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The wrestler was such an amazing movie. Very moving. It gives alot of hope and encouragment to the viewers. GREAT MOVIE.
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I really like your prose and your style of writing. Of the movie review threads ive read, this one is the best. Keep it up!
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Transsiberian (Brad Anderson, 2008)
This movie gets more and more silly as it goes along. Typical "thriller" fare with enough dumb twists and false trails to fill a Chris Nolan film. Shame; the movie's premise could have been good if the story took a more conventional and straightforward approach instead of opting for fantastical and faux cleverness. Classic example of why story trumps plot. Writers and directors these days seem to forget there is a difference. The audience seems to care about the characters getting out of their desperate situation, but care nothing about the emotional effects of say... oh a minor thing like killing another human being. One of Woody Harrelson's worst roles as he plays the dufus husband with all of the loyalty and complexity of a hound at its master's side; in this case Emily Mortimer's character. Of course when the plot demands it Harrelson kicks into Natural Born Killers mode and then one his time is past drops right back into dufus mode. A poorly written film that is too concerned about tricking the audience into where it's going and throwing curves at them. Silly and hollow film that drops everything it had going for it within the very good first half hour or so.
Grade: C-
This movie gets more and more silly as it goes along. Typical "thriller" fare with enough dumb twists and false trails to fill a Chris Nolan film. Shame; the movie's premise could have been good if the story took a more conventional and straightforward approach instead of opting for fantastical and faux cleverness. Classic example of why story trumps plot. Writers and directors these days seem to forget there is a difference. The audience seems to care about the characters getting out of their desperate situation, but care nothing about the emotional effects of say... oh a minor thing like killing another human being. One of Woody Harrelson's worst roles as he plays the dufus husband with all of the loyalty and complexity of a hound at its master's side; in this case Emily Mortimer's character. Of course when the plot demands it Harrelson kicks into Natural Born Killers mode and then one his time is past drops right back into dufus mode. A poorly written film that is too concerned about tricking the audience into where it's going and throwing curves at them. Silly and hollow film that drops everything it had going for it within the very good first half hour or so.
Grade: C-
Last edited by iluv2viddyfilms; 06-15-12 at 03:25 PM.
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Yes I wasn't that impressed when i saw it 
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Panic (2000, Henry Bromell)
The late 90's and into the early 2000's seemed to have a series of films/TV shows about hitmen, mobsters or otherwise, going through a crises and wanting to abandon their career; think of Analyze This, "The Sopranos," and Grosse Point Blank to name a few. Panic is along those lines, with William H Macy playing the family man who's father introduced him into the business, but hides the fact from his own son and even his wife to protect them.
The film attempts to inject some dark humor into the dialogue; sometimes it's successful, but more often it's not. I enjoyed watching Donald Sutherland in a beefy role this side of his career, and he genuinely seems like a jerk, but not much more is spent in developing his character. How did he get involved? What is his motivation for wanting his son to be a contact killer? How does he come to terms with his guilty conscious, or is he a complete sociopath? These questions are unanswered, as I'm not sure the story even knows what it wants to do with the characters besides servicing the plot.
A couple of great standout supporting performances come from the late John Ritter as the psychologist jobbed with helping Macy's guilt and desire to leave the business. Neve Campbell plays a young woman in therapy who meets with Macy and they develop a warm but disconnected relationship of sorts. She shows some good acting chops and the two do share some touching scenes playing well off of each other. It's too bad Campbell is an actress who will be reduced to 90's movie trivia. Tracey Ullman has a great scene as the suffering wife when she finds out about her husband's affair. Panic does a lot of things well, but nothing great. It's a movie well worth a watch, but it seems to veer off in so many directions that nothing makes it standout, and the ending feels rushed.
Grade: B-
The late 90's and into the early 2000's seemed to have a series of films/TV shows about hitmen, mobsters or otherwise, going through a crises and wanting to abandon their career; think of Analyze This, "The Sopranos," and Grosse Point Blank to name a few. Panic is along those lines, with William H Macy playing the family man who's father introduced him into the business, but hides the fact from his own son and even his wife to protect them.
