Mostly unsuccessful

Rating: 4/10 (7 June 2006)

» The more I think about this movie, the less I like it.
» I really enjoyed the first half of this movie. It moved quickly and had many funny and original moments. And it was a particular treat to see Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal appear as brother and sister.
» However, as the movie grew darker in the second half, it also got duller and less inventive (particularly in its reliance on the cliché of the misunderstood teenage genius). Until the final scene, the second half of the movie was strange without being beautiful, funny, or edifying. The final scene was somewhat unexpected, and even redemptive, but it was executed so perfunctorily that it could not rescue the movie.
»» suggested double feature: Harvey (1950)