Trixie (2000) User Reviews (37)

Weak story with numerous funny lines

[FlickJunkie-2 · 6/10 · 3 February 2001]

One needs a certain warped sense of humor to enjoy this film. Trixie (Emily Watson) is a self proclaimed `Private Defective' whose butchery of English is nothing short of cleavacle. Her command of idioms is not as bad as it is worse. She is Norm Crosby taken to the tenth powder. She mixes semaphores with a high-speed blender. Her malapropriations are so funny they border on historical.

The writing of Trixie's dialogue by Alan Rudolph is extremely clever, but the story that surrounds it is very quirky, meandering off point constantly. I'm not a big fan of Rudolph's wry style of directing, but this film actually has its moments. Some of the things that pop out of Trixie's mouth are priceless. I found myself tolerating the boring story to hear what she would say next.

Emily Watson's performance is excellent. She gives Trixie a naïve charm and gritty determination that is fun to watch. It is hard to fathom how she is able to say her lines with a straight face. Her Chicago accent is horrendous though. Nathan Lane also gives a tragically droll performance and Nick Nolte is absurdly humorous in his caricature of the corrupt state senator.

This film was pounded by almost everyone, but I like this kind of word gymnastics, so I enjoyed it despite itself. I rated it a 6/10. If you can appreciate a punny character without much of a story, it might be worth a try.

Good movie

[billchiu · 6/10 · 31 March 2001]

Good movie. Odd, off balance, imaginative, agitating - everything that an ultra-passive braincell-hybernating spoonfed-explosion stale-cool critics-approved movie pencil-envies. My opinion.

Rudolph's Signature Odd Timing Doesn't Work

[chuck.duncan · 4/10 · 5 January 2001]

It's been a few years since I attended my last eighth-grade band concert. Sitting through forty minutes of popular music played by semi-developed musicians is always a bit disconcerting for me. I know there are certainly some talented people up there, and probably even a prodigy or two, but the whole experience is tainted by the one kid who can't quite get the reed on his clarinet to behave, or the bass drum coming in just slightly ahead of the beat, or the overall poor intonation of about half of the instruments.

This is precisely how I felt watching Trixie. Alan Rudolph seems unable to pull together all the elements of this film into a cohesive story with the essential rhythm and tone that make the experience watchable. Emily Watson - a stunning screen talent - plays the title character, a self-styled detective of substandard intelligence on the tail of a minor mystery. Unfortunately, Watson appears to have had her usually perfect timing surgically removed for this feature. The same is true for supporting actors Nathan Lane, Dermot Mulroney, Nick Nolte, and Lesley Ann Warren. All these otherwise fine actors behave as if trapped in some nightmare improvisation. I find it intolerably frustrating to watch great actors turning in bland performances.

It is also frustrating because I like Rudolph's screenplay; as a matter of fact, I like a lot of his screenplays, and I know he is not incapable of directing one of his scripts into a decent comedy. (The film Choose Me might be the best example of Rudolph's odd timing and construction techniques working to the script's advantage.) The dialogue of Trixie is riddled with mixed metaphors, which could easily have nudged the film into a charming and gentle comedy. The film needed a fast and furious treatment for the plot and dialogue to work together. Instead, the awkward pauses and stilted scene changes throw a bright spotlight on the inept speech of the title character, making it as obvious as a bad case of acne on a young tuba player. It doesn't make us laugh. It just makes us uncomfortable.

I saw the WHOLE MOVIE!

[dgbader · 19 November 2001]

While the movie was flawed in some ways (never quite believed the connection between Trixie & Dex, for example), I found it engaging in many ways. Ms. Watson is certainly a versatile actress, and her Trixie is a marked departure from her other movie portrayals--especially her most recent in "Angela's Ashes". One can't help but admire a performer who takes such risks.

I don't think I've sat with such wrapt attention to the next utterance of a character since Groucho did "Day at the Races"! Not only does Trixie raise malapropism to a new art form ("We'll all go to Hell in a handbag"; and as she grabs the bottle away from Leslie Ann Warren, she admonishes her with, "I'm not going to let you drink yourself into Bolivia!"), Ms. Watson rattles off these lines without a trace of affectation or laugh calculation, which makes them work so beautifully.