The film attempts to inject some dark humor into the dialogue; sometimes it's successful, but more often it's not. I enjoyed watching Donald Sutherland in a beefy role this side of his career, and he genuinely seems like a jerk, but not much more is spent in developing his character. How did he get involved? What is his motivation for wanting his son to be a contact killer? How does he come to terms with his guilty conscious, or is he a complete sociopath? These questions are unanswered, as I'm not sure the story even knows what it wants to do with the characters besides servicing the plot.
A couple of great standout supporting performances come from the late John Ritter as the psychologist jobbed with helping Macy's guilt and desire to leave the business. Neve Campbell plays a young woman in therapy who meets with Macy and they develop a warm but disconnected relationship of sorts. She shows some good acting chops and the two do share some touching scenes playing well off of each other. It's too bad Campbell is an actress who will be reduced to 90's movie trivia. Tracey Ullman has a great scene as the suffering wife when she finds out about her husband's affair. Panic does a lot of things well, but nothing great. It's a movie well worth a watch, but it seems to veer off in so many directions that nothing makes it standout, and the ending feels rushed.
Grade: B-
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Drive (2011, Nicolas Winding Refn)
Ryan Gosling is this generation's great actor. At age 32, he is extremely accomplished and has some great films to his name. I would say he's certainly a draw for me. While I have largely ignored The Notebook, it was Half Nelson that put him on my radar as the drugged out teacher in an absolutely emotionally devastating and taxing performance. Blue Valentine also a standout piece and Gosling is quite comedic in Crazy Stupid Love - an intelligent film along the lines of Hitch.
In Drive he plays a part time stuntman, mechanic, and getaway driver with all of his jobs revolving around one thing: his affinity for vehicles and driving them. Though this is no motor flick to be sure, as the cars take second stage as backdrop to the relationships of the characters, and the man (Gosling) who is willing to do anything to help those he cares about and can connect with. You've seen this type before. The quiet loner who does one thing very, very well. It may have been McQueen in Bullitt, Eastwood in Dirty Harry, or Ryan O'Neal in The Driver. Of course so many of these roles go back to Alain Delon in Le Samourai or even further. It's an archetypical character in filmdom and so much depends on the actor inhabiting the role and the audience's acceptance. We can add Drive to this list of films.
The style is reminescent of a low key 80's movie and the shots linger longer than they should; whether it's a close up of a face, a shot of a vehicle or whatever - the editing is slow and deliberate. Several great indie dream pop/shoegaze songs occupy the great soundtrack, but never cross into degrading music video territory and the film takes a 180 turn from a dreamscape subdued romance into an explosively violent crime flick. The film hits every note right and each scene is filled with purpose and successful intent. I saw this film a couple years ago as well, when it was called The American with George Clooney, and no matter how many times I see it, I still love it. Originality is of little importance to me.
I must admit to being surprised and in awe of the film's best performance, which oddly enough does not come from Gosling, but rather comedy man Albert Brooks. Brooks exercises his flexibility and creativity in developing a character who's so damn likable, as he is dangerous, - even when he's slicing and blood-letting. It's good to see him with this part and make something of it with his own brand of acting, humor, and threat. Props are to be given all around with this gem of a film and I look forward to seeing more from this Danish director, Refn who is 3-0 from what I've seen; Drive along with the great film Bronson and the more mediocre, but never uninteresting Valhalla Rising.
Grade: A
Ryan Gosling is this generation's great actor. At age 32, he is extremely accomplished and has some great films to his name. I would say he's certainly a draw for me. While I have largely ignored The Notebook, it was Half Nelson that put him on my radar as the drugged out teacher in an absolutely emotionally devastating and taxing performance. Blue Valentine also a standout piece and Gosling is quite comedic in Crazy Stupid Love - an intelligent film along the lines of Hitch.
In Drive he plays a part time stuntman, mechanic, and getaway driver with all of his jobs revolving around one thing: his affinity for vehicles and driving them. Though this is no motor flick to be sure, as the cars take second stage as backdrop to the relationships of the characters, and the man (Gosling) who is willing to do anything to help those he cares about and can connect with. You've seen this type before. The quiet loner who does one thing very, very well. It may have been McQueen in Bullitt, Eastwood in Dirty Harry, or Ryan O'Neal in The Driver. Of course so many of these roles go back to Alain Delon in Le Samourai or even further. It's an archetypical character in filmdom and so much depends on the actor inhabiting the role and the audience's acceptance. We can add Drive to this list of films.
