as a whole it feels and sounds as if you're sitting in a theater watching a play. the acting and staging also helps this feeling. and i would say i liked that, the exchanges felt lively and as if they actually had something to say. it's not something you see everyday in film. but there were times when it made things a bit too static and "hip". a bit too cerebral.
but there is a force in this play and when it hits it hits you with full force. kudos to the team for that.
i think the only LaBute work i'd been exposed to was Nurse Betty. and i didn't go for that one bit. maybe i missed the boat when i saw it. i dunno. but i gotta say that this play is a solid piece of work. every word seems to have been weighed and thought through a hundred times and it feels great to know that you're in the hands of a person (LaBute) who understands his work. i really appreciated that about the film.
Rachel Weisz' and Paul Rudd's characters are the leads in this story but the chemistry was weird -- this had something to do with Rudd not fully playing it as a film actor, (although there is charm in his "theatrical" performance) which came out as awkward a couple of times. of course it was done as a theatrical film so i'm sure a lot of it was intended, but you gotta adjust for that.
the cinematography was cool. of course it helped that this film comes from theater since the set decoration is always carefully done. it translated very well to film.
i'd give this film about a 75% enjoyment rate.
Posted by Anonymous | 10:18 AM