The aforementioned Ms. Warren turns in her usual strong performance. Nick Nolte's surly senator was rather over the top, but it did make him a likely suspect which added more interest to the plot. And Nathan Lane, while probably overqualified for his role, is always worth seeing (his NBC sitcom notwithstanding).

I'm not sure Mr. Abramsen and I saw the same movie, although it's clear only one of us saw the WHOLE movie! Sometimes I believe people walk out of plays or films just to brag to their friends that they've done it. This movie, I believe is worth an entire look; even a second one to recall all of Trixie's fractured English!

The Most Un-Funny Comedy Ever

[sddavis63 · 1/10 · 11 July 2002]

What more can I say. This movie is simply a disaster from beginning to end. The acting is terrible, even from the "big names" - Nick Nolte and Nathan Lane, both of whom looked through most of the movie as if they'd really rather be anywhere but on this set. Someone somehow got the idea that a movie about a woman who wants to be a private investigator but who isn't very bright and can never seem to choose the right word at the right time would be funny. Believe me - it isn't.

A typical "funny" line from the script sums it up well: "I'd like a black pot of coffee, please." "Sorry, we only have silver pots." Maybe there's something wrong with my sense of humour, but folks - that really isn't funny. In fairness I suppose there were a couple of moments. When Trixie makes the boys who tried to mug her undress at gunpoint and kiss the ground - OK, I smiled a bit. And the encounter between Senator Avery (Nolte) and Trixie's friend Ruby (Brittany Murphy) at the restaurant was amusing, but I honestly can't think of anything else that tickled my funny bone, and in the end I just found myself looking repeatedly at my watch wishing this thing would end. (At almost two hours it is just interminable.)

About halfway through the movie Sen. Avery looks at Trixie and says "I just don't see the point." A feeling shared by anyone who watches this movie and then wonders why it was ever made.

Because of the two chuckles I mentioned above I'd like to give this 1.5/10, but - alas - there's no half point here at IMDb. And it just doesn't reach the necessary heights to gain a 2, so there's no option - 1/10.

I have an idea.

[paulcreeden · 1/10 · 1 August 2001]

I have an idea. Mr. Rudolph, whose production history has been less than profound, should make a movie about the making of "Trixie". It is bound to be more fascinating than the film itself. I would pay money to see Emily Watson, Nick Nolte and Nathan Lane explain that they agreed to do this project on artistic grounds. Great script? Deep character development? Big check? I really am at a loss to imagine that real story. This film is annoying, badly filmed, poorly written and simply horrid. It is so bad, that it couldn't even attract a cult following of the lovers of the worst camp. And the talent! The wasted talent! Unbelievable. There are artistic geniuses waiting on tables in New York and L.A., while big stars are making this junk. Perhaps this film's only value is its exemplary illustration of what damage Hollywood ego can actualize in the film industry. If you see this film anywhere, run. That's the kindest advice I could give you.

It was supposed to be funny?

[ceolaf · 2/10 · 21 June 2002]

Emily Watson is a wonderful actress, capable of amazing things.

This movie, on the other hand...I am not sure that there are words...

This might be the worst film that I have ever watched without changing the channel. I only watched because I am that big an Emily Watson fan. But I've got to say, you needn't bother.

"Inside, I'm outgoing."

[ferguson-6 · 7/10 · 17 August 2000]

"Trixie" the movie, and Trixie the character are both difficult to peg. Alan Rudolph is one of my favorite directors, with "Choose Me" being a hidden treasure that everyone should discover. However, the muddled plot and underdeveloped characters make this one seem about 3/4 complete. Emily Watson as Trixie mangles the English language with an avalanche of malapropisms for 2 hours. If I am correct, I think Rudolph uses her botchings as a way to measure the true misuse (or lack of sincerity) of the language we are exposed to daily from powerful businessmen (Will Patton) and corrupt politicians (Nick Nolte). The ramblings of these two are much more destructive than those of the well-meaning, but seemingly harmless Trixie. Dermot Mulrooney's character presented us with the potential to be one of the truly great roles in cinema. Inexplicably, he is written out of the movie just when we are trying to complete our bond with him. That leaves Trixie and a previously minor character to save the day and the film. I think they fall a little short. Nick Nolte, Nathan Lane, and Will Patton (all excellent actors) have over-the-top scenes that wreak of acting class. Emily Watson seems somewhat miscast, and I am not sure why Lesley Ann Warren agreed to her role, unless it was loyalty to Rudolph. Side note ... does anyone else think that Emily Watson looks like a female Gary Oldman? Although I agree with Rudolph in that the true danger lies with the so-called power mongers, I must admit that the underdeveloped script was a disappointment. In spite of the shortcomings of the script, the film is watchable from a comedy standpoint. You'll find yourself trying to remember some of Trixie's most interesting misspeaks. Plenty of outloud laughter in my audience, and one can never have enough laughs.