The style is reminescent of a low key 80's movie and the shots linger longer than they should; whether it's a close up of a face, a shot of a vehicle or whatever - the editing is slow and deliberate. Several great indie dream pop/shoegaze songs occupy the great soundtrack, but never cross into degrading music video territory and the film takes a 180 turn from a dreamscape subdued romance into an explosively violent crime flick. The film hits every note right and each scene is filled with purpose and successful intent. I saw this film a couple years ago as well, when it was called The American with George Clooney, and no matter how many times I see it, I still love it. Originality is of little importance to me.
I must admit to being surprised and in awe of the film's best performance, which oddly enough does not come from Gosling, but rather comedy man Albert Brooks. Brooks exercises his flexibility and creativity in developing a character who's so damn likable, as he is dangerous, - even when he's slicing and blood-letting. It's good to see him with this part and make something of it with his own brand of acting, humor, and threat. Props are to be given all around with this gem of a film and I look forward to seeing more from this Danish director, Refn who is 3-0 from what I've seen; Drive along with the great film Bronson and the more mediocre, but never uninteresting Valhalla Rising.
Grade: A
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The Robber (2010, Benjamin Heisenberg)
The juxtaposition between the main character, Johann Kastenberger, running in marathons and running through the wilderness from the police is well done. This is an off beat indie foreign film about the true story of a marathon runner who is seemingly bored with life in need of something to fulfill his desire of stimuli, and takes his talent of running to new heights when he robs banks. Thus we get the title of this film based on a book, based on a true story. "Shotgun Ronnie" was the name given to Kastenberger as his method of operation back in the 80's was to rob banks with a shotgun while wearing a Ronald Reagan mask. Now this film is not an action film by any means, but it does have some excellent action sequences - the most prolific of which is the last half hour of the film. The film's final chapter features a chase on foot through towns, alleys, buildings, the Austrian wilderness, and finally onto the interstate where our gut-shot anti-hero meets his fate. As the audience we know this story had to end this way, regardless of knowing or not knowing the source material of the film.
There's a secondary character thrown in to the plot to ground the viewer in reality and this comes in the form of his romantic involvement with a social worker, Erika (Fraziska Weisz). While the two silent types do hit it off, we get the sense their relationship comes more of mutual need and empathy than "true love." I have to praise the performance of Andreas Lust who looks the part and is silent enough that we can read him through nonverbal cues and his physical presence. In all reality this could have been a silent picture as no dialogue is needed to tell the story. The photography with it's somber low key hues of blue, brown, and gray are fitting for this depressing story of a man who seemingly finds little joy in life and must run and rob to fill the void. I was very much reminded of a character in another film based upon a true story, Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the film Owning Mahoney. That film was about a similar personality who fills his void by stealing from his company and using the funds to gamble. Toward the end of Owning Mahoney he is asked to rank the excitement things in life give him and everything except gambling is a low one. I get the sense that would be Kastenberger's statement also.
Grade: A-
The juxtaposition between the main character, Johann Kastenberger, running in marathons and running through the wilderness from the police is well done. This is an off beat indie foreign film about the true story of a marathon runner who is seemingly bored with life in need of something to fulfill his desire of stimuli, and takes his talent of running to new heights when he robs banks. Thus we get the title of this film based on a book, based on a true story. "Shotgun Ronnie" was the name given to Kastenberger as his method of operation back in the 80's was to rob banks with a shotgun while wearing a Ronald Reagan mask. Now this film is not an action film by any means, but it does have some excellent action sequences - the most prolific of which is the last half hour of the film. The film's final chapter features a chase on foot through towns, alleys, buildings, the Austrian wilderness, and finally onto the interstate where our gut-shot anti-hero meets his fate. As the audience we know this story had to end this way, regardless of knowing or not knowing the source material of the film.
