Movie Review Kill Me Later

Kill Me Later (2001) 

Directed by Dana Lustig

Written by Dana Lustig

Starring Selma Blair, Max Beesley, Brendan Fehr

Release Date September 14th, 2001 

Published June 3rd, 2002 

Actor Max Beesley is a very well respected dramatic actor and sex symbol in his home country of England. Sadly, here in the U.S., Beesley is best known as Mariah Carey's love interest in the horrendous flop Glitter. Beesley may never live that one down, in America anyway, but he is doing what he can to put it behind him and the straight-to-video feature Kill Me Later, co-starring Selma Blair, is a good start on his redemption tour.

Beesley is Charlie, a drummer who turns to bank robbery as a way of providing a future for a young daughter he has never known. Selma Blair is Shawn, a bank teller in a bad relationship with her married boss played by D.W Moffett. After her boss spends the night and explains that he has no intention of leaving his wife or having children, Shawn contemplates suicide. 

Shawn isn't considering suicide because of her jerk boss, but rather her personal embarrassment over getting involved with him at all. Charlie and Shawn's paths cross when Charlie and his crew rob the bank where Shawn works as a loan officer. The robbery may have come off without a hitch if Shawn hadn't been on the roof thinking of jumping, thus causing a neighbor to call the police who accidentally interrupt the robbery.

Charlie keeps Shawn from jumping and takes her hostage. Of course it's not that simple. Being suicidal, Shawn doesn't make for a very good hostage. Charlie cuts her a deal; if she cooperates he promises he will kill her later. It doesn't take a genius to figure where the story is going from here, of course they fall in love and are chased by cops and various other contrived drama about the money and the cops.

What sets Kill Me Later apart from other similar films is director Dana Lustig, who employ's stylish camera movements, music video style editing and lighting to make for a visually interesting film. My favorite technical innovation was the editing. While not groundbreaking, Lustig and her team employ a quick cutting style of shots that last no more than 10 to 15 seconds. Especially effective are the tight close-ups of Blair, backed by bright lighting against her pale skin accentuating her beautiful eyes and jet-black locks.

Selma Blair truly shines as a misanthrope whose hatred of the people around her is only surpassed by her own self-hatred. Blair is wonderful, communicating an innate intelligence and deep sadness with her gorgeous brown eyes. Beesley, for his part, is charming and magnetic. The camera loves him. In Glitter he was flat as a board. Here he shows that if the material is good he can be great.

Movie Review Ju-On The Grudge

Ju-On The Grudge (2002) 

Directed by Takashi Shimizu 

Written by Takashi Shimizu

Starring Megumi Okina 

Release Date October 18th, 2002 

Published July 24th, 2004 

Hollywood loves a good trend, so when Dreamworks invested and got a big return on the Japanese horror remake The Ring, it was not hard to guess that the flood gates were about to open. There are a few more Japanese imports about to get the American touch and one of them is Ju-On: The Grudge -- a haunted house horror movie with a unique story structure that may be it's biggest asset and least translatable element.

The Grudge centers on a home where an old woman is living with her son and his wife. The couple has not checked in with social workers who have been monitoring the old woman's care and so a social worker, Rika (Megumi Okina), is dispatched to the home to check up. What Rika finds is the old woman dying and a strange, gray-skinned boy named Toshio (Yuya Ozeki) locked in a closet. There is a strange presence in the house that eventually reveals itself and leaves Rika traumatized.

The film is broken into chapters ala Pulp Fiction, including title cards. Rika is the film’s only consistent character, popping up in different chapters at different times, before and after her encounter in the haunted house. After introducing Rika, the film goes back in time to show us the husband and wife leading up to their disappearance. The cops investigating their disappearance get a few scenes and another cop who investigated a brutal murder that may be the key to the film’s mystery

The film also veers away from the home to the couple's sister and another social worker who were followed to their homes by the strange specter haunting the couple's home. There is also the teenage daughter of one of the cops who once visited the haunted house with friends, intrigued by the house’s mystery; she left, but her friends stayed and disappeared.

Writer-director Takashi Shimizu does a terrific job of setting his tone. The film is very quiet and then very violent in quick strokes. The violence is quick yet surprisingly, almost disappointingly bloodless. The young boy Toshio is used to maximum creepiness as his gray pallor and large eyes are seen peering at characters from various unusual vantage points. Using a child as a villain is an effective way of lulling an audience into a sense of safety and then destroying our preconceived notions of child innocence. Toshio is not the only villain there is also a smoky black specter that is less effective, even at times a little cheesy.

Ju-On: The Grudge is actually the third film in the Ju-On series, the first two films were direct-to-video hits in Japan and the original has now spawned two sequels and an American adaptation. Each of the films (including the adaptation) has been written and directed by Shimizu, who has built a quite successful career off of creepy haunted house aesthetics. Like Hideo Nakata, the writer-director of Ringu, Shimizu is making Ju-On his career. This will not be easy. Where Ringu had an easily-accessible hook, Ju-On is slightly more esoteric and will likely look very different when translated to American audiences.

Ju-On: The Grudge evokes the creepy haunted house ideas of Amityville, with a touch of The Exorcist and a tone and structure that is unique for a horror film. I’m not entirely sold on Ju-On: The Grudge. As an import desperately crying out for an adaptation, it’s creepier than it is scary and far more atmospheric than gory, thus it lacks much of what American audiences crave from a horror film.

Movie Review Intacto

Intacto (2001) 

Directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo 

Written by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo 

Starring Leonardo Sbaraglia, Max Von Sydow 

Release Date January 3rd, 2003 

Published June 2nd, 2003 

Luck is a funny thing. It's defined as a force that brings good fortune or adversity. But what kind of force? Does not the word force imply something can be controlled? Luck is something seemingly intangible that it can't be controlled. Or can it? The characters in Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's first full length feature believe not only that luck can be controlled but that the luck of others can be controlled as well, alternately taken away and given to others. It's this unique premise that plays out in Intacto.

In a casino seemingly in the middle of nowhere, high rollers drop big amounts of cash. But underneath the casino, far bigger wagers are being played against the casino's oddball owner known to many as The Jew (Max Von Sydow). With his top advisor Federico (Eucebio Poncela), The Jew manipulates the luck of the players in the casino. If by chance someone gets on a hot streak, Federico is dispatched to simply touch the player. The touch takes the player’s luck and gives it to Federico.

