Featuring two of the biggest movie stars in the world, "Conspiracy Theory" is an entertaining and often hilarious romantic thriller. Helmed by director Richard Donner ("Superman," "Lethal Weapon"), the film neatly balances the thriller aspects with quite unexpected, but appreciated funny interludes. Jerry's paranoia lends itself to quite amusing moments such as seeing his padlocked fridge that, of course, is filled with locked food containers. Often times thriller-type movies that deal with corrupt government agencies are too seriously bone dry and often involve a tangled mess of a plot. No so with this feature that uses the humor to soften the edges and make everything a bit more relaxed and human. The biggest problem the film encounters is the audience's expectation of what's really going on behind the conspiracy. The explanation can't help but be a letdown, and that's the case here, but it's not too bad and the film survives this moment.
That's mainly due to Gibson's performance. Having already shown us that he can play an edgy, slightly crazed character (in the original "Lethal Weapon"), Gibson takes that to a new level and is perfectly cast here. One only wishes that he was given a little more depth with which to work that would have made him that much more endearing to us. There are a few moments where just a brief, sad look in his eyes shows us that there's more there, and we want to know what's behind the look. As it is, most of the confusion/paranoia is played for adventure, suspense, or just plain laughs -- which is fine -- but had there been more, he could have created a more absorbing, unique character. Of course Donner's not trolling for great depth, but instead is looking to show us a good time. And that's probably why Julia Roberts was cast in this film. While certainly competent and always as pleasant as ever, anyone could have fit into her role and this only proves that she's better suited for romantic comedies than drama or suspense. Likewise, Stuart (of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" fame) is a flat villain and could also have been played by anyone.
While the film has its goofy, if not ludicrous moments -- agents rappelling from helicopters in the middle of downtown to chase Jerry -- there are also nice, clever touches. In one scene, Jerry runs into a darkened theater to elude the agents. Showing on the screen is "Ladyhawke," one of Donner's early films and while most will miss that connection, even less will probably get the scene's offbeat take on the historical account of Lee Harvey Oswald (also reportedly filled with conspiracy theories) ducking into a theater after the JFK assassination. The film has many funny moments, is different enough to always be interesting and while it feels a bit long, "Conspiracy Theory" is an effective and enjoyable thriller. We give it a 7 out of 10.