A Little Slice of Heaven for Dessert

Rating: 9/10 (13 February 2007)

Scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) has figured out how to transport objects from one place to another... by teleportation. But when he tries to transport himself, a horrible accident occurs: a fly gets stuck in the pod with him. What will the outcome be and can Seth reverse it before it is too late?
Let me say I love David Cronenberg and I love Jeff Goldblum. I also love the original "Fly" with Vincent Price (although the similarities are only with the most basic plot). And let me also say, I had the greatest day of my life before I came home and put this movie on for viewing. So, all in all, I was feeling in a pretty fine mood. (And sober.)
Cronenberg delivers with his three notable themes: insects (duh), "the flesh" (Goldblum delivers a nice rant about the flesh) and horrifying special effects. Like "The Brood" or "Rabid" or even "A History of Violence", we see some interesting deformities. A baboon who meets an awful fate stands out in my mind. We also have the music of Howard Shore, always attached to Cronenberg's hip.
The special effects are noteworthy (also for the interesting "fly walking" and the "vomit drop"), but let's not discount the acting. Almost through the entire film, we are treated to Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum and basically no one else. I am still not sure why Davis married Goldblum, but their chemistry in this is excellent. They work well as a romantic couple. Davis is the steady anchor to Goldblum's flux of a character (heck, he's literally going through a Kafkaesque metamorphosis).
If you like a ranting Goldblum, this is your film. He won't watch you poop, but he will ramble in ways Ian Malcolm ("Jurassic Park") never could. In one scene in a diner, you really have to pay attention because he's like the Micro Machines guy, but explaining exoskeletal biology and not so much miniaturized automobiles. This was my favorite scene.
If you're a fan of Goldblum or Cronenberg, you're going to love this. But if you're not, this might be the film that converts you. Whereas "A History of Violence" is very mainstream and "Videodrome" is just weird, this has a happy balance: weird, but not so strange that you have to be a film student or a wackjob to really appreciate it. (I'm not a film student and I liked "Videodrome", so think of me what you will.) Yes, "The Fly", the film that will either win you over to Cronenberg or further deepen your love. That's my promise.