However, when Federico decides he wants to go out on his own, using his abilities for his own gain, The Jew takes his luck away. Some years later Federico is working for an insurance company, or at least, that’s his cover. In reality, the insurance industry is a way for Federico to find people who have the gift he once had. He finds what he is looking for in a plane crash survivor named Tomas.

Tomas happens to be a thief who was on the plane escaping from the pursuit of a police detective named Sara (Monica Lopez). She too has a gift for luck, having survived a car crash that killed her husband and child. As Federico helps Tomas escape from the police, they enter a strange world of gamblers who trade in luck rather than just money. With the help of another of these gamblers, a bullfighter (Antonio Dechent), Sara follows them into the games.

The games are dreamlike in their strangeness. In one scene, regular everyday folks are chosen by the gamblers. They take photographs of these people and then touch them, taking their luck. The photographs of these people are then used as cache for the bigger bets. The goal of it all is to get to The Jew for the biggest chance game of all.

All of this is shot by Fresnadillo with a sharpness that belies the film’s small budget. The crispness and clarity of the DVD is remarkable. The desert landscape that surrounds the casino, shot in the opening from a mini helicopter equipped with a camera at night is striking and attention grabbing.

The story does have its minor contrivances, such as what happens when you beat The Jew? Then what, wait until someone beats you? The Jew's life isn't exactly exciting. As played by the magnificent Max Von Sydow, he is a paranoid old man who spends his days locked in a small, poorly lit room wearing a mask in fear that someone might see his face or take his photo.

That minor quibble aside Intacto is a fascinating and unique picture that combines the cool of modern Hollywood storytelling with the beauty of an art film. For a director working on his first feature, Fresnadillo has an amazing confident style that comes from a kid who doesn't know what can't be done. 

Movie Review In the Time of the Butterflies

In the Time of the Butterflies (2001) 

Directed by Mariano Barroso

Written by Julia Alvarez, David Klass 

Starring Salma Hayek, Edward James Olmos, Mia Maestro, Demian Bechir, Marc Anthony 

Release Date October 21st, 2001 

Published May 5th, 2002 

I had never heard of author Julia Alvarez before I rented In the Time of the Butterflies, a film adaptation of her book of the same title. After seeing the film I'm interested in reading her book which has to be far more and enlightening and textured than the sappy, melodramatic film version of the lives of three martyred sisters.

The story begins in the late 1930's on the island of the Dominican Republic where the Marabel sisters, Minerva (Salma Hayek), Patria (Lumi Cadazos) and Maria (Mia Maestro) have finally been allowed by their parents to attend school. One day during a visit to the school by Dominican dictator Trujillo (Edward James Olmos), Minerva prevents a classmate from attempting to assassinate the dictator. Trujillo promises Minerva he will never forget her and Minerva sets out to make sure he won't.

Flash forward a few years; Minerva and her family are invited to Trujillo's mansion for a party. Trujillo asks Minerva to dance but when he gets a little too fresh with her, Minerva slaps him. Soon after, Minerva's father is arrested and Minerva must once again see the dictator to beg for her father’s freedom.

If you think this plot description is long, wait ‘til you see the film itself that is quite leisurely in pace.

Minerva goes to college and while there meets and falls in love with a revolutionary named Manolo (Demien Bechir). The two begin to try to overthrow Trujillo, fighting mostly on the information front, attempting to educate the Dominican people as to what Trujillo is doing to maintain his power. It's a good idea in theory but as the film later shows everyone is quite aware of what Trujillo was up to they were just to afraid to say anything.

It is informational gaffes like this and odd fast forwards in the timeframe that muddle the film’s narrative and keeps it's characters distant. The movie only gives us the opportunity to get to know Hayek's character while only glimpsing the other characters. From what I've read, the book is focused on all three sisters whereas the film has just one fully fleshed out character - Minerva. This semi-restricted narrative leaves the other sister’s motivations unclear. We the audience are left wondering why they joined the revolution.

Butterflies is surprisingly short at a mere 90 minutes and it's shocking violent conclusion comes almost out of nowhere. If your hoping for some insight into Dominican history and it's most infamous dictator, you won't find it here. The film buries its politics under heaping helpings of melodrama and leaden dialogue. See it for Salma Hayek whose performance is strong, but if your not a fan you can skip this one.

Movie Review: In the Bedroom

In the Bedroom (2001) 

Directed by Todd Field

Written by Todd Field

Starring Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, Marisa Tomei, Nick Stahl, 

Release Date November 23rd, 2001 

Published January 15th, 2002 

Sissy Spacek reminds me of someone I know, I can't quite place it but I feel like I know her. That is an excellent quality for an actor or actress to have, it becomes less like acting and feels real. When I watch her, it feels for me like I'm watching a real life in progress, and it's that quality that she brings to In The Bedroom and makes the films actions that much more tragic.

Bedroom is the story of a family in Camden, Maine. Mother (Spacek) is a teacher, Father (Tom Wilkinson) a doctor and their son (Nick Stahl), who is preparing for college. Of course nothing is ever what it seems, the parents are happy but argue greatly over their son's choice to date an older woman (Marisa Tomei) who is divorced with two kids to go with a violent ex-husband. The setup is combustible but director Todd Field never creates an air of inevitability, instead he allows the story to flow to conclusions that are shocking but not all that surprising. 

I'm struggling to avoid giving away too much, though the plot twists are not shocking surprises, they're not surprising if you actually watch the movie. The film is very realistic. How many times in your life has something happened that is shocking and tragic but you said to yourself that you could kind of see it coming? That is how this movie feels.

Director Todd Field is best known as an actor for his role as Tom Cruise piano player friend in Eyes Wide Shut, where Field says he spent a great deal of time studying at the feet of the master Stanley Kubrick. Although stylistically you don't see much influence I think In The Bedroom is a film Kubrick would have appreciated with it's slow studied pacing and desperate protagonists expertly played by Spacek and British character actor Tom Wilkinson.

Of the film's few flaws I would say the lack of chemistry between Nick Stahl and Marisa Tomei is the most obvious. The films glacial pacing works for the most part but drags in the middle. These criticisms are overcome though by the brilliant performance of Sissy Spacek that is the heart of this very good film. 

