MARK ACHESON) and Sid Deflore (VINCENT GALE), after arranging an impromptu get-together on his yacht for State Senator Drummond Avery (NICK NOLTE) and Dawn Sloane (LESLIE ANN WARREN), a strung-out, lounge singer who never attained success.

Red isn't happy about Trixie's presence, but she makes an impression on both Avery and Sloane before being escorted off the yacht. Upset at what occurred, Dex quits, but before he and Trixie consummate an amorous encounter, the Deflore brothers show up, asking about the whereabouts of Dawn and a missing videotape, before beating up Dex.

A closet sleuth, Trixie then sets out to find Dawn and the videotape, and figure out what's on it that's caused such behavior. As she does - and continues to drop one malapropism after another -- Trixie discovers a web of intrigue, danger and political corruption in her first real detective case.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?

Unless they're fans of someone in the cast or of director Rudolph, it's not very likely.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R

For some language, sexuality, and violence.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:

EMILY WATSON plays a security guard -- continuously prone to mixing up her sayings - who tries to solve her first unofficial case, a political sex scandal/murder mystery.

DERMOT MULRONEY plays Red's right-hand man who hits on many women (including Trixie) and uses some profanity.

NICK NOLTE plays a conceited senator who smokes, drinks and is a blatant womanizer.

NATHAN LANE plays a heavy drinking lounge singer who reportedly killed a man (in defense) in the past.

BRITTANY MURPHY plays a barfly who cusses, drinks and has a meaner side than she initially shows.

LESLIE ANN WARREN plays a floozy who has affair with Avery and may have had ones with Dex and Red.

WILL PATTON plays a corrupt and mean land developer.

MARK ACHESON and VINCENT GALE play brothers who work for Red and repeatedly rough up Dex.

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. Several violent encounters occur, including a gunfight where three people are injured (and somewhat bloody) and another where a man is beaten. A reported off-screen murder takes place while less volatile, but still threatening and injurious, and occasionally slapstick-related violence occurs onscreen.

Profanity is rated as heavy due to at least 3 uses of the "f" word (with other expletives and colorful phrases also occurring). Various sexual encounters are present, including an interrupted encounter, one seen on videotape (that includes movement), and a woman manually stimulating a man to orgasm under a restaurant table. Sexually related dialogue is also present, while some brief, nonsexual male nudity occurs.

Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, while several characters smoke and/or drink, with the latter being more prevalent than the former. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who wishes to see it, you may want to take a closer look at our detailed content listings for more specific examples of what occurs in the film.

For those concerned with the repetitive flashing of bright lights on the screen, a few brief moments of that occur in close-ups of flashing lights and video slots in a casino.

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ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE

Various people have drinks in a casino, including Ruby.

Kirk has a drink and he says that drinking to oblivion is his second hobby, while his first is drinking into a stupor. Others also drink in the casino bar, including Dex.

People have drinks in the casino again.

Dex has what looks like a Bloody Mary on Red's yacht. Moments later, Red and Avery have drinks while Dawn downs some pills (although we don't know what they are).

Kirk has a drink.

Dawn tries to take a swig from an open bottle of booze, but Trixie stops her.

People have drinks in a bar/restaurant, including Avery.

People in the casino drink.

Dex finds Dawn's stash of unidentifiable pills and identifies them to Trixie as those that helped her wake up, go to sleep, go on stage and make love. Trixie then pockets that last bottle for herself.

Kirk has a drink.

People have drinks in a restaurant/bar, including Avery who has several shots. Ruby also has a drink.

BLOOD/GORE

Dex's face is a bit bloody after being beaten.

Vince and Sid exchange gunshots with Dex, with a bullet striking a large branch that falls on Vince (causing some bloody cuts), Dex being hit somewhere on the body (with some blood) and Sid being hit/grazed on the neck (making it bloody).

A man has some blood on his nose after being in a car accident.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE

Some thugs shoplift items from a store and hit a cop/security guard as they try to escape.

Dex repeatedly hits on Trixie despite her not wanting him to, forces a kiss on her, and has a reputation as being a ladies man.

