neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Human Nature
	Michel Gondry Tim Robbins, Patricia Arquette, Rhys Ifans, Rosie Perez 2001 Widescreen; full screen; closed caption; English, French audio tracks; English subtitles; theatrical trailer.		Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman doesn't take the well-worn route. His "Being John Malkovich" script was nothing short of fantastic — and bracingly original: A tunnel in a Manhattan office building allows people to physically crawl into the mind of Malkovich, played in the film by the renowned actor himself. "Human Nature," Kaufman's follow-up script, isn't quite so out there. Still, as love triangles go, it's refreshing to find one developing when a repressed sociologist (Tim Robbins of "The Player"), assisted by a pretty naturalist (Patricia Arquette of "Lost Highway"), entraps and civilizes a feral man (Rhys Ifans of "Notting Hill") raised by monkeys. The sociologist is smitten with the naturalist, but he doesn't know about her (literally) hairy problem. She's totally hirsute and using depilatories to hide the condition. Also, she's drawn to the wild man, and vice versa. It's more obvious and not as funny as "Being John Malkovich," but its freak factor and whimsy set "Human Nature" apart from the herd.