Weaver's acting lends suspense to aptly-named `Copycat'

---

RATING: * * *

---

by Caroline Keller

---

With the added bonus of Harry Connick Jr. in his first major movie role, Copycat was practically wearing a flashing neon sign saying, "You will love me!"

Unfortunately for me, the sign turned out to be more of a plea than a statement of fact. After all these assets, the movie turned out to be little more than a suspenseful movie mixed with a bit of Weaver's talent. It suffers acutely from flat characters and gaping plot weaknesses, relegating it to the realm of mediocre movies.

There are two parts to Copycat that make it a movie worth seeing: the suspense (I was hiding my eyes for half the movie) and Sig- ourney Weaver's wonderfully neurotic, bitchy character. Although I am admittedly a chicken during suspenseful movies, Copycat is definitely intense enough to raise just about anyone's pulse for a few minutes.

The movie revolves around a pair of cops (played by Holly Hunter and Dermot Mulroney) who, along with Helen Hudson, the neurotic psychologist played by Weaver, are trying to catch a copycat killer who is wandering around San Francisco mimicking murders committed by famous serial killers. The suspense in the plot, however, deals not with the murders themselves but rather with Hudson's entanglement in the case.

Although Copycat is billed as a movie about the interaction of strong female characters, Weaver's Helen Hudson is far and above the most interesting and complex character in the movie. Hudson is an expert on serial killers who has been reduced to a pill-popping agoraphobic through an attack on her life by a serial killer (played by Connick, who gives a very credible performance as a hick cum serial killer). When the murders begin, she can't resist trying to help the cops put together the pieces, even as she protests her forced involvement.

The plot of Copycat seems at times to be carried solely by the stupid mistakes of the San Francisco Police Department. This convenient and unbelievable ineptitude on the part of the police is the biggest weakness in the entire movie. Although it moves the action along at a clipper pace, it does so at the expense of credibility. The tradeoff left me with a sense of dissatisfaction at the end that couldn't easily be overcome.

If you are interested in seeing a movie that will thrill you almost continuously from beginning to end, Copycat is the choice for you. On the other hand, don't spend anymoney on this movie if you consider depth and quality the touchstone of any good movie.

This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the November 3, 1995 issue.

Copyright © 1996 The Rice Thresher. All Rights Reserved.
This document may be distributed electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of:
The Rice Thresher, Rice University, 6100 Main, Houston, TX 77005-1892, USA.