Robert Downey, Jr. heads a great cast that includes Robin Wright Penn, Katie Holmes, Adrien Brody and Mel Gibson, but little
can be said about
The Singing Detective, a remake of the 1986 TV miniseries. Both are written by Dennis Potter.
The Singing Detective examines the life of trash mystery author Dan Dark, who has been bedridden for three months with an illness that has kept him immobile and ugly. Even worse, his mind has begun to break down; he has injected himself into the lead character of one of his old novels (guess which one). The movie jumps in between his experiences in the hospital and the mystery that is going on in his head, which seems to be linked much more to his true childhood than he originally thought. Unfortunately, his battle is a waste of time as the movie is a waste of time.
The Singing Detective is occasionally interesting or funny. Downey, Jr., while playing the illness-stricken version of his character, is entertaining enough. Gibson, who plays a quirky, balding psychologist, is fun. A scene where Katie Holmes is lathering Downey''s ravaged body is hilarious. Other than that, the movie is a wreck.