what did i just watch

[NateWatchesCoolMovies · 1/10 · 4 December 2016]

What the hell did just watch. Oh boy, what can I say about this one without tearing it a new one. Alan Rudolph's Trixie is a dud, a paperweight, a misguided, clumsy disaster of the highest order. It has the tonal equilibrium of heart attack on a flow chart, and a troupe of actors who mercilessly embarrass themselves into the ground with work that goes beyond tireless pantomime. It's sad, because I've seen this type of thing work nicely before, with the right amounts of quaint and quirky qualities, but here the mixture tanks in a god awfully messy cannonball of a landing. It tries to be a detective story, but fails to realize that you need some semblance of a story to care about, and I just…. didn't care. It's a slog to get through, a struggle to stay focused on, and basically a big awkward failure on every level. Also puzzling is the fact that cast, all of which are excellent actors who I love in almost everything they do, all made me want to hit them here, and when you've got a cast this good, that's no easy feat. Emily Watson will make you want to tear your hair out as titular Trixie, a casino security guard with aspirations of taking on a big detective case, an irritating Chicago accent and apparently mild brain damage that causes her to mispronounce every expression, figure of speech and slang term in a fashion that is neither cute nor funny. She's wooed by Dex (Dermot Mulroney) a goon who works for sleazy land developer Red Rafferty (Will Patton). Soon, through a set of circumstances both inane and cartoonish, they find themselves deep in some sort of backhanded scheme involving murder most foul, tied to a corrupt state senator played by Nick Nolte, who is the peacock of the bunch, sucking all the energy out of the room with dialogue that is literally lifted straight from political speeches from the past. I'm not even kidding, he blusters out platitudes that vaguely have a place in whatever seen is going on, but barely. There's also a hot young waitress (a bouncy Brittany Murphy), a flamboyant lounge singer (Nathan Lane is excruciating), a washed up pop star (Lesley Ann Down) and a bizarre cameo from Stephen Lang who attempts an accent that made me supremely uncomfortable. It's weird, cumbersome and altogether pointless as everything it tries: comedy, thriller, romance, whodunit.. all fall miserably flat. Bummer. I'm gonna go make a list of all the things I could have been doing with the two hours I spent on this wreck.

clumsy talk amid propaganda

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 8 February 2012]

When I first started watching Alan Rudolph's "Trixie", my reaction was that Emily Watson's character talked like George W. Bush. However, it turns out that her malapropisms are nothing compared to the double-speak of those around her. It's basically a satire on the political world. Nick Nolte's senator is truly a slimeball.

No, "Trixie" isn't a masterpiece, but it is a fun satire. The character's Archie Bunker-style verbal goofs are the best parts, but there's even more in store, as she ends up involved in a murder plot surrounded by sleazy characters. Worth seeing.

Also starring Dermot Mulroney, Brittany Murphy, Nathan Lane, Will Patton and Lesley Ann Warren.

Dull, unfunny misfire with a good surprise at the end.

[gridoon · 5/10 · 24 March 2004]

Think about it: if you met someone who was constantly saying things like "I'm absolutely ravishing, where's the food?" or "does she have any relatives she might be related to?", would you laugh or would you just look in amazement, wondering what the hell is wrong with that idiot? The answer to that question will determine your reaction to "Trixie" as a comedy, since this misuse of well-known expressions and phrases is the movie's ONLY attempt at humor. It's a shame to find such an interesting actress as Emily Watson playing such an uninteresting character. There is also a mystery, and it's pretty tired, but it does offer one good surprise at the end, so I guess the movie earns a ** out of 4 rating.

