Driven to review this contrived and circumstantial drivel..

Rating: Null/10 (8 February 2004)

***MAJOR Plot Spoilers Ahead***
Having just finished watching this movie, I'm almost forced to review it. This is one of those movies that no matter the slating a reviewer gives it, you'll see it anyway because of the hype and the 'Oscar talk'. The only Oscar that needs to be given is perhaps to Marcia Gay Harden for her above-stellar acting, especially given the atrocious script and storyline. Her expression at the end is Oscar worthy in itself...
So what exactly is wrong with the movie? Well, - the biggest problem is that it's one long mess that ends on such an anticlimactic note that I feel that you can only come away shaking your head. I sat there towards the end, thinking about all the misdirection and contrivances and wondering how any sane person can actually think the story clever. Much like the horrible 'Runaway Jury', I felt my intelligence insulted, and wanted very much to leave before the end and forget the torrid experience of having seen the movie.
Let's see...
Part 1:
Brendan's mute brother and his friend just HAPPEN to get Brendan's father's gun and just happens to BY MISTAKE shoot it at Katie's car one night. (Katie of course, the day of her demise, - just HAPPENED to give her father 'a funny look that indicated that she wouldn't see her father again' because she just HAPPENS to be heading to Vegas that weekend with Brendan.) Anyway, Brendan's mute brother and his friend decide that they'd rather not get into trouble for firing a gun and decide to do the smart thing which is - chase Katie into wood and beat her around for a bit with a hockey stick. Then, (and why not?) - fire the gun into her head. Yeah....right. Talk about clichéd. Then, for some completely stupid reason, Brendan's brother and friend call the police? I guess they suddenly felt guilty for having beaten the living crap out of Katie and then having shot her. Right. Yeah. That must be it.
Part 2:
Here we have poor Dave, who for some ridiculous reason is married to Celeste, which makes no sense since Dave is obviously disturbed. The night that Katie is killed, Dave just HAPPENS to be in the same bar that Katie went to (the last one she went to - of course), and just HAPPENS to get into a fight with a paeodphile on the way home, and also just happens to get cut pretty bad. He then just happens to put the molester in his trunk and the molester just HAPPENS to have the same blood type as Katie (but of course!). Then he comes home and tells his wife that he was 'mugged'. I mean, of COURSE you wouldn't tell your wife that you stopped a child molester at work. I mean, telling the truth to your wife is a STRICT no-no, non?

Word of the day folks: contrived, contrived, contrived. Oh wait, - that's three words. Oh nevermind.
So apart from the ridiculous plot, we have some ridiculous characters too. Katie's female friends, even though KATIE IS DEAD, have some trouble telling the cops who Katie's boyfriend is. Riiight. That makes sense. Then you have Laura Linney giving this completely ridiculous speech at the end about how
her husband, Sean Penn, is the greatest guy, no matter what he does. I mean, it's all about defending the family, right? There's more, but I'd rather not waste any more thought on this hokum.

Final word is that this is honestly one of the worst movies I've seen. I came away not just disappointed, but also rather miffed, and definitely bitter about the whole thing. Penn, Bacon, Gay Harden, and Robins acted well as they always do. Just one hell of a shame about the movie.

5 poos out of 5.