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"Seriously???
This is the Friggin
Script???" |
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Directed by James Foley
- Written by Todd
Komarnicki
Starring Halle Berry,
Bruce Willis, Giovanni
Ribisi
Distributed by Columbia -
2007 - 109m - Rated R |
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Richard Propes'
Review
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D+ |
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"Perfect Stranger" is a perfect film for two types of audiences:
1) The casual moviegoer who is craving an ever-so slightly stylized
thriller but who doesn't really see enough films to truly discern
whether a suspense thriller is actually any good or not...
OR
2) The just plain lazy moviegoer who couldn't care less about
storyline, character development or, for that matter, whether or not
a suspense thriller is actually remotely suspenseful or thrilling. |
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Starring Oscar-winning
Halle Berry in yet another post-Oscar meltdown, "Perfect Stranger"
centers around Rowena (Berry), a reporter who goes undercover to
nail (in more ways than one) powerful advertising exec Harrison Hill
(Bruce Willis) for the murder of her childhood friend with the help
of her loyal sidekick, Miles (Giovanni Ribisi).
Have you ever found yourself up at watching one of those erotic
thrillers on Cinemax with stylized soft-porn, nonsensical
storylines, convoluted twists and not a semblance of storyline in
sight? You remember the ones...half of them starred Shannon Tweed.
Well, picture one of these late night Cinemax films without the
stylized soft-porn to distract you from the numerous other flaws of
the film. What do you end up with?
Sheer boredom.
One has to wonder why Berry feels compelled to keep making films in
a genre in which she is so woefully inadequate. Am I the only one
who sat through this film thinking that I'd much rather have seen
Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks having cyber sex in "You've Got Mail" than
have to sit through this forced, bland and deeply flawed film from
director James Foley ("Glengarry Glen Ross" and "Fear")?
Berry, who seems to be channeling Catwoman, Sharon Stone and Shannon
Tweed, has nearly reached the Cuba Gooding, Jr. point in her career.
Berry should have learned her lesson after the "Catwoman" debacle
earned her a Razzie Award. While it was with wonderful spirit that
she actually showed up to accept her Razzie, she's getting
dangerously close to owning more Razzie awards than Oscars.
That's simply not a good career move.
Willis, on the other hand, never really moves beyond the "slick dude
with a dark side" shtick that is moderately fun to watch but
ultimately devoid of soul or meaning. This isn't a challenging role
for Willis, and he doesn't extend any extra effort to add any extra
dimensions to his character.
Perhaps the only saving grace is Giovanni Ribisi, long one of
Hollywood's most underrated actors, who somehow nearly raises this
film up to mediocrity with a performance that is simultaneously sad,
funny, irritating and quirky. Ribisi's character is either a
pathetic, lovestruck admirer for Berry or a complete psycho to be
watched. This performance resembles Ribisi's work in "The Gift," and
he even elevates Berry's performance during their scenes together.
The script, by Todd Komarnicki ("Resistance"), seems to be striving
for a complex, multi-layered thriller but too often jerks its way
through contrived happenings and illogical plot points. Even the
film's twist ending isn't so much a twist based upon the film's
journey as it is a clear choice to simply throw in an illogically
developed twist upon the audience in the film's last few moments.
Having not developed anything remotely suspenseful or thrilling, the
film's ending feels jerky, forced and manipulative rather than an
authentic result of the film's previous 90 minutes.
So, which type of audience are you?
If you're a casual moviegoer who couldn't discern between "Memento"
and a late-night Shannon Tweed flick, then "Perfect Stranger" may
very well have you on the edge of your seat.
If you're a just plain lazy moviegoer who wants to see a suspense
thriller that won't make you work, won't make you think and won't
make you sweat then "Perfect Stranger" may ultimately be enough to
satisfy you.
However, if you are an experienced, energetic, motivated and
intelligent moviegoer who requires a coherent storyline, richly
developed characters, suspense that is suspenseful and a thriller
that actually thrills then "Perfect Stranger" will have you sitting
in your seat, checking your watch and praying you haven't actually
figured out the twist ending in the first 15 minutes.
On a certain level, "Perfect Stranger" reminds me of the flaws
present in another recent Willis film, "Lucky Number Slevin," though
that film worked considerably better than this one. Both films fell
victim to believing themselves to be far more innovative and
intelligent than they really were and, in this case, "Perfect
Stranger" collapses under the weight of its poorly developed and
illogical storylines that are served up as a kaleidoscope of
suspense film cliche's...often beautiful to look at but ultimately
meaningless.
Even the film's occasionally attractive camera work is limited by
Foley's blatant use of product placement on at least three
occasions. This placement, obvious and jarring, disrupts what little
flow the movie possesses each time it occurs.
There are times, undoubtedly, when even a bad suspense thriller can
be worth watching. This, however, is not one of those times. Skip
"Perfect Stranger" or, better yet, the next time you're sitting at
home alone unable to sleep at 2am...flip on Cinemax and look for
"Perfect Stranger." I promise. It will put you right to sleep. |
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© Written by Richard Propes -
Email Me! |
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How We Rated This Film
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TC Candler -
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| Richard Propes
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D+ |
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Jacob Hall
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TC Candler's Comment
n/a
Jacob Hall's
Comment
n/a
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