There's a secondary character thrown in to the plot to ground the viewer in reality and this comes in the form of his romantic involvement with a social worker, Erika (Fraziska Weisz). While the two silent types do hit it off, we get the sense their relationship comes more of mutual need and empathy than "true love." I have to praise the performance of Andreas Lust who looks the part and is silent enough that we can read him through nonverbal cues and his physical presence. In all reality this could have been a silent picture as no dialogue is needed to tell the story. The photography with it's somber low key hues of blue, brown, and gray are fitting for this depressing story of a man who seemingly finds little joy in life and must run and rob to fill the void. I was very much reminded of a character in another film based upon a true story, Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the film Owning Mahoney. That film was about a similar personality who fills his void by stealing from his company and using the funds to gamble. Toward the end of Owning Mahoney he is asked to rank the excitement things in life give him and everything except gambling is a low one. I get the sense that would be Kastenberger's statement also.
Grade: A-
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21 Jump Street (2012, Phil Lord and Chris Miller)
A pair of bumbling, fresh out of the academy cops played by Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum forget to read the Miranda rights and a drug bust is thrown out the window in the beginning moments of the film. Really, they forget the words to the Miranda rights. What passes for comedy is not really comedy in this "comedic" film version of the late 80's show "21 Jump Street." I had the same problem with the cops in Superbad. While playing the idiot is full of potential laughs, it fails to be funny where it goes beyond any plausibility and connection to the real world. How could have they graduated from the academy? That's part of the joke, but to have a cop forget his gun, to have a cop smoke marijuana on the job with the perps, to have a cop forget Miranda rights, and to have a cop forget to wear his pants on the job are all situations that are very Jonah Hill-esque. It fails to be funny as it's bad writing to cover up for the fact that the writers don't know how to work comedy. If only there was some kind of setup, explanation, or a series of events for us to buy into the scenario then this material might approach slapstick, but it's thrown in as haphazardly as it's dropped.
The main story progresses as our two heroes are assigned under cover at a high school to find a dealer and then a supplier for the newest drug fad on the streets. The ironic thing about the film is that some of the in-jokes recognize bad writing in films, but then the movie goes on to do exactly what it critiques. Is it saying that we'll find it funny even when the movie is telling us that it's not funny? This comes in the cases of an angry black cop, explosions, 20 and 30 year olds playing teenagers, and the typical party scene.
Speaking of which I find it difficult to buy into the premise that a 20-something cop would get too involved and fall for a high school girl. Let me change that. It's not the plot point that's implausible, but rather how the film presents this as any other situational comedy where boy falls for girl (Brie Larson) and it's all roses and violets from there. Is it funny when under cover cops buy alcohol and supply marijuana at a party for minors? Are they excluded from any laws regarding minors? While I'm not at all offended by the material, I am perplexed. Movies like this and Superbad live in a world all of their own. Superbad had some good moments. This movie, really had none, though I did laugh at the tripping sequence while conversing with the track coach.
Grade: D
A pair of bumbling, fresh out of the academy cops played by Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum forget to read the Miranda rights and a drug bust is thrown out the window in the beginning moments of the film. Really, they forget the words to the Miranda rights. What passes for comedy is not really comedy in this "comedic" film version of the late 80's show "21 Jump Street." I had the same problem with the cops in Superbad. While playing the idiot is full of potential laughs, it fails to be funny where it goes beyond any plausibility and connection to the real world. How could have they graduated from the academy? That's part of the joke, but to have a cop forget his gun, to have a cop smoke marijuana on the job with the perps, to have a cop forget Miranda rights, and to have a cop forget to wear his pants on the job are all situations that are very Jonah Hill-esque. It fails to be funny as it's bad writing to cover up for the fact that the writers don't know how to work comedy. If only there was some kind of setup, explanation, or a series of events for us to buy into the scenario then this material might approach slapstick, but it's thrown in as haphazardly as it's dropped.
The main story progresses as our two heroes are assigned under cover at a high school to find a dealer and then a supplier for the newest drug fad on the streets. The ironic thing about the film is that some of the in-jokes recognize bad writing in films, but then the movie goes on to do exactly what it critiques. Is it saying that we'll find it funny even when the movie is telling us that it's not funny? This comes in the cases of an angry black cop, explosions, 20 and 30 year olds playing teenagers, and the typical party scene.
