Damme! Double Damme! JCVD Opens This Weekend!

By some weird cosmic coincidence, two fun metafictional flicks about cult action stars are opening in Austin this weekend: the terribly terrific My Name Is Bruce (which we'll fill you in on later this week), and the bone-crushingly brilliant JCVD, which premiered to near-universal acclaim at this year's Fantastic Fest.

JCVD stars Jean Claude Van Damme as himself, kinda. A b-list action star whose career and personal life have simultaneously hit the skids, Jean Claude has recently lost his daughter and his fortune in a brutal custody battle. And despite his international celebrity, his acting career is rapidly circling the drain (thanks in part to his old arch-nemesis, Steven Seagal). Just when things seemingly couldn't get worse, Van Damme finds himself caught up in a botched post office heist, resulting in a full-blown hostage situation. And while a mob of rabid fans gathers outside, Van Damme must decide whether to curl up and die, or to become the hero that everyone expects him to be.

Falling somewhere between Adaptation and Dog Day Afternoon, JCVD is surprisingly, certifiably good. It's not all ironic inside jokes and hokey action either--believe it or not, the story is great, and Van Damme delivers a thoroughly awesome performance, full of self-deprecating comedy and sincere drama, grounded by a completely off-the-rails soliloquy that must be seen to be believed.

What is boils down to is this: JCVD is good. And if you're a Van Damme fan, you're practically obligated to see it this Thursday night, when it'll play as part of a double feature with JC's most popular fight flick, Bloodsport. You can get individual tickets for regular admission, but the double feature is only $11.50. So, yeah. Be there!