Movie Review Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2009) 

Directed by David Yates 

Written by Steve Kloves 

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman

Release Date July 15th, 2009 

Published July 14th, 2009 

The last decade has been dominated by franchise films from the return of Lucas's Star Wars to the supposedly unfilmable Lord of the Rings to Sam Raimi's greatest of all superhero series Spiderman and the wholly original Matrix films of the Wachowski Brothers. It is arguable however that the franchise with the greatest staying power in the minds of fans and even film aficionados may be that of J.K Rowling's Harry Potter. It helps that it is the longest of all of the franchises but there are also the wonderful characters, the extraordinary set design and fabulous effects.

Also there is the way Harry sort of encompasses elements of those other great franchises within itself. The parallels between Potter and Star Wars, LOTR and The Matrix become clearer in the latest installment in this ever increasingly epic film franchise.

In Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince we are merely weeks removed from when Harry watched his beloved uncle Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) murdered by Belatrix LeStrange (Helena Bonham Carter) and then watched Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) battle the Dark Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) to what can only be described as a tie.

The Dark Lord is weakened but not defeated as Harry is confronted by Dumbledore in a muggle train station where he is hiding out. Dumbledore wants Harry for a special mission, they are to attract a former Hogwarts professor, Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) to come back to the school. Professor Slughorn has a particular piece of information that he is not wanting to give up. It's urgent that someone get it out of him because it is the key to stopping the Dark Lord whose evil intentions have begun to extend out of the magical world and into the muggle world.

Back at Hogwarts Harry is reunited with his friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Emma Watson). Teenage hormones are beginning to run wild at Hogwarts. Sometime in the recent past Hermione has developed a crush on Ron while the thick headed Weasley misses all of the signals and goes out with a wacky little thing named Lavender (Jessie Cave).

Harry meanwhile has developed a crush of his own on Ron's little sister Ginny Bonnie Wright). The young romance is handled with delicacy and great care by director David Yates who does a masterful job of allowing the characters moments of childish fun while the ever deepening darkness continues to rise around them.

The stunning supporting cast continues to turn in stellar work as has been the case throughout the series. Especially good this time around are Alan Rickman's ominous Professor Snape and Tom Felton's Draco Malfoy. Felton's work prior to Half Blood Prince hasn't gone much beyond malevolent sniveling but in 

Half Blood Prince his surprisingly conflicted nature is among the most compelling elements of the film.

Director David Yates has become the unlikely auteur of the Potter series. Having never directed a feature before, Yates was an unlikely and controversial choice to direct Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. That film quickly quieted fears of millions of fans and now with Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Yates has come to own the franchise.

Yates and his exceptionally talented ensemble leave you wanting more and really that is what the film is supposed to do given that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 1 and 2 are still to come in 2010 and 2011. Yet, despite being a table setter, Half Blood Prince offers so many wonders it really stands as a triumph of its own.

Where other franchises have lost steam after just three outings the Potter series looks stronger than ever headed to sequels seven and eight. It's quite a testament to the remarkable storytelling of JK Rowling who has taken elements of some of the greatest stories ever told and fashioned them into something wholly original and all her own. What a remarkable piece of work.

Movie Review One Missed Call

One Missed Call (2008) 

Directed by Eric Valette 

Written by Andrew Klavan

Starring Shannyn Sossamon, Ed Burns, Ray Wise, Azura Skye

Release Date January 4th, 2008 

Published January 4th, 2008

The movie One Missed Call starring Shannyn Sossamon and Ed Burns is brought to you by the good folks at Boost Mobile. Ok, admittedly, I can't prove that the tiny offshoot of Sprint and Nextel actually sponsored the making of this pale imitation of Japanese horror cliches but they are no doubt tacit endorsers. Boost is mentioned and their logo shown so often the company could apply for a SAG card. Of course, bitching about the soulless schilling behind this little horror movie is really just my way of dodging the ennui that this movie brought about within me. Indeed, I care so little about this film I can barely bring the strength to dislike it.

Shannyn Sossamon, so cute in 40 Days and 40 Nights and so tragic in Rules of Engagement, stars here as a listless college student whose friends keep dying. You may be quick to blame her, but no. In reality, the deaths are related to their cellphones. Each of Shannyn's college pals have received a phone call with a message depicting their mode of death and the exact time that death will take place. By the way, Boost Mobile, if you are considering this as a feature, please stop. Naturally, when Shannyn takes her concerns to the police only the most handsome and single of the cops is willing to take her seriously.

Ed Burns plays the cop in typically Ed Burns fashion, disinterested handsomeness. Burns was once a flavor of the month writer-director boy genius. His natural rhythms as a writer served to cover up his ineptitude as an actor. Burns is a sieve as an actor with lines that roll off his tongue with the thud of a 2 by 4 to the head. That said, with material less than the sum of his acting, you barely notice his usual oafishness. As it turns out, the fetching cop's sister died after receiving one the death messages on her phone. There's also a bit about red hard candy and child abuse but by the time the film got around to them I was busy doing my taxes, difficult in the dark of a theater but I had nothing better to do.

I was going to delve into the film's ill logic and discuss universe theory, the thing where I say if a movie can establish a universe for its own goofy logic then even the most outlandish plot can be logical in its own way. I was going to go into those things but One Missed Call is simply too forgettable for such conversation. It was adapted from a Japanese horror film by the same title, in Japanese, by French director Eric Valette. Working in America for the first time, Valette shows an obvious talent for pointing his camera AT his actors. It's getting those actors to do something worth filming that is the problem here.

I had once thought that former model Shannyn Sossamon was going to be quite a star. She was terrific as Heath Ledger's inspiration in A Knight's Tale and cute as a button opposite Josh Hartnett in 40 Days and 40 Nights. Unfortunately, like so many pretty faces before her, she just never found the right roles and has now been relegated to the B-movie squad. At the very least, I don't think the failure of One Missed Call is entirely her fault. I'm guessing no one told her that they were using her audition takes, before she actually knew her lines. Wait.... what? Those were real takes? My bad.

I know it sounds like I hated this movie but believe me, hating this movie would take far more effort than I am willing to offer here. So, I will say, One Missed Call is a movie to watch while you do other things. Get a haircut, read a book, play video games, smoke weed. Trust me, you'll barely even notice the movie is there.

