Two Long Hours

Rating: 4/10 (30 November 2014)

The tone of this movie changes so often, it is hard to sympathize with the characters. Within a single scene the director suggests we sympathize with the plight of the protagonist and the rest of the cast-- served up with a heavy dose of violins and heartfelt exchanges as they stare deep into each other eyes and wish they had done the right thing long ago-- and then laugh along with them as they trade glib snarky put-downs back and forth to let you know this is a "real" backstage look at life in the theater. The audience doesn't have the chance to feel one way or the other, and I don't think the writers know what they are looking for either, so they've thrown the whole mess in there, hoping something will stick. In the end I don't really care if the big Opening Night succeeds or fails.
And then there is the whole scifi overlay-- yes, I get it, the theater-- or in this case, a movie about the theater-- is a higher calling than Hollywood blockbusters. Well, it CAN be, but you need a more compelling plot and a more consistent emotional tone to keep me interested for two whole hours.