With Honors

Directed by Alek Keshishian, With Honors follows Brendan Fraser’s Monty as he finds himself forced to do the bidding of a homeless man (Joe Pesci’s Simon) after said homeless man snags the only copy of Monty’s thesis. It’s an oddball premise that’s employed to erratic yet mostly satisfying effect by Keshishian, and while the movie does grow more and more compelling as it progresses, With Honors admittedly suffers from an arms-length opening stretch heightened by Pesci’s larger-than-life (and somewhat grating) turn as the exaggerated Simon. There’s little doubt, then, that the picture’s shift from barely watchable to unexpectedly engrossing is triggered by a midsection rife with unexpectedly compelling sequences and set-pieces, as Keshishian, armed with a script by William Mastrosimone, does an effective job of fleshing out the various characters and, especially, deepening the growing bond between Fraser and Pesci’s respective characters – with the compulsively engaging vibe heightened by several memorable, stand-out moments (including a terrific interlude wherein Simon interrupts Monty’s pompous professor, Gore Vidal’s Pitkannan, during a lecture). By the time the surprisingly emotional third act rolls around, With Honors has confirmed its place as a solid drama that benefits from the top-tier efforts of its various performers. (Fraser is particularly good here, and Pesci slowly-but-surely transforms Simon into an impressively heartbreaking figure.)

*** out of ****