By Janni
Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, and Penelope Cruz should have been enough to keep me away from this movie. But, no. I had to go and have an open mind and think "well, Cameron Crowe rocked Almost Famous, maybe he'll end up blowing my mind despite the acting." Sigh. I was wrong. Very, very wrong.
I don't even know where to start in terms of a review. The subpar writing? The disturbing images of Tom Cruise with a mangled face? The lack of connection to Cruise's character (or, is it to Tom Cruise himself?) The confusing and frustrating attempt to weave together dream and reality? (note: to see an actual GOOD movie that does the latter, watch Inception - shout out to my favorite director). I have plenty more on the negative list, but suffice it to say I thought there were multiple issues with the film, not the least of which is the acting, and would not recommend it to anyone.
That said, I do want to mention 2 positive things. First, the movie is a remake of a Spanish film, Abre Los Ojos, which I have on good authority is actually great. If you have some odd craving to watch Vanilla Sky, perhaps you should turn on Abre Los Ojos instead. Second, Jason Lee is great. He was the highlight of this movie for me. But if you're a Jason Lee fan and want to watch one of his movies, allow me to recommend something where he is not the only shining star in the midst of a black hole, something like, oh I don't know, perhaps my favorite movie: the aforementioned Almost Famous.
I'm sticking with my theory that Almost Famous is Crowe's only good film. It would make sense, considering it has a personal connection to him. Also, if a movie ever depends on Tom Cruise to display emotion without yelling, it's going to be a battle. I still love the fact that when I watch Magnolia and Cruise attempts to be emotional, I watch Philip Seymour-Hoffman who is out of focus in the background and am more in awe of his acting in the scene.
ReplyDelete~Lizzi