Movie Review: Monsters, Inc.

Monsters, Inc. (2001

Directed by Pete Docter

Written by Andrew Stanton, Daniel Gerson

Starring John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi, James Coburn 

Release Date November 2nd, 2001 

Published November 2nd, 2001 

What is the future of the animated film?

Many thought we would find out in Final Fantasy, but if beautiful computer graphics over the top of lame spiritual platitude and sci-fi conventions as old as time then animation is in trouble. My hope is the future of animation lies with the brilliant artists at Pixar who with Toy Story and Toy Story 2 and their latest Monsters Inc. are revolutionizing animation the way Disney did with Snow White. 

Monsters Inc. is the story of Sully and Mike a pair of workaday monsters whose job it is to scare children into screaming and thus providing electricity to the city of Monstropolis. Mike and Sully are voiced by Billy Crystal and John Goodman who are so brilliantly matched you would never guessed they have never worked together before. Steve Buscemi provides the voice of Randall the chameleon-like bad guy and Oscar winner James Coburn is there multi-legged boss. All the voicework is flawless with each actor finding exactly the right pitch for there character.

Monsters Inc. is hampered a little by a tendency toward sickening sweetness but the story is so wonderful that the sugar-shock is worth it. 

If you didn't like Toy Story 1 and 2 you don't have a soul, the same could be said if you didn't like Monsters Inc. Forget about that whole animation is for kids stigma and go see this movie and be a kid again. Monsters Inc. is one of the best movies of the year.

Movie Review: Domestic Disturbance

Domestic Disturbance (2001) 

Directed by Harold Becker 

Written by Lewis Colick 

Starring John Travolta, Vince Vaughn, Teri Polo, Steve Buscemi 

Release Date November 2nd, 2001 

Published November 2nd, 2001 

John Travolta has a history of redeeming bad movies. Look at movies like Broken Arrow, The General's Daughter and Swordfish all bad movies made better by having Travolta as the star. Through the sheer force of charisma and charm, Travolta takes bad material and makes it fun and entertaining. However, not even Travolta can save Domestic Disturbance, one of the worst films of 2001.

Domestic Disturbance is the story of a young boy who witnesses his stepfather, played by Vince Vaughn, committing a murder. Is the kid crying wolf? Only his father played by Travolta believes he's telling the truth. Of course none of this matters to the audience who are always 20 minutes ahead of the characters.

The film's marketing campaign pretty well gives away the story by touting Travolta as the good guy. If he's the good guy obviously there is a bad guy, and make no mistake you already know who that is too. 

Of course, a good movie could possibly overcome such a bad marketing campaign. Unfortunately, Domestic Disturbance is a terrible film. There are stock characters and situations seen many times before and numerous other lame thriller shortcuts. The most egregious of the cliched cheats in Domestic Disturbance is the use of the child in danger trope. 

The oldest and arguably worst trick in the suspense genre, placing a child in danger is a cheap way to involve the audience. We may not care about the adult idiot characters, but a good person may worry about a child, even in the least convincing thriller.  That's not to say that Domestic Disturbance is effective in any way. Rather, it's a baseline of involvement akin to, hey, don't hurt that small child you idiotic film director. 

Domestic Disturbance also features the classic dumb thriller cop. A movie like Domestic Disturbance couldn't live without the dumb cop who, despite all the evidence, remains completely ignorant. A competent cop would require the screenwriters to do a little more work to make their plot believable and that would be way way more work than anyone involved in Domestic Disturbance wanted to do. 

Ignorant, brain-dead, and insulting, Domestic Disturbance will be on my list of the 10 worst films of the year.

Movie Review: Thirteen Ghosts

Thirteen Ghost (2001) 

Directed by Steve Beck

Written by Neal Marshall Stevens, Richard D'Ovidio, 7 other writers 

Starring Tony Shalhoub, Embeth Davidtz, Matthew Lillard, Shannon Elizabeth

Release Date October 26th, 2001 

Published October 26th, 2001 

When was the last time you saw a scary movie that actually scared you? For me it would be 'Friday the 13th Part 2,' but what did I know I was nine years old when I saw that. For me horror films are like America's funniest home videos, some are painful to watch and some are truly hysterical. The 'Nightmare on Elm Street' series has provided me with some huge laughs some intentional, most not.

Sadly the newest addition to the horror genre 'Thirteen Ghosts' only has a few laughs one unintentional, a grisly murder meant for shock value that is made hilarious in execution; and one intentional laugh, a very funny line wondering what happened to the character whose murder provided the previous big laugh. That's all the joy one will take from Thirteen Ghosts. 

The film is otherwise populated with been there done that attempts at scares. One of the selling points for the movie is the much talked about house in the film. The house is impressive in design but we've seen it more lavishly done, quite recently, in 'The Haunting' and more interestingly done in the very funny 'House On Haunted Hill.' 

Meanwhile, the performances by Tony Shalhoub, Shannon Elisabeth and Embeth Davidtz are perfunctory, typical scenes of running and screaming. Elisabeth, who in commercials is played as a lead but only actually only appears in maybe a third of the film. I can say this about the acting; for the first time since 'Scream' I liked Matthew Lillard, his character provides a couple of good chuckles and his manic energy occasionally brings the film to life.

Of course I couldn't have expected 'Thirteen Ghosts' to be any good knowing, as I did, beforehand that it has been written by NINE different writers, yes, nine. I always thought four writers were the absolute kiss of death but NINE?

Movie Review Life As a House

Life as a House (2001) 

Directed by Irwin Winkler 

Written by Mark Andrus 

Starring Kevin Kline, Kristen Scott Thomas, Hayden Christensen, Jena Malone, Mary Steenburgen

Release Date October 26th, 2001 

Published October 27th, 2001 

Life as A House starring Kevin Kline and directed by Irwin Winkler has been universally praised by critics and fans which leaves me wondering: did I see the same movie they did? I watched Life as a House in permanent awe of how derivative, obvious, and faux-deep Life as a House is. This is a middle aged man's very obvious, up his own backside, conception of what makes a deep statement about life. Honestly, I am embarrassed for everyone involved. 

