Philadelphia Daily News from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 48

May 18. 1990" PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS Page 49 Three Other Area Films to Consider SVSdviEs Miami BluCS Baldwin as psycho R) The Hunt For Red October Sub drama (PC) Plot Against Harry Rediscovered (Not rated) 'a loifiliriooiiedll Ito-tor a By Gary Thompson 1 1 'ih'juv; i Bird oh a Wire Produced by Rob Cohen, directed by John Bad-ham, music by Hans Zimmer, written by David Seltzer, Louis Venosta and Enc Lerner, distributed by Universal Pictures. Running Tim: 111 minutes Rick Jarmin Mel Gibson Marianne Graves Goldie Hawn Eugene Sorenson David Carradine Albert Diggs Bill Duke Joe Weyburn Stephen Tobolowsky Rachel vamey Joan Severance Marvin Harry Caesar Lou Baird Jeff Corey Parents Guide: (R) Shewing at: Area Theaters vs. ff I I Daily News Movie Critic I Rl ird on a Wire" is only about A minutes old-when Mel Gibson, Lisi tells Goldie Hawn to stop squealing. 1 She pays him no mind.

Goldie mewls, whines, moans and complains for another hour and a half. "I want a manicure," Goldie whimpers, stumbling through The woods. Yes, it's "Private Benjamin" all over again the pampered princess thrust into unpleasant circumstances. Mel, meanwhile, is still doing "Lethal Weapon," ponytail and all. performing madcap stunts while driving sports cars, motorcycles and piloting airplanes at high rates of speed.

"Bird on a Wire" is one of those awful. studio concept pictures that seeks to blend the elements of two popular movies in hopes of creating one; super-popular i movie. The result, however, is another tire-" some road picture with two megastars who fail to generate anything resembling screen chemistry. Sparks eventually fly, but only when a guy gets electrocuted at the end. The' movie's- main' distinguishing fea-.

ture, or features, are the respective bums of Hawn and Gibson. The miracle of "Bird on a Wire" is that such established stars are so often willing to exploit themselves with the kind of cheesecake and beefcake shots normally reserved for Playboy videos. character gets shot in the butt early on, providing an opportunity for, frequent close-ups of his renowned rear-end. Goldie, meanwhile, climbs up a ladder in a loose-fitting bathrobe while the approaches from below for a lengthy close-up of her backside and crotch. The Goldie and Mel butt-fest is occa sionally interrupted by the plot.

Mel play a snitch hiding in the Witness Protection Program who has a chance reunion with his long-lost love (Hawn) after his cover is blown by an unscrupulous FBI agent in league with Mel's former criminal associates. Goldie plays a rich lawyer who has abandoned the counterculture ideals the two of them shared back in the 1960s. That sets up a '60s vs. "90s subplot that's too dreary and hackneyed to discuss at length. The movie is just one chase scene after another, which is lucky, because the movie is at its worst when the two stars have nothing to do but talk.

They seem more like brother and sister than lovers. Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn are former lovers who go on the road unwillingly in "Bird on a Wire" After Break-Do Period, This 'Cadillac' Runs Well By Gary Thompson To this point, "Cadillac Man" is an uninspired collection of characters and situa-. tions we've seen before in better movies, notably "Used Cars" and "Tin Men." Suddenly, however, Man," takes a sharp and interesting turn. A jealous husband (Tim Robbins) armed with an AK-47 suddenly crashes into the New York City dealership and See CADILLAC Page 60 i- Cadillac Man Produced by Charles Roven and Roger Donaldson, directed by Roger Donaldson, music by J. Peter Robinson, wntten by Ken Fried- man, distributed by Onon Pictures; i -Running Tim: 97 minutes Joey O'Brien Robin Williams Larry 1.

Tim Robbins Tina Pamela Reed Joy i Fran Drescher Harry. Zack Norman Donna. Annabella Sctorra Lila Lon Petty Helen Lauren Tom Parents Guide: (R) Showing at: Area Theaters Our Movie Rating Guide: Excellent Good Very Good Wait for the Video Daily News Movie Critic Df you have the proverbial patience of Job, you might actually enjoy "Cadillac. Man." It takes steely resolve to withstand the first third of the movie, which putts around in no particular direction, introducing a dozen of the kind of shallowly drawn characters you run across in an episode of "Murder, She Wrote." Foremost among them is Joey O'Brien (Robin Williams), a slick car -salesman with a married girlfriend, an unmarried girlfriend, a boss who wants to fire him and a major cash flow problem he owes money to his fex-wife and a Mafia loan shark, and finds the prospect of welching on either debt equally terrifying. We get a cursory introduction to all of Joey's acquaintances, as well as an unconvincing sketch of his personality a charming guy with a debilitating weakness for hustling people.

O'Brien's vaunted talent for salesmanship is tested when his boss informs him that he must sell 12 luxury cars in one day or be dismissed. The desperate O'Brien tries every trick he knows even slipping his card to a freshly widowed dowager, 0t fx -J -J hni in nun, i Robin Williams is car salesman Joey O'Brien'; "Fran Drescher plays girlfriend Joy Munchak.