Speaking of which I find it difficult to buy into the premise that a 20-something cop would get too involved and fall for a high school girl. Let me change that. It's not the plot point that's implausible, but rather how the film presents this as any other situational comedy where boy falls for girl (Brie Larson) and it's all roses and violets from there. Is it funny when under cover cops buy alcohol and supply marijuana at a party for minors? Are they excluded from any laws regarding minors? While I'm not at all offended by the material, I am perplexed. Movies like this and Superbad live in a world all of their own. Superbad had some good moments. This movie, really had none, though I did laugh at the tripping sequence while conversing with the track coach.
Grade: D
Last edited by iluv2viddyfilms; 07-01-12 at 06:32 AM.
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Thanks for your reviews I saw 21 Jump Street at the movies and I wish I had waited for it to come out on DVD 
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Savages (2012, Oliver Stone)
Contrary to what reviews have said, this is not the Oliver Stone that made Natural Born Killers. The editing style is distinctly different. Where Stone used quick jumps, superimposed images, and a switch between super 8, 35mm, and black and white photography in his 1994 masterpiece, Savages plays like typical fare these days. The action is close in, the camera jerks around, and the viewer has little room to catch their bearing in terms of how things spatially relate.
This is a typical action-fest with a premise that might be workable were it handled better. Two fast dealing marijuana pushers get their weeds THC levels off the chart, so much so that it gets the attention of the Mexican Baja drug cartel. The leader of the cartel is actress Salma Hayek who doesn't really get to show much emotion in a weak script that has her mourning the loss of her husband.
Character development is all but nil on this movie. The two dealers are an ex Navy Seal and a pot-head Buddhist. The plot explanation for how the two dealers are able to match wits and stay toe-to-toe with the cartel rests in the background of the Navy Seal and his buddies that pop out of the wood work. Maybe no one bothered to research that when Navy Seals or any troops come back from duty they don't get to keep their RPGs, landmines, vests, M4s, and assault vehicles. Oh well. That our drug dealing friends have access to these things, can switch around bank accounts, and so on is akin to Bugs Bunny pulling a mallet from out of thin air.
The three main actors have zero chemistry together. Blake Lively is a beach blonde and tanned prop who sulks through the movie with little to do. Taylor Kitsch is absolutely dreadful and bore. It's laughable not tough when he utters lines like, "Get rid of the fear, by thinking you're already dead." Even though he's 31 he still looks to young and too generically GQ boring to play the grizzled war vet. Oliver Stone next time, cast someone with a more interesting facial canvas like Tom Berenger from Platoon. Aaron Johnson seems correctly cast as the Buddhist, but he's given a horrible script and delves far too much into intellectual/cultured pothead cliche. John Travolta plays himself as he does in every film he's been in recently.
Sadly this is the type of movie that is getting good reviews these days. And it's not good. It's just not good. The three way relationship between our dealers and the girl is developed by a sex scene or two and a voice over that is reminescent of Patricia Arquette's in True Romance and has every bit of the lack of depth. "I love them because one is badass, and the other is sensitive. This is not character development.
Benicio del Toro plays the cartel enforcer and hams it up, seemingly knowing he's in a comedy that will try to play itself off as a drama/action/thriller thing. The film doesn't nothing well and everything mediocre. It really doesn't delve into the issue of drugs of has anything to say about it like Traffic did. The violence is certainly less furious than a lot of movies and the gun play is weak compared to something like The Way of the Gun. The ending is all but silly as we're given a Wayne's World dupe or an excuse to throw on a DVD alternative ending. The film isn't necessarily "bad," it's just far from good and the comparisons in style to Natural Born Killers are just plain wrong.
Grade: C
Contrary to what reviews have said, this is not the Oliver Stone that made Natural Born Killers. The editing style is distinctly different. Where Stone used quick jumps, superimposed images, and a switch between super 8, 35mm, and black and white photography in his 1994 masterpiece, Savages plays like typical fare these days. The action is close in, the camera jerks around, and the viewer has little room to catch their bearing in terms of how things spatially relate.