Life as a House is the story of George, a depressed divorcee with a son who hates him, and who loses his job early in the film and then finds out he has terminal cancer. Is this a movie character or a biblical tragedy? With all that has happened George decides it's time to build his dream house which, for those who are a little on the slow side, is a metaphor for his rebirth. Do you get it? His life is represented by the house? Does that resonate with you? 

The house he currently lives in is a rundown shack overlooking the ocean in a beautiful neighborhood. Don't even get me started on that implausibility, which, duh, is a metaphor for who he used to be. The screenplay doesn't trust us to figure the metaphors out ourselves. Instead there is dialogue to state the obvious. You see, the rundown house is who he is when we meet him and the new house is who he is going to be. Do you get it? Because the voiceover will explain this if you don't. GAH!!!!! 

Life as a House is filled with such trite dialogue that continuously states the obvious as if leading blind audience members through a story the screenwriter thinks is so deep we won't get it. And it's sad because the actors: Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas as his ex wife, and Hayden Christenson as his son, have the ability to communicate these emotions with subtle acting. But no, instead the film is filled with leaden dialogue and a couple of hundred direct lifts from American Beauty. Yes that's right dear reader not only is the film dull, it's unoriginal.

From the voiceover narration at the beginning and end to the score to George's 'Lesterlike' rebirth, including a kiss with an underage sexpot, Life as A House is like American Beauty filtered through TV's Hallmark hall of fame.

P.S.: I refuse to make any cute housebuilding aside. Honestly, if I hear another critic use a pun title like "House is built on a great FOUNDATION HA HA," I will scream.

Movie Review My First Mister

My First Mister (2001) 

Directed by Christine Lahti 

Written by Jill Franklyn 

Starring Albert Brooks, Leelee Sobieski, John Goodman, Carole Kane, Michael McKean 

Release Date October 12th, 2001 

Published June 3rd, 2002 

Albert Brooks has been around a long time but yet, he still seems to go unnoticed. The fact is though, Brooks is one of the great comic geniuses in the world. If you've seen his highly underappreciated gems Defending Your Life and The Muse as well as his brilliant guest voice work on the Simpsons, you know what I'm talking about. Brooks is a talented writer who is funny without having to obviously try to be funny. He just is. In My First Mister, Brooks' humor is on display as is his surprising knack for depth and poignancy.

My First Mister stars Leelee Sobieski as Jennifer, a suicidal Goth teen just out of high school and searching for a job. Jennifer's job hunt leads her to Randall (Brooks), the owner of a conservative men’s clothing store. For some strange reason, Jennifer and Randall click and Randall hires her to work in the stock room, and stay off the main floor because he fears her Goth clothes and multiple piercings may frighten his older upscale customers.

As unlikely as these two people are as friends, their connection is believable and the interaction between them is entertaining. They have few things in common, the biggest thing being they both don't have anyone else. Jennifer doesn't get along with her divorced parents (Carol Kane and John Goodman) and Randall has been divorced for 17 years. 

Kane is quite good as Jennifer's much-abused mother who, though she seems like an addled Donna Reed wannabe, is actually just a loving parent at a loss as to how to relate to her emotionally distant daughter. If Kane and the other supporting players (Goodman, Michael McKean and Mary Kay) seem like caricatures it's because we are seeing them through Jennifer’s warped perspective. As the film progresses and Jennifer begins to open up we begin to see these characters as they really are.

First time director Christine Lahti shows a skillful hand in directing two characters whose interactions could seem like a very creepy version of Lolita. Lahti makes sure we know the film isn't about sex or lust but about finding someone who understands you and accepts you for who are. Though towards the end Lahti allows the melodrama to get away from her, the performances of Brooks and Sobieski keep the film from drifting too far off the path.

There is an interesting comparison to be made here between Sobieski and Brooks in this film and Thora Birch and Steve Buscemi in Ghost World. It’s not just the age difference but also the uniqueness of each of the characters and the reasons why they came together. While My First Mister isn't as entertaining as Ghost World, it has the same emotional depth with a slightly less caustic humor. My First Mister isn't the masterwork that Ghost World is,  it is an entertainingly similar work and worth seeing at least once.

Movie Review: K-Pax

K-Pax (2001) 

Directed by Iain Softley 

Written by Charles Leavitt 

Starring Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Alfre Woodard, Mary McCormack

Release Date August 13th, 2001 

Published November 1st, 2001 

Kevin Spacey is one our finest actors having created such enduring characters as American Beauty's Lester Burnham, Seven's John Doe, and the unforgettable Verbal Kint in The Usual Suspects (My personal favorite). But no matter how great the actor, he can't get it right every time. Need I remind you of Pay it Forward, and now with K-Pax Spacey has struck out again. High hopes still persist for his role in The Shipping News in December.

You can't blame Spacey entirely for the failure of K-Pax -- director Iain Softley and the screenwriter must share equal blame. They seemed to approach the film with no idea how they would resolve it which leaves the audience with an ending so unsatisfying it collapses any interesting elements the film had built to that point.

K-Pax is the story of Prot (Spacey) a man who's either an alien or a mental patient. Prot is picked up by police at the scene of a mugging after babbling about not being from Earth. He is placed in a mental institution where Dr. Mark Powell (Jeff Bridges, in the film's best performance) treats him. K Pax is at its best when Bridges and Spacey go one on one with Bridge's doctor attempting to logically ascertain why this seemingly brilliant man thinks he is an alien. 

The film's other scenes are less interesting featuring your typical cast of loony bin loonies such as the germophobe, the mean one, and the patient who could leave the hospital if someone would treat him with love instead of medicine. Of course Prot will redeem them and these scenes are lifted from the Patch Adams scrap heap though slightly elevated by Spacey's presence. 

Jeff Bridge's performance nearly saves K Pax his search for Prot's true identity is well played with the right amount of emotional impact. Bridges is stringing together one of the most under-appreciated resumes in the business with brilliant turns in The Contender, The Big Lebowski and Fearless. If all of K-Pax were as good as he is, K-Pax could have been one of the best films of the year.

As for Spacey, Prot is a nearly impossible character who's required to be quirky because all aliens are quirky, and he's required to be psychologically damaged and then be a saint. That's a lot of work. In the end the director refuses to give the audience any catharsis by not answering the film's big question, one I won't print because I don't want to spoil it. The ending is left open either for a sequel or to offer the audience the opportunity to write their own ending, but intelligent moviegoers may be annoyed with the mystery. I know I was.