Trixie spots a pickpocket at work in the casino.

Upon first meeting her, Red is demeaning to Trixie and even tries lifting up her towel (when that's all she's wearing). We also learn that he's a mean and corrupt land developer and he tells some politically incorrect jokes using the terms "pollock" and wop."

Some snobbish women in a bar/restaurant are demeaning to Trixie (making fun of how she looks and smells).

Avery is an egotistical state senator who apparently can't control his sexual impulses.

Some street punks accost/try to rob Trixie, but she holds her gun on them and that's the end of that.

We learn that a person killed another person (not seen).

FRIGHTENING SCENES

Some may find scenes listed under "Violence" as also tense or suspenseful, but they're not really played out that way.

Red nearly falls down a construction shaft and then barely holds onto a crowbar that's the only thing that prevents him from falling in as he teeters on the edge.

GUNS/WEAPONS

Handguns: Carried and/or used to threaten or wound others. See "Violence" for details.

Trixie reads a police magazine that has a drawing of an automatic weapon on its cover.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR

Phrases: "Buzz off," "What burns my ass..." "Idiot," "Shut up," "Pollock" and "Wop," "Slut," "Stop screwing around," "Kicked his ass," "Who the hell are you?" "Bitch," "Where the hell have you been?" "Piss," "Whore," "Bastard" and "Jeez."

It's possible some kids could imitate Trixie's malapropisms and bumbling of common phrases.

We see that Ruby has many ID cards, each showing her at a different age.

JUMP SCENES

None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)

None.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)

None.

PROFANITY

At least 3 "f" words (1 used sexually as are two uses of "pokes"), 10 "s" words, 1 slang term for breasts ("boobs"), 9 asses (3 used with "hole"), 5 hells, 3 damns, 3 S.O.B.s, 8 uses of "G-damn," 6 uses of "Oh God" and 1 use each of "For Christ's sakes," "For God's sakes," "Jesus," "Oh Jesus" and "Oh my God" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY

Ruby shows cleavage and the upper part of her thigh in the outfit she wears.

She tells Trixie that Dex "wants you" and that he "doesn't wear any drawers."

Dex tells Trixie that Dex probably "pokes" Red's wife when Red's out of town.

Dex walks up behind Trixie and tells her that the view is spectacular, but then adds that he "always wants to be up front" with a lady (double entendre).

Dex asks Trixie is she wants to "make love" with him. He then wonders if she's a virgin and states that he knows what women want. He then asks if she likes boys or girls and then adds that while she's too old to be a virgin, he could see how she'd like girls. Dex then states that people talk about sex so much because they don't do it, while he states that he has sex and "I don't make any bones about it…except for maybe one" (an erection reference). After she loudly states that she's not a virgin, he asks, "How was it for you?" He then adds that if she's going to be stingy (with sex), why waste it on an amateur, and complains that most guys don't know how to touch a woman.

After Trixie falls into the water and Dex jumps in after her, we see both of them in the yacht. She wears a towel that barely covers her (we see some cleavage/the top of her breasts), while he drops his robe to get dressed and we see his bare butt.

Dawn shows cleavage in the outfit she wears. The camera then briefly focuses on her sashaying hips and we then see her and Avery with their hands on each other's clothed butts.

Commenting on the small number of people in the casino for his act, Kirk jokes that he's had more people in his bed.

Trixie succumbs to Dex's charm and/or persistence and the two passionately kiss while moving closer to the bed. He says, "I never wanted a woman they way I want you" and she takes off his shirt. The two of them then tear open/off her shirt (we see her in her bra) and she then straddles him on the bed. He then rolls her over and is briefly between her clothed legs, but the two end up rolling off the bed and are then interrupted before anything else happens (although before that we hear lots of heavy/pleasured breathing on her part and see the tops of her breasts as her bra is partially down/off).

Dawn shows more cleavage.

Avery tells Trixie, "A woman's sexual temperature is never lost on me." He then adds that no one can influence him, not even "power mongers with short penises" (or something like that).

