Eye Candy #246 - "The Lawnmower Man"

The Lawnmower Man:  Everyone once in a while, I put a movie that’s been out for ages, that I’ve got nothing more than a passing interest, at the top of the queue.  Just to give me something different.  This time around, it was “The Lawnmower Man”, a sci-fi film from 1992 based every so loosely on a short story by Stephen King of the same name (and we’re talking EXTREMELY loosely).  Dr. Lawrence Angelo (Pierce Brosnan) develops virtual reality technology that expands the mental faculties of those who use it and he works for a shadowy group called The Shop.   He experiments first on animals, including a chimp that escapes and goes…whatever the chimp equivalent of “postal” is (“chimpal?”).  He then uses his technology on a mentally retarded groundskeeper named Jobe (played with Jeff Fahey, who is apparently acting his hair), and Jobe develops mental powers that blur reality, give him telekinesis, and generally results in him having a psychotic break.  At the time it came out, this film was famous for its virtual reality scene, including one “sex” scene  (if you can call two animated characters sort of writhing together “sex”).  What most people don’t know is that the virtual reality footage is actually only about eight minutes, and just cut to look longer.  Watching this film reminded me of another barely budgeted sci-fi movie that came about the same time, “Darkman” (you know, the movie that Liam Neeson wishes he could forget).  Many actors are on the lookout for that film that’s going to help resurrect their stagnant career.  For Pierce Brosnan, this wasn’t THAT film.  Woodchuck sez, “Hasn’t aged well.”