I wanted to watch Gun Shy many years ago when my obsession with Sandra Bullock started but at the time I couldn't find it anywhere. And by anywhere I mean the video rental shop in my town as streaming services were not a thing here, and if they were, I was too young anyway to subscribe.
The story follows Charlie Mayeaux (Liam Neeson), a DEA agent on the verge of a nervous breakdown ever since he nearly got killed in one of his assignments. This time, he goes undercover to bring down a Colombian drug cartel represented by Fidel Vaillar (José Zúñiga), and a New York City Mafia family represented by Fulvio Nesstra (Oliver Platt). To continue with his mission, Charlie will need the help of group therapy and Judy (Sandra Bullock), a nurse whom he falls in love with as she starts taking care of his gut health.
The short storyline I just wrote is not enough to describe how weird and is insane the plot to Gun Shy is. But it's also quite creative and different, and kind of interesting. It is simple, predictable, filled with holes, cheesy and clichéd, and it has unnecessary subplots, and yet it manages to be fun and entertaining.
The main reason for that is the cast. While the characters are very thin, the actors do a nice job at bringing to the screen interesting and kind of charming characters you cannot help but love. Liam Neeson doesn't quite feel right for the role of a nervous DEA agent with flatulence, but eventually, he grows on you and he is kind of funny. Oliver Platt steals the show as Fulvio Nesstra, a gangster who enjoys more growing tomatoes than being a thug. José Zúñiga is quite amusing in the role of a gay drug dealer. Sandra Bullock, unfortunately, has limited screen time and even less to work with but she's always so sweet and charming, it's always a pleasure to watch her.
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| Buena Vista Pictures |
As for the comedy, Gun Shy doesn't have clever humour —the attempts at humour are tremendously silly, to be honest— but some of the jokes and slapstick actually work and they will put a smile on your face. The stupidity of it may be the reason it works at all. Also, there are some weird but memorable moments, like when Fulvio has had a hard day, he argues with his wife, and instead of taking the knife and kill her, as you expected him to since he's a mobster, he starts cleaning the kitchen, and he goes on all night until it's spotless. It is such a pointless and yet entertaining scene.
