Looking for Palladin

"Looking for Palladin" meanders around Antigua (Guatemala) at a leisurely gait and enjoys the presence of Ben Gazzara in its central role. That's about all there is to find, however. A short-tempered, Ugly American talent agent named Josh (David Moscow) has come, reluctantly, to persuade long-missing Hollywood legend Jack Palladin to take a lousy-sounding cameo in a project related to one of his old movies. After he finally finds the ultra-mellow Jack (Gazzara), who works for kicks as a chef, the two are off for a night of self-discovery. Yep. The film simply isn't well thought out. It's not credible that Josh doesn't recognize his quarry when meeting him face to face, especially given their later-revealed personal connection. And Josh has come this far but knows nothing about the project he's pitching. Sure, Jeremy Piven has pretty much destroyed this type for a generation but Josh doesn't even introduce himself when working Jack. Jack, meanwhile, is too Yoda-like. He's perfectly happy. He doesn't need anything Josh is offering, so where's the tension? Is this a wacky comedy, as its wild coincidences and sprightly music imply? Or is it a serious family drama, as the final 20 minutes or so suddenly seem to be? Veteran writer-director Andrzej Krakowski's pacing is languid to the point of torpor; shots linger without looking beneath the surface and scenes are slow without creating atmosphere. Paved with clichés, the apparently well-meaning "Looking for Palladin" is a long journey with no new places.
Da The Los Angeles Times, 6 novembre 2009