Friday, August 14, 2009

Movie review! Aaah'm steamed!

My review of Sidney Lumet's Family Business for Netflix. So aggravated about it, I couldn't wait for them to post this. So you see it here first, you lucky people, plants, + animals.

Aargh!

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Why on Earth was this classified as comedy?? Aside from how low this movie could make you feel-- especially when you're expecting some laughs!-- there are A LOT of problems with Family Business. The way it's written (doesn't seem like they knew how to adapt the story for the screen), the pacing (excruciating), the editing (see pacing-- were the editors asleep??), the music (sappy, innapropriate, jarring, manipulative)... it's hard to know where to start. And aside from how poorly it was made (given the incredible talent involved-- what a waste!), it just plain made me angry. We the viewers are supposed to feel sorry for some really despicable characters, while Dustin Hoffman's character (and the best performance of any here) is given short shrift. Other than Hoffman, this movie has a few very real-feeling scenes going for it... and one very charming old bearded Irish man. Maybe they should show this is in film-criticism classes-- it'd give the students plenty to chew on.

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