BoardChiri
Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay
RipDelight
This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.
Delight
Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.
vchimpanzee
At the start of the movie, Alec, Samantha, Trevor and Casey are about to graduate from college. They reunite one year later in Los Angeles, and none of them are doing exactly what they expected.Alec and Trevor are living together in what can best be described as a dump. Alec would like to be a movie writer, but for now he is basically a secretary to a demanding female boss. Trevor wants to be an actor, but he can never succeed. Casey arrives in town with big dreams and gives the impression he is a success, but he isn't, and he's stuck living in the dump with the others. Plus he needs to find a girl who he had a child with years ago. Samantha, who goes by Sam, is an idealistic social worker who hopes she can keep an immigrant family from being deported, but this proves to be harder than she thinks, and her superiors are no help.Alec finds out he has a brain tumor, and this may be what is giving him visions. (Can you say "Eli Stone," boys and girls? I knew you could.) He may be seeing the future, or he may be finding out how to solve his problems and those of his friends. The visions give him the idea to rob a bank (though he keeps the source of his idea a secret from the others). And the bank robbery itself is the funniest part of the movie.This is okay, but overall nothing great. Too much of the movie is depressing, but I did like the funny parts. The ending comes as kind of a surprise.
bainst
The worst thing I can say about this movie is that the plot reminded me of the story that Chevy Chase's character was writing in FUNNY FARM (a very funny film for those who like Chevy Chase humor). That is, there's not much original to the plot, and it's delivered in a rather clumsy way.That said, I could see what the writer/director was trying for, and appreciated the attempt. This appreciation was bolstered by the great acting, which really carried the film. I was not familiar with more than two of the actors who made cameos (Garner and the old guy, who's name escapes me), so I wasn't distracted by knowing where they are today (doing fairly well on television, it seems).I won't go into details of the plot, as there are several reviewers that have already covered the main beats, and the subsequent problems. However, the dialog and direction was decent enough, the cinematography and camera movement excellent, and the acting superb. I was expecting a train wreck, but was pleasantly surprised, and even though a portion of the ending left me a bit let down (the reveal is not handled as well as it could have been...and degrades the story up until that point), the overall tenor and message was something that many of today's films don't succeed at, if they even try.I am a person who will turn off a DVD, or walk out of a film, if I don't enjoy it. I watched this through to the end, because I found the actors enthralling, and their characters well developed. And as far as story and the rest, it's certainly on a par with most everything else released by major studios.
love-aykroyd-forever
This was such a great movie! i bought the dvd because it had such a great cast line up and i love ethan embry but i did not think i would like it that much. it is such a great movie! wow is all that i can say. why is this not a more popular movie. i bought it at my video store . i had never even heard of it. that is ashame because this is a excellent movie and now one of my all time favorites. the ending was great because it was not a typical sad ending. well it was still sad but not in the way you expected. the cast was excellent! great jobs by everyone in this movie which is hard to say about alot of movies. i recommend this movie to everyone. you will not be sorry. a must see film.
Megan
This movie has a great Gen Y ensemble cast, including Peter Facinelli (Riding in Cars With Boys), Ethan Embry (Can't Hardly Wait), Scott Foley (Felicity), and a cameo by Jennifer Garner (Alias). The clever script has its ups and downs, but is generally carried well throughout the movie. Marc Fusco's (Steven Spielberg's personal assistant) direction is stylized and stimulating, thoroughly disguising the use of digital video. Although it starts out as a millennial update to Saint Elmo's Fire, the unique spirit of this film saves it from tedium, and the twisty ending elevates it far above the ordinary. Rennie's Landing sucks you in from the first frames, and doesn't let go until long after the credits have rolled.