Movie Review: Wet Hot American Summer

Wet Hot American Summer (2001) 

Directed by David Wain 

Written by David Wain, Michael Showalter

Starring Paul Rudd, Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Elizabeth Banks, Ken Marino 

Release Date July 27th, 2001 

Published January 15th, 2002

A few weeks back theatres were infected with the inept, unfunny, teen movie sendup Not Another Teen Movie. An exercise in stupidity, it quickly disappeared from theatres. To see how a teen movie sendup should work, see the new to video and DVD Wet Hot American Summer, a hysterical take on the teen movie sub-genre, the summer camp movie.

Summer is the brainchild of David Wain and Michael Showalter, better known as members of the comedy troupe The State whose short-lived MTV sketch show mastered the art of teen movie parody. Showalter also stars in the film as the nerdy camp counselor who on the last day of camp is going to win over the hottest girl. Janeane Garofalo also stars as the head counselor who is romancing David Hyde Pierce as a nerdy scientist. Indeed all the great camp movie cliches are in place, save for the evil rival camp whose owner wants to takeover the camp, a cliche that is referred to but then knowingly dismissed in one the movies funniest scenes.

The films best moments are provided by Law and Order SVU star Christopher Meloni as the camp cook, whose best friend is a can of mixed vegetables. Anyone who ever saw Meloni on HBO's Oz will laugh hysterically everytime he's onscreen.

If anything keeps Wet Hot American Summer from being a great movie instead of a good movie, it's Garofalo. At times, she can't seem to keep up with her costars outrageous-ness. It's not her fault, all the members of The State, Showalter, Ken Marino and Michael Ian Black have been together a long time and have a chemistry that can't be picked up in the time it takes to shoot a movie.

Wet Hot American Summer is everything Not Another Teen Movie wasn't. It's funny, intelligent and over the top in ways that don't involve excrement and bodily functions. Let's hope Michael Showalter, David Wain and the other members of The State get the chance to make more movies, though the film's box office makes that unlikely.

Movie Review Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) 

Directed by John Cameron Mitchell 

Written by John Cameron Mitchell 

Starring John Cameron Mitchell, Michael Pitt, Andrea Martin, Miriam Shor

Release Date July 20th, 2001 

Published November 27th, 2001 

One of my favorite shows is VH1's behind the music and my favorite part is usually about 30 minutes in when the announcer intones "Fame came with a price." For Hedwig the genderless protagonist of Hedwig and the Angry Inch the price is one I know I could not have paid.

You see Hedwig used to be Hansel an earnest faced gay teen living in communist East Germany who decides to attempt to become a woman after falling in love with an American GI. I say attempts to become a woman because poor Hansel's operation went awry leaving him with an angry inch get it. Penis or no penis Hansel marries the GI, changes his name to Hedwig and moves to a Kansas trailer park. All of this is enough material for a fascinating offbeat comedy but this is merely the back-story to Hedwig. John Cameron Mitchell writes directs and stars as Hedwig, which he created in an off Broadway theater.

The music is the real star of Hedwig and the Angry Inch; it is brilliant rock music like nothing that's been heard in years. The music emulates Bowie Iggy Pop and the New York Dolls with only slightly more accessible pop edge. There is a great deal of Ziggy Stardust in Hedwig and thank God, if your gonna steal steal from the best.

Oh how nice it is to see a film that is surprising, that is not bound by the rules of genre or conventional filmmaking. Hedwig is a breath of fresh air and one of the best films of the year.

Movie Review Made

Made (2001) 

Directed by Jon Favreau

Written by Jon Favreau 

Starring Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Puff Daddy, Peter Falk, Famke Janssen 

Release Date July 13th, 2001 

Published October 25th, 2001 

I hate living in the Midwest, always hopelessly behind the times. I get Variety a month behind and no Hollywood reporter at all. But the worst is not getting indie films 'til they're very successful or headed to video. But thanks to Nova Cinetech I get too see some indies, though still much later than those of you in big cities. 

Which brings me to my review of Jon Favreau's Made which, for a lot of you, is a couple months ago memory and for me not exactly new having read so much about it. Nonetheless Made is the first post Soprano's gangster story all be it on the periphery of "gangsterism," as a pair of would be goomba's take on their first assignment a simple money drop that, of course, if it were that simple there wouldn't be a movie.

For Jon Favreau, it's not really the gangster part that interests him. It's the interaction between his character and his best friend played by Vince Vaughn, who seems to have been instructed to not just act his lines but to make sure he gets in the way of everyone else acting their lines. Favreau plays the flustered straight man to Vaughn's wacky troublemaker beautifully, tweaking their Swingers dynamic with a bit of danger and a dollop more of forced machismo, fitting of the gangster setting. 

Made is populated with great performances including a surprisingly good turn by Sean Puffy Combs. But it's clearly Vince Vaughn's show. As Ricky Slade, Vaugh he is a force of annoying nature. Ricky is the first post Soprano/Gangsta Rap wannabe gangster who believes that if he just knows the lingo and acts tough he can be a gangster.

Made is a funny and entertaining film that I highly recommend.

Movie Review Sexy Beast

Sexy Beast (2001) 

Directed by Jonathan Glazer 

Written by Louis Mellis David Scinto

Starring Ben Kingsley, Ray Winstone, Ian McShane

Release Date June 15th, 2001 

Published March 13th, 2002 

All the talk has been about Ben Kingsley's Oscar nominated turn in the British gangster drama, Sexy Beast. Beast is an unsatisfying genre exercise somewhat elevated by Kingsley's blistering performance.

Sexy Beast is the story of retired British gangster named Gale and played by Ray Winstone. Gale is living the high life in Spain with his beautiful wife in a gorgeous, idyllic Spanish villa. Things are going well until a friend informs him that an old associate from England is coming to town to offer him a job he can't refuse. This isn't just any old associate though; this is the infamous Don Logan. 

We aren't introduced to Logan necessarily, but the faces of the people discussing him tell the audience everything we need to know. We eventually see Logan, played by Ben Kingsley, and though he is not physically imposing, we quickly see why people are afraid of him. Logan has no time for small talk, has no apparent sense of humor and seems as if he would piss on you as much as talk to you. 