Murder mystery is lighter than air

[syzygy-5 · 9/10 · 10 July 2000]

Emily Watson is a charmer: she's completely naive and innocent, but then again she's not so naive, and maybe not so innocent. She seems to understand nothing, but then she's the only one who understands it all.

Watson's tour-de-force is in playing Trixie completely straight, malapropisms and all. Yeah, the twisted idioms get tired after a while, at least until a funnier one shows up.

Definitely for art house movie lovers and not the megaplex.

Confused.

[barberoux · 6/10 · 30 January 2001]

This movie lacked a clear direction. Was it meant to be a comedy or murder mystery? It seemed to try to be both and therefore lacked a clear focus on either. The emotions switched back and forth from Trixie's amusing malapropisms to violence and murder. The comic speech gimmick wore on me as the movie progressed and lost its charm. The action was sporadic and somehow unfulfilled. The ending was lacking. Nick Nolte was good hamming it up as a corrupt senator.

Bad English

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 17 June 2022]

Trixie Zurbo (Emily Watson) is a security guard who dreams of being a hard-boiled detective. She gets assigned an undercover job at a casino. Kirk Stans (Nathan Lane) is a performer. Dex Lang (Dermot Mulroney) is a slick regular who is taken with Trixie. He works for dirty land developer W. 'Red' Rafferty (Will Patton) and Dawn Sloane (Lesley Ann Warren) is Red's high maintenance girlfriend. Dex brings Trixie on a yacht and then his boss shows up with State Senator Drummond Avery (Nick Nolte). Ruby Pearli (Brittany Murphy) is a wild child local. A thug is looking for Dawn and Trixie decides to investigate. There's a sex tape and then a murder.

Emily Watson is probably wrong for the role especially if the movie really wants it to be a comedy. She's talking in a weird accent with wrong word usage. Her character is from Chicago and it's probably her version of a mid-western accent. The dialogue makes fun of her unwieldy handling of the English language. It's meant to be part of her quirk but it's oddly unreal. An easy solution is to make her a recent east European immigrant. Her bad English would be more understandable. This is trying to be a black comedy and murder mystery. The murder mystery is fine. Trixie's English skills are not. They are too deliberately quirky.

An innocent mirror

[LaoWombat · 12 July 2000]

I had heard that the malapropism of Emily Watson's character would begin to wear after a while. Not for me, it was like watching a seriously deadpan Gracie Allen at work.

The key to the film (which covers some of the same territory as "Fargo" and contains a few references to the movie) is the realization that it is not only Watson's character whose utterances are ridiculous, but those of the major characters, but Red's description of his relationship to the dead woman and Senator Avery's comments to the reporters show a similar dislocation with reality and sense. We start by realizing that her comments are off the wall, but they turn out to be nothing compared to the double-speak that we have become accustomed to coming out of the mouths of politicians and developers.

The ending is a bit harum-scarum but overall a very enjoyable movie. The plot twists at the end weakened it, although they were very much in keeping with the noir genre.

Not going anywhere in particular

[hprill · 3/10 · 24 October 2001]

What were they thinking when they made this movie? There's not enough action in this to make it an action movie, not enough character development to make it a character movie, not enough fun to make it a comedy. It's barely got enough plot to make it a movie at all, but only barely.

The dialogues are mostly tedious, the malapropisms are not funny, and the red herrings are fishy.

Emily Watson gets a couple of points for cuteness, but cuteness doesn't make a movie. A major disappointment. Alan Rudolph has done much better than this.

Wild men couldn't drag horses to see this movie.

[=G= · 4/10 · 7 December 2000]

"Trixie" is a tedious film about the misadventures of Watson's title character; a laconic, naive, hapless wannabee detective who talks like Norm Crosby and chews gum incessantly. This unfortunate flick stumbles drunkenly while trying hard to be some kind of off-beat comedy only to get lost in itself to the exclusion of any sense of plot or purpose. With a notable cast and some decent performances, this quirky and peculiar comedy has no excuse for failure other than directorial myopia.

Overbaked turkey

[helpless_dancer · 5/10 · 15 February 2004]

Although Trixie had a certain goofy appeal, especially her reversal or confusion of certain words and phrases, I found the film way too slow moving. It was well enough done and not a complete waste of time but it tried too hard to be comedy and drama winding up being just a mishmash of silly dark comedy.