This is a typical action-fest with a premise that might be workable were it handled better. Two fast dealing marijuana pushers get their weeds THC levels off the chart, so much so that it gets the attention of the Mexican Baja drug cartel. The leader of the cartel is actress Salma Hayek who doesn't really get to show much emotion in a weak script that has her mourning the loss of her husband.
Character development is all but nil on this movie. The two dealers are an ex Navy Seal and a pot-head Buddhist. The plot explanation for how the two dealers are able to match wits and stay toe-to-toe with the cartel rests in the background of the Navy Seal and his buddies that pop out of the wood work. Maybe no one bothered to research that when Navy Seals or any troops come back from duty they don't get to keep their RPGs, landmines, vests, M4s, and assault vehicles. Oh well. That our drug dealing friends have access to these things, can switch around bank accounts, and so on is akin to Bugs Bunny pulling a mallet from out of thin air.
The three main actors have zero chemistry together. Blake Lively is a beach blonde and tanned prop who sulks through the movie with little to do. Taylor Kitsch is absolutely dreadful and bore. It's laughable not tough when he utters lines like, "Get rid of the fear, by thinking you're already dead." Even though he's 31 he still looks to young and too generically GQ boring to play the grizzled war vet. Oliver Stone next time, cast someone with a more interesting facial canvas like Tom Berenger from Platoon. Aaron Johnson seems correctly cast as the Buddhist, but he's given a horrible script and delves far too much into intellectual/cultured pothead cliche. John Travolta plays himself as he does in every film he's been in recently.
Sadly this is the type of movie that is getting good reviews these days. And it's not good. It's just not good. The three way relationship between our dealers and the girl is developed by a sex scene or two and a voice over that is reminescent of Patricia Arquette's in True Romance and has every bit of the lack of depth. "I love them because one is badass, and the other is sensitive. This is not character development.
Benicio del Toro plays the cartel enforcer and hams it up, seemingly knowing he's in a comedy that will try to play itself off as a drama/action/thriller thing. The film doesn't nothing well and everything mediocre. It really doesn't delve into the issue of drugs of has anything to say about it like Traffic did. The violence is certainly less furious than a lot of movies and the gun play is weak compared to something like The Way of the Gun. The ending is all but silly as we're given a Wayne's World dupe or an excuse to throw on a DVD alternative ending. The film isn't necessarily "bad," it's just far from good and the comparisons in style to Natural Born Killers are just plain wrong.
Grade: C
Last edited by iluv2viddyfilms; 07-25-12 at 05:29 PM.
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Revanche (2008, Gotz Spielmann)
F'ing. Brilliant. Revenge story. Bank robbery. Love story. Realism. Acting is real - real amazing. Grit. Excellent photography camera work. Intelligent story takes intelligent direction. Real grief - emotionally devastating. F'ing amazing movie.
Grade: A+
F'ing. Brilliant. Revenge story. Bank robbery. Love story. Realism. Acting is real - real amazing. Grit. Excellent photography camera work. Intelligent story takes intelligent direction. Real grief - emotionally devastating. F'ing amazing movie.
Grade: A+
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I love Stone, but that cast has meant that I've not followed this project at all. Your review seems to back this up. I'll probably watch it on tv in a few years time.
+rep for the review of Revanche just because it made me laugh.
+rep for the review of Revanche just because it made me laugh.
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When I saw the project I was hoping for something more like Natural Born Killers or perhaps if not that, then it would be more gritty along the lines of a Way of the Gun - which is an excellent, but flawed film.
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Waiting for Superman (2010, Davis Guggenheim)
Wow. I just watched Waiting for Superman on Netflix instant. What silly and dismissive nonsense full of inaccuracies, half-truths, anecdotal evidence, post-hoc claims, and a complete refusal to acknowledge how socioeconomic status correlates to education. I was hoping to watch an insightful documentary and instead found a short-sighted piece of propaganda pushing its miracle elixir to cure public schools. I did enjoy the animations and interviews with the children, but it neglects so much I can't take the content/message seriously. It's worth a watch, if for no other reason than it will get a person to scream their rebuttals at the screen. A slap in the face to educators everywhere.