Tbe plot turns on Gale's attempts to turn down Logan's offer but Logan won't hear of it, screaming and threatening him all the while firing expletives like bullets. Logan's words are so raw and so fiery that when he speaks people duck out of the way. Kingsley's ability to be menacing with manner, with presence, and with the expert deployment of four letter words. 

Unfortunately the rest of the film can't match Kingsley's pace or energy. The job Logan wants Gale to do is not all that interesting in setup or execution. And to be honest, I'm not sure I knew just what the job was because by the time the film gets to it, Kingsley's out of the picture and I had lost interest. 

Ray Winstone is a good actor but here, he seems lackadaisical, as if he isn't much interested in what's going on. I understand that some of that is by design but it's not helped by Winstone having to be compared to Kingsley's fiery performance. The man formerly known as Lovejoy, Ian Mcshane, has a supporting role as the mob boss who sets the plot in motion but all he did for me was provide an opportunity to make jokes about Lovejoy.

The cinematography of Sexy Beast is outstanding. Cinematographer Ivan Bird gives the film a gorgeously sun-baked look. Bird also innovates with an incredible boulders eye view scene early in the film as a boulder rolls toward Gale's home, one thematically reminiscent of the unstoppable force that is Kingsley's Logan. I also want to highlight the film's soundtrack, provided by British star Unkle. His energy is fitting of Kingsley's Logan in the most unexpected ways.

Ben Kingsley more than shows why he is Oscar nominated for this performance, he is awesome. If the rest of the film were as good as him it would be a Best Picture candidate.

Movie Review Kill Bill Volume 2

Kill Bill Volume 2 (2004) 

Directed by Quentin Tarentino

Written by Quentin Tarentino 

Starring Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen, Gordon Liu

Release Date April 16th, 2004

Published April 15th, 2004

Much griping ensued when Miramax decided to cut Quentin Tarantino's magnum opus Kill Bill into two pieces. I was amongst those who were dismayed by the choice, but now that both halves of the film have been released it's clear that Miramax did the right thing. As one three-and-a-half-hour film it would have been brilliant, but as two films with a total combined length of more than four hours, we see Tarantino's vision uncompromised. The fact is, Miramax could not release Kill Bill as one four-hour film, and they did us a favor by cutting it. Because of that, we get two brilliant films for the price of one.

When we last saw our vengeance-seeking heroine The Bride (Uma Thurman), she had wiped out her former associate O-Ren Ishii and 88 of her henchman in a bloody brutal martial arts sword fight. Now, she is back on the road and on her way to Bill (David Carradine). But first a revision of history. In voiceover, the Bride explains what really happened in "The Massacre at Two Pines" where she and her wedding party were wiped out by Bill and the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. In one of many scenes of brilliant Tarantino dialogue, we get the backstory of Bill and the Bride.

Back to the future, the Bride is on the trail of Bill's brother and fellow assassin Budd, code name Sidewinder (Michael Madsen). Budd has given up the assassin game and has taken a job as a bouncer at a strip club. Bill has warned him that yhe Bride is coming for him, and regardless of Budd's current state of mind, he's still very dangerous. Budd is more than ready when the Bride arrives which leads to a torture scene that is like a film school class in sound editing and building tension. After knocking the bride unconscious, Budd loads her in a coffin and buries her alive, but not before yet another brilliant but of Tarantino dialogue as Budd offers the bride a flashlight. Claustrophobia has never been so well rendered on screen.

This leads to another flashback, this one taking us back to the Bride's training with the legendary master Pai Mei (Gordon Liu). The master is a brutal taskmaster who, we are told hates Americans, white people, and women. This, of course, makes our hero's training that much more difficult. This series of training scenes have been rendered in any number of classic kung fu movies and Tarantino manages to evoke the look, feel, and sounds of the films he is sampling from.

Needless to say, the Bride escapes from her premature grave and is soon back on her quest for vengeance with Budd and Elle (Daryl Hannah) standing in her way. Budd's end is a little disappointing, but the Bride's fight with Elle is arguably the best of both films. Daryl Hannah gives a comeback performance worthy of Travolta’s in Pulp Fiction. Elle's habit of writing everything in a tiny notebook is the kind of little quirk that most screenwriters neglect; the kind of quirk that makes an average character a memorable character. Hannah has a terrific monologue that she recites directly from her notebook.

Of course, the film’s centerpiece is the confrontation with Bill and to describe any further is to describe too much. Suffice it to say that it lives up to and in fact exceeds expectations with a legendary Tarantino dialogue exchange. The words between Bill and The Bride are better than most fight scenes and the finale is quick but very satisfying.

Where the first film was an exercise in style and direction, with little of Tarantino's trademark dialogue Volume 2 makes up for lost dialogue by providing some of the best screenwriting we have seen since Pulp Fiction revolutionized the art form. Kill Bill is proof that the auteur, the director whose vision is complete from script to screen is where film d'art still lives. Say what you will about great screenwriters, it takes a director to create art and Tarantino is the pre-eminent artist of our time.

Mixing genres from a noirish opening credit and direct-to-camera black and white sequence, to Sergio Leone-style western vistas, to more of the first film’s kung fu grind house vibe, Tarantino is like a club DJ, but instead of mixing Elvis Costello into Public Enemy, he mixes Michael Curtiz into Sergio Leone into Kurosawa. Call it film sampling if you want; the result is a work of art that belongs solely to Tarantino.

Movie Review: Chaos Theory

Chaos Theory (2008) 

Directed by Marcos Siega 

Written by Daniel Taplitz, Kathy Gori

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Stuart Townsend, Emily Mortimer, Sarah Chalke

Release Date April 11th, 2008 

Published October 15th, 2008

Ryan Reynolds carries himself as a man who knows he is a star. Reynolds has Confidence just short of arrogance and a real sense of self onscreen, Reynolds, at times, evinces the earnest friendly quality of Tom Hanks and crosses it with a Johnny Depp-like aversion toward anything to conventional. Don't be mistaken, Reynolds makes conventional movies but like Depp he plays his part in a way that gives convention a noticeable tweak. For his latest movie, the conventional romantic dramedy Chaos Theory Reynolds plays his characters tics and fears as physical expressions and gives a performance of grave irritation.