Please, Emily, don't ever do that again

[MarioB · 1/10 · 12 February 2002]

Emily Watson was fabulous in BREAKING THE WAVES and wonderful even in a bad film like ANGELA'S ASHES. She is the kind of actress I want to see all her films, because I'm sure she will always be good. But here comes Trixie and... I can't believe that this great actress have been involed in such a ugly mess! The best work from Emily is her films made in European countries. So please, Emily, don't ever came back to the USA for making movies. The only way you could express yourself in a intelligent way is in European films. So please, stay there, and leave the mess to American actresses. They're good at it.

Watching Trixie process information half the fun.

[number909 · 4/10 · 8 December 2000]

This was a fun movie to rent. Emily Watson did a great job portraying Trixie, and it was fun watching as she processed information. Some confusion and gaps in the plot, especially the stunt she pulled on Nick Nolte at the club. The characters were meant to be types and not fully dimensional. After all, it was billed as a "noir" film, so my expectations were adjusted. I guess "cinema afficiandos" would find fault, but I really enjoyed watching Emily Watson play Trixie. See it and pay attention to her portrayal.

Wonderful mixed metaphors

[morwyn · 9/10 · 19 August 2000]

Brilliant mixed metaphors, fabulous dialogue. I can see how someone may not like it if they don't get or don't like word play, but if you like a good turn of phrase I highly recommend it! Huzzah for John Binder, whoever he is, not much on his resume, I can't wait for the next script!

Fun, but an acquired taste.

[howiewins · 8/10 · 18 December 2000]

There seem to be two major demographics that film audiences fall into. The commercially reliable, and the more risky arthouse, or as Trixie would say, "but I see it the other way". "Trixie" falls into the arthouse, with its star, Emily Watson, fitting in perfectly to its offbeat nature. Watson has proven in her career, from "Breaking the Waves" to "Hilary and Jackie" that she is one of the most underrated and capable actresses in modern film. Following a "noir" mystery tale of murder, and political corruption, "Trixie" takes the cliches of a thriller and combines them skillfully with the creative tongue of the English-slaughtering lead character. For people who enjoy daring, open-minded pictures, "Trixie" is a fun way to spend an evening. For people who enjoy loud, explosion-packed films, go see them.

Give her a chance, she'll steal your heart and soul

[curlyqueue · 10/10 · 17 November 2003]

This movie has grown on me immensely. The first time I saw it, it struck me poorly. I didn't like the plot or characters. I've seen it twice since then. I was surprised to find how funny it was a second time. Truth be told, Trixie is the sweetest detective ever written. She's obsessed with the truth and lives by no other code, solving the case almost by accident. There is a sexy all star cast to back her up and they all play magnificently. The real joke of the movie is Trixie's ability to get well known sayings wrong, which is explained by her injury as a child from a bowling ball on the head (mentioned very quickly in a hospital scene). She says things like, "Stop right there where you are in your tracks!" Her timing is perfect and Ms. Watson's performance is endearing. Good show, all around.

This movie hurt to watch....but it was worth it man.

[diamondscaffo · 17 June 2002]

Ok - I have to admit....this movie was painful. Just painful to sit there and take all those mixed metaphors like punches to the head. BUT...I stumbled across this movie on a Sunday afternoon. Never heard of it..no expectations, etc. And actually had a good time watching it. My wife hated it (so she says) but we both laughed and kept rolling our eyes at each other throughout the movie. It was like reading a trashy novel...the characters were total stereotypes (the young, good looking womanizer (trying to have a heart of gold), the drunk, corrupt senator (always grabbing ass, etc) and of course the favorite - the bumbling, almost moronic detective making it all happen -kind of like a female Inspector Clouseau only with less physical humor and more verbal humor. Some of the words that came out of her mouth were really funny - like "I woke up unconscious" and my personal favorite, "Do you think I have a ace up my hole?" I wouldn't go out of your way to see this movie but if you come across it one afternoon....see how long you can stand it :)

I love this film, and have watched it twice.

[ru486 · 10/10 · 17 November 2003]

The Trixie character is very original and inviting. Her story is amazing and touching. The verbal battle between Trixie and the Senator is complex beauty. Every performance is great by the the well casted. I found Trixie to be a warm and very interesting movie.