Grade: C-
Wow. I just watched Waiting for Superman on Netflix instant. What silly and dismissive nonsense full of inaccuracies, half-truths, anecdotal evidence, post-hoc claims, and a complete refusal to acknowledge how socioeconomic status correlates to education. I was hoping to watch an insightful documentary and instead found a short-sighted piece of propaganda pushing its miracle elixir to cure public schools. I did enjoy the animations and interviews with the children, but it neglects so much I can't take the content/message seriously. It's worth a watch, if for no other reason than it will get a person to scream their rebuttals at the screen. A slap in the face to educators everywhere.
Grade: C-
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Lars and the Real Girl (2007, Craig Gillespie)
Here's a film from the writer of "Six Feet Under," Nancy Oliver and while her HBO series was excellent and dealt with dark issues within the lives of its emotionally frail characters, it's hard to recognize her pen with this disappointing film. Lars and the Real Girl, as has been mentioned in quite a few reviews, could have been a silly gross-out comedy, but it isn't. In my mind it takes the opposite turn which is equally a misstep and that is to go for something that would be found right in a Frank Capra movie. The whole town accepts Lars' (Ryan Gosling) sex doll, Bianca as his significant other in a strictly platonic relationship because well... Lars is a gentleman. There's some good back story here with how Lars ends up being reclusive and painfully shy around people, but nothing really ever comes to fruition and this idea is dropped. I get that the filmmakers were going for the less is more approach, especially with the turn of events regarding Bianca, but it I don't think the script or filmmakers really knew what they wanted to say.
One of the things that irks me about how the story goes is the way the whole town almost overnight accepts the premise of Lars and Bianca as a couple - so much so in fact that they offer her jobs and volunteer time. Nothing seems quite right as the community lives with blank stares on their faces and with the blind optimism and acceptance of Capra at his most Capraesque. Some good supporting roles, but no one stands out. Even Gosling who is brilliant in almost anything, doesn't quite nail a true character down as he drifts between shy, mildly retarded, lonely, and repressed guilt-ridden. There's a good idea here, but the tone is wrong, and what we get is a "heart-felt" typical dramedy.
Grade: C-
Here's a film from the writer of "Six Feet Under," Nancy Oliver and while her HBO series was excellent and dealt with dark issues within the lives of its emotionally frail characters, it's hard to recognize her pen with this disappointing film. Lars and the Real Girl, as has been mentioned in quite a few reviews, could have been a silly gross-out comedy, but it isn't. In my mind it takes the opposite turn which is equally a misstep and that is to go for something that would be found right in a Frank Capra movie. The whole town accepts Lars' (Ryan Gosling) sex doll, Bianca as his significant other in a strictly platonic relationship because well... Lars is a gentleman. There's some good back story here with how Lars ends up being reclusive and painfully shy around people, but nothing really ever comes to fruition and this idea is dropped. I get that the filmmakers were going for the less is more approach, especially with the turn of events regarding Bianca, but it I don't think the script or filmmakers really knew what they wanted to say.
One of the things that irks me about how the story goes is the way the whole town almost overnight accepts the premise of Lars and Bianca as a couple - so much so in fact that they offer her jobs and volunteer time. Nothing seems quite right as the community lives with blank stares on their faces and with the blind optimism and acceptance of Capra at his most Capraesque. Some good supporting roles, but no one stands out. Even Gosling who is brilliant in almost anything, doesn't quite nail a true character down as he drifts between shy, mildly retarded, lonely, and repressed guilt-ridden. There's a good idea here, but the tone is wrong, and what we get is a "heart-felt" typical dramedy.
Grade: C-
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I never thought of the correlations before between this film and LAST TANGO IN PARIS...very interesting. I liked the film a little more than you did, but there is validity to most of what you've said in your review and it is very well-written.
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So glad I'm not the only one who didn't like this movie...a lead character has to have some kind of appeal in order to sustain the length of a movie and the lead character here had none. I don't know what Will Smith was thinking and I'm even more shocked that Charlize Theron would allow herself to get involved with such nonsense. 
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