The Miami Herald from Miami, Florida • 77

THAT WEEKEND MOVIES Without You is weird but funny Bernhard's antics spoof censorship By RYAN MURPHY Herald Staff Writer The conclusion of Sandra Bernhard's Without You I'm Nothing is one of the rarest, strangest film finishes in the history of the medium. A weird hybrid of Twin Peaks and Gypsy, with a dash of Behind the Green Door thrown in for good measure, the no-holds-bared wrap-up features Bernhard undulating before director John Boskovich's camera, which zooms in on the multimedia diva's every snap, crackle and pop. Loofahed to a brilliant sheen, plucked of every stray hair and writhing with pure abandonment to the strains of Prince's Little Red Corvette, Bernhard snarling in a G-string and pasties is conservative Sen. Jesse Helms' nightmare come to life. Exploration of freedom Which is the point not only of the conclusion, but of Without You I'm Nothing.

A deconstructivist comedy of sorts, daring in its inception and purposefully self-conscious and aggressive in its delivery, the film is a florid exploration of freedom and artistic license. More than just a brazen display of flesh, Bernhard's exhibitionist go-go dance is a snippet of bold that wildly sums up the tawdry tales that have preceded it and gives a hearty raspberry to the rising tide of conservatism that threatens this country's supposedly liberal arts. It's an "in your face" scene, calculated to amuse, horrify, provoke and spoof the ever-creeping tide of censorship. Perhaps as an afterthought, we learn one other highly important lesson. Sandra has a killer bod.

Not to mention a vicious wit (which dissects everyone from Madonna to Martika), a riveting screen presence and a nifty singing voice (at one point, Bernhard in a Diana Ross pageboy croons Ain't No Mountain High Enough to a spectra! Warren Beatty, a commentary on rampant idolatry). Based on her "smash one-woman off-Broadway show" (a selfdeprecating direct quote in the film), Without You I'm Nothing is a comedic hodgepodge. There is no plot, really, just a premise: Bernhard, overcome with her own celebrity and burgeoning fame, i is sent by her manager (the jolly, earnest Lu Leonard) back to a black Los Angeles nightclub to get in touch with her roots where the stoned nightclub MOVIE REVIEW WITHOUT YOU I'M NOTHING (R) Cast: Sandra Bernhard, John Doe, Steve Antin, Lu Leonard, Ken Foree, Cynthia Bailey. Director: John Boskovich. Producer: Jonathan D.

Krane. Screenwriters: Sandra Bernhard, John Boskovich. Cinematographer: Joseph Yacoe. Music: Patrice Rushen. A New Line Cinema release.

Running time: 89 minutes. Profanity, nudity, adult situations. announcer, like so many of the misinformed, consistently refers to her as "Sarah Bernhardt." What's in store What follows is a of comedy skits, tributes to such pop culture icons as Andy Warhol, Nina Simone and disco big daddy Sylvester, musical numbers, and cameo appearances by such friends as the charismatic actor Steve Antin, who trashes Jodie Foster with glee and tries to put the Sandra phenomenon in perspective. Without You I'm Nothing, however, aims for more than cheap yuks and consistently hits the mark. It's an anti-concert film of sorts (the nightclub audience is shown yawning and rudely talking among themselves) and a socially oriented one at that.

Bernhard has slowly evolved to become the Ralph Nader of popular culture, and her bits of business have a watchdog feel to them. Alienation (expressed in the guise of a black alter ego for Bernhard who haunts the film), media misogyny (the infamous. Newsweek cover story proclaiming that women older than 30 were doomed to become old maids is explored wittily via a medley of Burt Bacharach tunes) and sexual orientation are sliced and diced with panache and brave bombastic overkill. Through sheer theatricality, Bernhard cuts through the artifices of today's pop culture and social mores and painfully hits bone time and time again. Without You I'm Nothing isn't always funny it's too cerebral for that but it's consistently provocative and disarming, a gripping glance at one woman's demons, strident opinions and beautifully toned torso.

Get complete coverage of the South Florida business scene in our tabloid section. MANY FACES: John Boskovich, left, directed Sandra Bernhard's multipersonality Without You. "SUPERB PERFORMANCES BY KIEFER SUTHERLAND, JULIA ROBERTS AND BACON. A PROFOUNDLY PROVOCATIVE ENTERTAINMENT ADVENTURE." David Sheenan, NBC-11 Suit KIEFER SUTHERLAND JULIA ROBERTS WILLIAM BALDWIN OLIVER PLATT AND KEVIN BACON FLATLINERS Some lines shouldn't be crossed. COLUMBIA PICTURES Presets A STONEBRIDGE ENTERTAINMENT Productor A JOEL SCHUMACHER "FLATLINERS" Musc JAMES NEWTON HOWARD En by ROBERT BROWN Production EUGENIO ZANETTI Drector Photography of JAN DE BONT Producers Executive SCOTT RUDIN-MICHAEL RACHMIL- PETER FILARDI Written PETER FILARDI Produced by MICHAEL DOUGLAS.

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