THE FRESHMAN (1990) **1/2 Marlon Brando and Matthew Broderick, what less could you want! Yes, obviously. But I enjoyed it. Much has been made of the fact that this isn't Brando's greatest work (duh!) and that he even satirizes the role that many consider to be ( quelle scandale!) , but they're kind of missing the point. This is a kinder, gentler, wilfully stupider look at gangsterism (and film school) and if Marlon had played it straight everyone else would have looked woefully out of place. I once saw Marlon explain how he didn't like to act much, and would be just as happy as a janitor if the salary was the same. I don't believe that for a minute, but I do believe that he didn't always feel like moving heaven and hell and every earth between in that way that so few actors can. So he relaxes a little bit, has a few laughs, works at a mortal level with the others. What's wrong with that? Maximilian Schell, Victor Ray and Paul Benedict end up looking pretty good, too, and there's more to be said for amicable unidimensionalism than Broderick's critics are willing to let on.
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