Lucybespro
It is a performances centric movie
Blake Rivera
If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.
Sarita Rafferty
There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
Dana
An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
ivy
this was one of the best movies I've ever seen! i don't know what that idiotic person is talking about. this is definitely time well spent.although i do realize how some people would not like it i guess, seeing as it does contain adult content and they swear almost every second. but its such a wonderful movie!i only wish i could find somewhere to buy it. {if you can find anywhere please tell me, because i don't know if its hard to find sundance films. i just saw it on the sundance channel and loved it! so i want to buy it so i can watch it all the time!}definitely watch this movie if you don't like it. it is wonderfully written, and the actors are superb!
Elswet
Scott Caan, Jeff Goldblum, Shawn Hatosy, Kelly Lynch. Two friends ramble aimlessly through life, while one plots a scheme and the other searches diligently for a way into a better life, while he obtains therapy from his mother's lover, unbeknownst to the patient.This sounded like a convoluted mess, but I'm a Goldblum fan, so I decided to give this a shot, anyway. Goldblum's part is not as prominent as I would have liked, but he is a constant, and prominent enough for his fans to be able to appreciate his talents herein.The story here is quite gritty, emotionally soliciting, and interesting. There are some dull moments, yes, but for the most part, this film completely engrosses, draws you into an emotional investment in the lead characters, and waltzes you through the manly maturation hazing to the bitter end.I liked this mainly due to the follow your dream message, Goldblum, and exemplary performances by the main four cast members. This is gritty, and gives a moral lesson, without preaching, or selling itself too hard.It rates a 9.2/10 from...the Fiend :.
mambo771975
...not quite the film that it aspires to be.First of all, the cast is impressive, but too often they are underfed by the drawn-out story.The performances are all solid, and Caan succeeds in getting you to be invested in caring about the characters.However, the story is too thin and the attempts at humor really don't land. The previous poster is correct in that the second half of the film drags, and nothing that happens to the characters will come as a surprise to anyone.There are clear elements in the story which will remind you of "Good Will Hunting" and "The Slaughter Rule", but the characters and actors all carve out their individual idnetities.I was a bit surprised by the DVD interviews with the cast where they all talked about what a great script it was and how excited they were to do it.The greatness that these established actors refer to doesn't show up in the final cut.Having said that, I have to admire Scott Caan's ambition and belief in his work, which is quite evident. But to write, direct and act in your first film is an enormous undertaking and one that very few people outside of Woody Allen could expect to pull off. Yet, "Dallas 362" has strong elements of Caan's directorial talent on display, which I'm sure that he will continue to develop and expand upon.
Bruce Coughran
In Scott Caan's first feature, Dallas 362, you can see the same thing as was seen in his first play ('Almost Love'), the raw elements of a budding talent. Caan, son of actor James Caan, wrote and directed the deceptively simple buddy movie and in which he also stars along with Shawn Hatosy, Jeff Goldblum, and Kelly Lynch. The film, shot on a low budget on Locations in LA, manages to create a world of its own, and one in which you finally care about these flawed characters, and without falling into any of a number of possible clichés of this kind of filmmaking.The film follows two close friends, Rusty (played by Hatosy) and Dallas (Caan), who call themselves `brothers' and are constantly becoming involved in bar fights, repeatedly being bailed out of jail by Rusty's mother, played by Kelly Lynch. Rusty wants to grow up but can't seem to break out of this pattern. Goldblum plays the mother's boyfriend who is a therapist and begins seeing Rusty as a favor to his mother. The obvious complications of this triangle come out early and are resolved in a very honest and truthful manner, and Goldblum gives a surprisingly fresh and satisfying performance.The relationship of the friends is obvious from the beginning, and the fact that you see the problems coming makes them no less compelling. In fact, Caan has succeeded in something that is really quite difficult. As Dallas begins to dabble in ideas of larger crimes, we see coming the time when guns will come out (and they do), but even as it all happens he manages to keep the focus on the characters and not on the action. We care about what will happen to these flawed characters. This is a real strength of this film.
In fact, all of the performances are good here (including a nice turn by Val Lauren). And the film has the great virtue that it is evenly paced and not overly long. Caan manages the tricky task of working on both sides of the camera well, although this is definitely more a movie of characters and performances rather than a cinematic vision. The photography is effective for the story and shows some of the budget constraints, but it also does not call attention to itself. Undoubtedly Caan will develop as a director over time, but this is a very respectable first effort.