Great for straights; so-so for subversives

Rating: 5/10 (19 August 2006)

Maybe it's me. This isn't a bad movie; I was only moved to write a neutral/negative review after reading page after page of gushes. Somebody's publicist really deserves a raise!!! I don't know - I was expecting/hoping for something more like Death To Smoochy or American Beauty or Memento. You know; a tried and true plot with a unique, dark and twisted POV. Well developed characters, often playing against type. Strong dialogue. Great performances from a good ensemble cast.
I have no beef with the cast or the performances. Toni Collette's reputation made me sit through most of Sixth Sense. She still owes me for that! She's great here, as usual. The rest are good to great (little Olive); Alan Arkin, Toni Collette's godfather of sorts, does a lot with what should have been excrement.
The film succeeds, I suppose, by being good enough for viewers like me, who didn't really like it, to bother commenting on it. Call it disappointment, I guess. I know that I'm usually in the minority, especially when it comes to films. I can see the staple marks, the editing, the overacting, and I've never even wanted to be a film student or actor. I'm just a fan.
Over 90% of the people whom I saw the film with loved it. That has to carry some weight. 59 million people voted for Dubya Bush even after the tragedy of his first term. So I'm not telling you what is or isn't good for you. If you like good, mainstream movies you'll probably like this. If you like indie films and have a generally positive attitude, you'll like it. If you like a good strong cast and the mashing together of lots of scenes you've seen before in dozens of other movies, you'll like this.
If you're expecting subversion, nuance or good old fashioned noir, you'll probably feel ripped off.