PRETENTIOUS BORE

Rating: Null/10 (2 May 2003)

Please curb your enthusiasm. This was Hollywood's idea of a daring film. A director with a sense of humor would have left the script alone and made a funny, satirical film out of "American Beauty." But Menzies had to load it up with "important" commentary on suburban angst and the dysfunctional family (both of which themes are already painfully cliche). And that floating plastic bag! Boring. Very boring. I also question the moral balance of a director who brings his indignation to bear on homophobia but is strangely non-judgmental on drug-dealing. Please do not support this kind of pretentious "film-making". See "Donnie Darko" instead. At least the parents in that film are not standard issue Hollywood dysfunctional stereotypes.