Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde

• UK / USA / Canada • 1995 • 100m •

• Directed by: David Price. • Starring: Sean Young, Tim Daly, Lysette Anthony, Stephen Tobolowsky, Harvey Fierstein, Thea Vidale, Jeremy Piven, Polly Bergen, Stephen Shellen, Sheena Larkin, John Franklyn-Robbins, Aron Tager, Jane Connell. • Music by: Mark McKenzie.

In New York in 1995 Dr.Richard Jacks is a creator of perfumes. Thus he spends his days inventing new colorful and well smelling potions and certainly caring for his girlfriend Sarah Carver. But when he discovers that his greatgrandfather, called Dr.Jekyll, was a scientist with revoluntionary discoveries, he tries to follow the footsteps of his ancestor and creates more and more delicate potions until one of them converts him into a spectacular superwoman: Helen Hyde. Knowing that Richard has no clue of her existence Helen enforces a professional career at the back of her "creator".

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Image from: Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde (1995)

Dr Richard Jacks is a perfume creator - a profession that he doesn't find totally satisfying. When he is left the notebooks of his grandfather in his uncle's will, he learns that his grandfather is none other than Dr Jekyll, the scientist who worked on a formula of genetic modification. Jacks starts to work on it and thinks he has hit on something but, when nothing happens to him when he takes the drug he assumes it didn't work. During a job interview he suddenly changes into a woman, Helen Hyde. Helen, realises that Jacks is unaware of her existence and starts creating her own career behind him.

If the title of this film doesn't tell you what it is likely to be like then the terrible tinkly music that screams 'aren't I wacky?' will certainly let you know what to expect. The music is just an indication of bigger problems - namely that the material isn't funny and the performances are roundly poor. The plot is a vague retelling of the Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde story but has the amazing twist of having Hyde be a woman - wow! This very concept screams 'silly' and the material only helps to make it that way. The plot has tonnes of stupid moments and there is zero logic; for example, Jacks chains himself up but then the very next scene Hyde is at work? This happens several times and just shows how lazy the writing is. Worse than a bad plot is a series of unfunny scenes - made all the worse by the fact that the music is designed as if every scene was hilarious and wacky! I never laughed once and most of the jokes are just lame.

However, it's not all the material's fault, some of it must rest with the cast. Certainly Young is about the worst person for the role. She isn't sexy here and lacks any sense of appeal (to me anyway). Her delivery is flat and even if the material was funny I believe she would have killed it off anyway. Daly is marginally better but the script has him doing things like running round naked in black stockings - after that he has zero dignity left and no way is he able to carry the core of the film. Tobolowsky is average and Piven is pretty amusing but they are let down by the material. Fierstein is like a poison to me but his awful performance seems to suit the film. However this film could have had a superb support cast but Young would have managed to kill it anyway - the fact that the material is bad hides her performance a bit but there's no denying just how much of a bad casting decision she was.

Overall this is a terrible film that may amuse you if you are easily taken in by silly films with 'wacky' music replacing funny material. There is hardly a laugh to be had and most of it is just plain lame - a situation only made worse by a terrible performance from Young.

Review by bob the moo from the Internet Movie Database.

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