The Long Kiss Goodnight is a funny, hammy, and simplified amnesiac-assassin story vaguely reminiscent of the smash hit Jason Bourne series. It stars a happy Pennsylvanian woman named Samantha Caine (Geena Davis) who washed up on shore mysteriously pregnant with her daughter Caitlyn (Yvonne Zima) eight years prior with full past-erasing amnesia. Now, Caine tries to balance between rediscovering her past and enjoying her current identity and family life, finding herself without sacrificing what she already has. Though the many private investigators she’s hired to reveal her history—up through her lousy yet reliable co-star Mitch Henessey (Samuel L. Jackson)—she eventually gets into a car crash that leaves her with a concussion. Afterwards she discovers new personal skills and attributes, like a tough disciplinary demeanor and agile knife play, along with memories of her past. As she slowly unveils her past, old foes in and out of government who thought Caine—really named Charly Baltimore—to be long since dead go after her either for vengeance or federal coverup. With only a usually drunken Henessey by her side, she must survive, rediscover herself, and heal.

Long Kiss is certainly long-toothed. With solid performances all around, over-the-top action, a fairly appealing setting, a few great gags and an intriguing premise, the film sinks its teeth deep into audiences ensuring they can’t look away. The premise, especially with the main character’s family ties, is a bubbly topic to watch unfold. Watching anybody struggle to remember who they are, both to themselves and their loved ones, is relatably compelling. It’s also fiercely corny, even queasily so at times, and can drag in its unactionable moments and everything moves unevenly throughout. The themes it tries to convey are also pretty stock and not effectively translated, instead muddled in one-liners and often underbaked exposition. For example, many sequences intended to be serious revelations for Caine and the audience about her true identity, the dialogue is canned and the camera goofily zooms. It’s funny, sure, but a little disruptive. However, these traits also firmly place it in the ‘90s, with its effectively retro style in both form and frame and an appealing hammy-ness that is sure to please some and discourage others. It may not land all of its strikes, and the cheese can be cumbersome, but Long Kiss is dumb, fun action and somewhat charming in its stylized simplicity.

Screens on Saturday, 3/23 and 3/26, 7:30pm @ Capitol Theatre
Part of the ongoing repertory series: Good for Her