Diane Lane, who already has been seen this year in "Chaplin," "Knight Moves" and "Indian Summer," gives an excellent performance in "My New Gun," playing a homemaker whose protests fall on deaf ears when her husband insists she have a handgun in the house.
A strange, eccentric and very dark suburban satire in the Paul Bartel/John Waters vein, "My New Gun" marks the film debut of writer-director Stacy Cochran, who uses blackout techniques to build a comic commentary on gun control.
And to her credit, the first half of the film is quite intriguing and funny, as Lane and her deadhead, self-centered husband (Stephen Collins) are shown living a dull life in a New Jersey suburb. When Collins gets a gun for Lane to keep in
her nightstand drawer, she complains to little avail.
The next day, Lane makes the mistake of telling her quirky neighbor (James LeGros) about the gun, and he asks to borrow it. When she says no, he steals it from her bedroom.
LeGros, who says he lives with his mother — though no one has ever seen her — is a mysterious figure whom Collins is convinced is a psycho-killer. But Lane finds herself drawn to LeGros, and when Collins shoots himself in the foot and is hospitalized, Lane and LeGros embark on a strange odyssey together.
Unfortunately, the second half of the film degenerates into LeGros trying to protect his mother (Tess Harper), a former famous country-western singer (a strange twist on her role in "Tender Mercies"), from her deranged ex-husband (Bill Raymond). The movie becomes more conventional and less interesting.
An odd mix of slapstick and satire, this one is mainly for fans of alternative cinema, despite first-rate performances by Lane, LeGros and Harper.
"My New Gun" is rated R, primarily for some scattered profanities, along with some violence, sex and drug abuse.