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"Naomi Can Stay --
The Rest of the Movie
Can Leave..." |
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Directed by Marc Forster
Starring Naomi Watts,
Ewan McGregor & Ryan
Gosling
Distributed by 20th
Century Fox -
2005 - 99m - Rated PG13 |
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TC Candler's Review
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C |
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Reaching for profundity... |
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For a film with such a
great cast, it is hugely disappointing to say that this was utterly
uninvolving. I think the intrigue lasted about ten minutes, after
which the characters ceased to be interesting, the visual trickery
became tedious, and the story ambled toward predictability.
It felt like the film was treading on familiar ground, all the while
thinking it was pulling the wool over our eyes. The problem is that
the attempted "big reveal" at the end of the movie is about as
shocking as a foul odor in a public restroom. I think the film was
aiming for a David Lynch-like dream. It falls far short of that lofty
goal.
The characters are also rather superfluous to the over-stylization. I
had a hard time generating a momentary care for these people. I love
the cast, Watts, McGregor & Gosling are all very capable. However,
here, they seem stifled by a muddled screenplay. The closest anyone
comes to being interesting is Naomi Watts' character as the formerly
suicidal girlfriend. Unfortunately, she is only on screen for about 20
minutes.
Director, Marc Forster, forces his supposed mastery down our throats a
little too often in this film. He is in love with his own direction
and makes the viewer all too aware that he is lurking behind the
camera, whispering to himself, "Wow, I am going to blow their socks
off with this scene!"
This film is the cinematic equivalent of a schizophrenic moron arguing
the merits of his own genius... It just comes across as dishonest
garbage desperately reaching for profundity. |
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© Written by TC Candler -
Email Me! |
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How We Rated This Film
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TC Candler -
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C |
| Richard Propes
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Jacob Hall
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Richard
Propes' Comment
n/a
Jacob
Hall's Comment
n/a
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