Starring: Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Channing Tatum
Synopsis: A young woman's world unravels when a drug prescribed by her psychiatrist has unexpected side effects.
Actors Impression:
I was disappointed with the lack of Channing Tatum's hotness in this film, but when he was on screen, his performance was starkly different from his past performances which, in my book, is good. He's never played this kind of character before, so he can't remind me of anything I've seen before. That aside, Tatum's presence in this film was lack-luster and forgettable. Basically, his character was there to be a catalyst to get the real conflict in the movie going, and it probably could have been replaced by anyone.
Jude Law was marvelous in this film. His character transformed with the circumstances in this movie, and I was completely enveloped in his development.
Catherine Zeta-Jones is an excellent actress, however right from the start of the movie, I felt like her character was up to something, that she did not have innocent intentions, and in the style of the film, I shouldn't have been able to detect that in the beginning. She played sketchy-as-hell very well, but she needed to begin her performance with "I'm-just-trying-to-help."
Rooney Mara was excellent. She embodied her character throughout the entirety of the film and played well off of the other actors. Perfection.
Plot Impression:
I was very surprised by the film and the plot line. This was partly due to the film promos being incredibly vague about the plot, but they gave enough of an impression to guess the story, and I guessed wrong. Which, as a writer, doesn't happen very often. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised with the turn the Law-Mara plot line took halfway through the film. It was surprising, unexpected, and ended in a way that satisfied my preferences by the end of the movie. I was disappointed with the use of Zeta-Jones' character; she definitely could have been integrated into the developing story in a much better way, and it sort of left me feeling very... "Really? Really, this is happening right now?"
The film could have definitely been set up in a different way to make the conclusion come out with much stronger convictions, which would have inevitably given Tatum's character more use and importance.
Speaking from a writer's point of view, the story was good and surprising, but it definitely could have gone through another round of edits and become stronger.
Overall Impression:
I enjoyed watching this film a lot more than I expected I would. While I obviously have critiques after thinking about it for a few days, walking out of the theater, I was singing nothing but praises.
I think the music and score definitely improved the viewing experience of this film. The music was subtle and beautiful, and enhanced the experience in my opinion.
Would I see this movie again? Probably not in theaters, but I'll buy it on DVD.
The Blonde's Rating: 4/5 ****
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
Average Rating: 7.4/10
Thanks!
The Blonde