Ruby tells Trixie that someone they know murdered someone in the past, but that she "f*cked him anyway, because who cares?"

Dex finds Dawn's stash of unidentifiable pills and identifies them to Trixie as those that helped her wake up, go to sleep, go on stage and make love. Trixie then pockets that last bottle for herself.

Dex and Trixie find a videotape that shows Dawn and Avery having sex (seen on a camcorder's small screen and showing movement with her on his lap, facing away from him, with glimpses of her bouncing breasts).

Visiting and snuggling up with Dex in his hospital bed (both are clothed), Trixie tells him that she has to go. He replies that she has to go all the way, and she replies that they can't "do it" right there.

Trixie shows some cleavage.

Some street punks accost/try to rob Trixie, but she holds her gun on them and tells them to strip. We then see the punks in various stages of undress, including one who briefly shows what looked like a very brief glimpse of male full frontal nudity.

Showing some cleavage and acting sexy, Ruby gets herself invited over to Avery's table where he snuggles up to her. As he talks to two lobbyist types, we hear her unzip his pants under the table and then see her arm rhythmically moving as she manually stimulates him to an orgasm (all occurring under the rocking/shaking table, hidden from our site). As this occurs, Avery blurts out that "Rough Rider Teddy" had a condom named after him and then similarly blurts out "Wham, bam, thank you ma'am" (to Ruby).

Later, Avery proclaims, "FDR was poking his secretary for thirty years."

SMOKING

Avery smokes several times, while Dex, Vince, Kirk and at least one miscellaneous character all smoke once.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES

Trixie tells Kirk that both her mother and brother are dead and that she's never met her father.

Avery admits that he's divorced.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT

Trixie getting involved in something that's way over her head and potentially dangerous.

The new meaning created by Trixie's bungling of certain well-known phrases.

That most of Avery's dialogue was taken from real-life politician's speeches (according to the press kit).

VIOLENCE

Trixie whacks one of her associates.

A shoplifter punches a cop/security guard and tries to flee, but Trixie knocks him to the floor and then sits on him (and there are inferences that the attacked cop is killed).

Trixie pushes Dex backwards after he forces a kiss on her.

Dex and Red must be separated and the same then occurs regarding Trixie and Red after she tries attacking him for making a disparaging comment about her.

Dex punches a wall in frustration.

Vince kicks down a door and then pistol-whips Dex while Sid holds his gun on Trixie. Vince then punches Dex and throws him to the floor. He then throws Dex against the wall, punches him in the gut, and then hits him again before Sid stomps down onto Dex's body.

Trixie opens a door that hits a man on the head and knocks him down.

We see that a person has possibly committed suicide by jumping from a building (we see the mostly covered body on the street), but later learn that they were pushed out (not seen).

Vince and Sid exchange gunshots with Dex, with a bullet striking a large branch that falls on Vince (causing some bloody cuts), Dex being hit somewhere on the body (with some blood) and Sid being hit/grazed on the neck (making it bloody).

Reacting to some protesting construction workers, Red pulls out a gun, fires it into the air, holds it to his own head and then throws it to the ground for them to shoot him (they don't).

Trixie pushes Red and he pushes her back and then uses a crowbar to smash some wood at a construction site.

A man grabs Trixie and forcibly removes her from a restaurant, warning her not to make him hurt her. She then elbows him in the face and stomps down on his foot, knocking him to the ground. After a brief car chase, the man accidentally smashes into her parked car and is injured. She then holds her gun on him.

Some street punks accost/try to rob Trixie, but she holds her gun on them and they become passive.

We see some flashback images of Avery being rough with Dawn, but they may just be imagined and not real (we never know since they accompany a faked audio tape).

Ruby tackles a cop by the legs as he tries to chase Trixie.

Various characters knock down other characters by accident as they slip in a kitchen, including a cop whose gun accidentally fires into the ceiling.

Trixie holds her gun on Avery and pulls the trigger, but she knew that the gun was empty.

Reviewed July 18, 2000 / Posted July 28, 2000

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