In Chaos Theory Ryan Reynolds stars as Frank Allen, efficiency expert. Frank gives seminars on time management and lives his life with swiss watch precision. That Frank managed to find a woman willing to put up with his maddening lists and schedules is something of an only in the movies miracle. Emily Mortimer is Susan, a wife of infinite patience. The two were friends for years before she decided of the group of male friends she had amassed, Frank was the one she could see herself with permanantly. That was seven years ago, they have a lovely young daughter now and a life of ease and elegance.

Things change drastically and by chance when a finally snapping Susan decides to push the clock ahead 10 minutes. The result is Frank missing his ferry to the city and having to sheepishly reschedule a talk on time management. If you think being late to work is tough, try being a time management guru and show up late.

Nevertheless, Frank powers through the presentation and meets his pal Buddy (Stuart Townsend) in the lobby. They hit the bar and while Buddy chases skirts Frank drinks a little too much, drowning his inefficient sorrows, and ends up back in his hotel room with Paula (Sarah Chalke, Scrubs) trying to keep from cheating on Susan.

Making a run for it, Frank is involved in a car accident with a pregnant woman. He rushes her to the hospital and a couple of misplaced signatures have him mistaken as the baby daddy. When the pregnant girl disappears the next day, leaving the baby behind, a befuddled Susan receives a call to 'return to the hospital and her baby'. Frank has some explaining to do.

The theory of Chaos Theory is that Frank being late, missing his ferry, sets off a series of chaotic events that leave his marriage in trouble. Had Frank been on schedule perhaps, if he had made it to his ferry and given his talk in time, things could have been different. Now, however, because he was later, he is forced to confront the random, uncontrollable forces of fate.,

Director Marcos Siega and writer Daniel Taplitz start from an interesting place but as the chaos sets in on Frank's life so does it set in on a script that is too uncertain of itself. Is it comedy? Is it drama? The balance is even between the two but without a true perspective a vacuum of ideas develops and Chaos Theory becomes a dramatic/comedic void.

The idea of chaos and order fate and chance, are ideas that many filmmakers have explored with relative success. Siega and Taplitz unfortunately bring no depth or substance to the discussion. Chaos theory, chance, fate, all of these are merely building blocks to a mediocre comedy drama with no real driving dramatic force.

Movie Review: Definitely, Maybe

Definitely, Maybe (2008) 

Directed by Adam Brooks

Written by Adam Brooks 

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Derek Luke, Kevin Kline

Release Date February 14th, 2008 

Published February 13th, 2008 

In his first mature leading man performance Ryan Reynolds becomes a star before our eyes in the terrific romance Definitely, Maybe. Call it his Sleepless In Seattle moment, Reynolds becomes the new millennium answer to Tom Hanks as he establishes his romantic leading man street cred opposite not a single Meg Ryan but three tremendous young actresses on three completely different star tracks.

There is the capital A actress Rachel Weisz, already a hairs breath away from Oscar. Elizabeth Banks, the comic character actress. And then there is Isla Fisher, who is still too young to know where her career is headed. Reynolds sparks with each and makes you believe that indeed one man could get that lucky in his life.

Definitely, Maybe stars Reynolds as Will Hayes an ad exec who has just received his divorce papers. He's been headed for divorce for awhile it seems. Will see's his daughter Maya (Abigail Breslin) on Wednesdays and Fridays and is on his way to pick her up as the opening credits wrap. On this particular Friday Maya's school is abuzz. Today the kids took a surprise sex education course and all are bursting with questions. All of this talk of sex has Maya wondering where she came from, not necessarily the technical details, she learned all too much of that, rather about how mom and dad met and how they are where they are today.

Dad is not so hot on telling the tale and thus devises the story as a romantic mystery, leaving Maya to guess which of three women from his past is her mother. There is Emily (Elizabeth Banks) not her real name, who was his college sweetheart. They split up when he went to New York. It's more complicated and messy than that but that comes later. Then there is the copy girl aka April (Isla Fisher). She makes copies for a living in the Bill Clinton for President campaign office where Will has come all the way from Wisconsin to work. Politics of the early to late 90's play a big part in Definitely, Maybe.

And finally there is Summer Heartley (Rachel Weisz), a woman from Emily's past who Will meets when he delivers a present to her from Emily. What that present is has all sorts of surprises attached. Summer is an aspiring journalist sleeping with her esteemed professor (Kevin Kline) when she meets Will. They bounce around each other a little before the girly crush on the professor passes and Summer wants to get serious. She and Will share a relationship with many twists and moments you will not see coming.

So which girl is really mommy? Which girl is also the ex? That is the mystery and the secret charm of Definitely, Maybe.

Writer-director Allan Brooks isn't teasing the audience or screwing with us just to keep us off track. What he devises, structurally and with these terrifically charming and smart characters, is a romantic mystery that in-trances and enchants.This seemingly typical romantic comedy defies convention by mixing three different romances and allowing us to guess, take sides, and hope for our favorite to win out. Leading the guessing game is 12 year old Oscar nominee Abigail Breslin. In yet another devastatingly cute performance, Breslin charms us into a romantic journey that would be lonely and a little dreary without her hopeful, doe eyed presence.

The humor of Definitely, Maybe is warm and comfortable. It emanates naturally from these characters without the force of set ups and punchlines. The skill of Brooks' script may not occur to you until much later when you realize just how invested you are in the outcome of this mystery. Listen for the subtle ways Brooks uses politics as an undercurrent of Will's emotional state. His optimistic investment in President Clinton's promise of hope in 1992 juxtaposed against his disillusionment with his love life and the scandal that engulfs Clinton's presidency. This sets up a final moment in the movie so subtle; blink and you'll miss it. It's a minor scene but it means so much if you follow the context of the film as a whole.

Definitely, Maybe doesn't necessarily break the mold of the traditional romantic comedy. Rather, like the best of the gentrified genre lot, it takes the typical and improves upon it. The formula is familiar, it's just better performed, filmed and crafted in Definitely, Maybe. Rather than limiting himself to what is expected of the romance genre, Adam Brooks goes in slightly off kilter directions. He tweaks the formula, changes the expectations and, by creating wonderful characters with just the right actors, he changes the dynamics of the formula romantic comedy, bends it to the will of his story and creates something special.

Indeed, Definitely, Maybe is something special in the romantic comedy genre.