One thing I can say for Harvey Kahn’s The Deal: it gave me a newfound appreciation for Selma Blair. In Cruel Intentions, I found her idiotic behavior beyond irritating. And while I’m all for girl-on-girl action, watching her make out with Sarah Michelle Gellar was as annoying as two girls making out can possibly be. I’ve been holding that grudge for years (of course I was rooting for Reese in Legally Blonde anyway). So walking into the screening for The Deal, the cast did not get me overly excited. Christian Slater, Angie Harmon…The most anticipated performance from my perspective was naturally that of Robert Loggia (I mean, c’mon, who could forget Frank Lopez??)

But somehow Selma became the redeeming aspect of what is otherwise a pretty standard “ambivalent hero vs. evil world power” flick, full of clichés and oversimplifications. As Abbey Gallagher, an opinionated and brilliant do-gooder/environmentalist recruited by Tom Hanson (Christian Slater) of investment firm Delaney & Strong (ostensibly to implement her alternative energy tax credit program), Blair exhibits endearing quirks & physical ticks that set her apart from the dire & dry characters surrounding her. Unfortunately, as the film is primarily about Slater’s plight as he is increasingly embroiled in a multinational oil scam, Blair’s character is often relegated to the love interest position. Their relationship irked me a good deal; it becomes the underlying moral of the film, but it is set up essentially as benign (and successful!) sexual harassment on the part of Tom. What Abbey finds attractive about Tom I could never really figure out. After meeting him at a Harvard MBA recruitment event, she tells her professor (John Heard) that the investment banker seems slightly less cold-blooded than the others. Big draw.

Ultimately this film tells us that the government doesn’t care about right and wrong, and individual & corporate interests rule the world. Big surprise. A few good surprises do, however, emerge (notably regarding the significance of Harmon’s character. A successful portrayal of her arc for sure), but largely this film tells us things we’ve heard before. I did learn some Wall Street lingo, which I am sure I will find useful at future networking events, but the Gas Crisis premise (while relevant) largely falls flat. Furthermore, the personal victory of Blair & Slater’s relationship at the film’s conclusion only reinforces the mentality their characters claim to condemn: “As long as I’m good, complacency is in.”

Kahn and cinematographer Adam Sliwinski do a good job of creating the film’s dizzy & threatening atmosphere with blurry pans, frenetic camera movements, and unexpected low angle shots. Visually the film is often successful, but the score is all over the place. The lovey dovey musical montage of Abbey & Tom on airplanes prior to the consummation of their flirtation was, I have to say, corny & somewhat nauseating. I did enjoy seeing Slater fluctuate between his two personalities: the earnest and the psychotic. But I’ll take Heathers before The Deal any day.

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