Movie Review: True Lies (1994)

The movie stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Eliza Dushku, Tom Arnold and Tia Carrere.

My wife and I did not intend to watch this movie last night. Instead, we planned on watching a couple shows we recorded on our DVR. However, our daughter was a little wound up after figure skating practice and, wanting it to be quieter in the house before watching our shows, we ended up watching this movie while waiting for her to go to bed.

I've seen this movie on more than one occasion. However, it had been a while since I had watched the entire film. After seeing it again, I found I still enjoyed watching it.

I'm normally not a huge fan of Schwarzenegger in comedies. However, this particular movie really worked with him in it because he was involved in much more action than he was comedic situations. And, in the latter of the two, he usually had some help in the scene.

Also, while Jamie Lee Curtis isn't my favorite actress, I do have to admit I liked her in this role. She was very believable as a bored and lonely housewife who was surprisingly OK with rolling with the punches after discovering her husband's secret. This was important in this movie because, without a strong performance from the on-screen wife, I think this film wouldn't have been nearly as good.

I think my only real complaint about this movie is the daughter (Dushku), mostly because her only real purpose seems to be complaining, getting captured and screaming. It was honestly a role that could have been removed from the movie or, at minimum, reduced to one or two screen appearances, without having any real impact on the overall plot.

This is a surprisingly funny film with plenty of action to keep things interesting. Even after seeing it more than once, I still enjoy watching it and would recommend it if you haven't seen it yet.

My Grade: B