tkines

Wow, what a great movie. I had to talk a friend into seeing it, and we knew nothing about it. We were not disappointed at all. It takes a little while to get rolling, but once it does, the dialogue is wittier than anything Hollywood will ever churn out. It is refreshing to see a movie that doesn't play to the lowest common denominator. The acting was perfectly executed, and the writing was some of the best this year. Robin Wright-Penn was at her best, especially in an emotionally intense argument between her and Brannagh over remarks he made to the neighbor. And Brannagh was definitely in his element here, with some wonderfully razor-sharp dialogue that he executed perfectly. There was a handicapped child that was a bit contrived and predictable, but she was a wonderful actor and her role in the plot kept it from being trite. You just don't see writing this good in Hollywood. That fact would just boil inside you as you watch this and realize that it will never get a wide theatrical release. That is until an hysterical interview of the author (Brannagh) unfolds throughout the film. The comments he makes to the interviewer (Ros from Frasier) make light of Hollywood's blindness to anything that is not ignorant drivel and send you from the theater with a great feeling that all hope is not lost. You may have to look around, but you can still find an intelligent movie. And this is one of them.

This has become a movie that everyone either loves or hates. I think if I made a movie, this would be the response I would want to receive. However, I find that many of the critics simply miss the mark. They express leaving the movie feeling like it had no point. To the contrary, this film achieved every point it attempted to make quite well. While appearing to be mean spirited at times for no reason, each character is meticulously constructed through each scene, and done so flawlessly. Many have said that if these are your "friends and neighbors", something is wrong. Perhaps this is the case, but I found each of these characters to ring true with people I have encountered, if to an exaggerated degree. The characters have more in common than names that rhyme with 'airy'. They are each sexually dysfunctional and desperately grasping for an out. Through a chain of events set in motion early by Ben Stiller's character, each is forced to confront their demons, with the possible exception of Jason Patrick's character, Cary. His stellar performance as an unwaivering, arrogant brute leaves him the only one unscathed in the end. Never mind the emotional carnage in his wake (like the poor woman who had the misfortune of beginning her period while on a date with Cary). His collision of power and sex seems to be the only dysfunction that makes it out of this movie alive. It is impossible to watch this movie without questioning those things that can put sand in the gears of a sexual relationship. It tackles feelings of inadequacy, erectile dysfunction, infidelity, control issues, and all of those awkward moments involved in the flirting process. The point of the film becomes each character's search for contentment in their sex life. What each has is not working, and as each scrambles to affect change, their reactions to each situation lends more light into their true character, and aptly describes many poorly lit corners in America's modern psychological terrain. I think this is where many people find their hatred of this film. Some simply never meant to look in those corners.