Requiem for a disappointment...

Rating: 3/10 (20 April 2005)

Talk about a let down. I had heard nothing but raves about this one in the genre of "drug films", but when I finally saw it I realized that the raves were from raving lunatics. You might want to head to a fallout shelter if you're planning to watch this bomb. It only shows that a populace raised on the current standard of unrealistic "reality t.v.", will buy anything.
Right off the top, the acting is reminiscent of an over-dramatized silent movie. Not easy to do when you have experienced actors like Jennifer Connelly and Marlon Wayons (whose performances while very good, become almost comical as a result of the script and the director's efforts). While Ellen Bursten does a great job of portraying Harry's rapidly deteriorating and lonely mother, for a film that tries to take itself and it's subject matter so seriously, the comedic aspect of her scenes seem very out of place.
The film's hysteria and sensationalism reach ridiculous heights. It's overloaded, absurd and unconvincing. Camera angles that would serve better in a music video make up most of the "substance" of this very gimmicky film. And don't get me started on some of the worst New York accents I've heard since I visited Kentucky.
If there's one positive thing I can say about this movie it's that it is very likely to dissuade the type of impressionable NAIVE young minds that could fall victim to the very real perils of serious drug use (most of which is grossly exaggerated in this farcical film). However those same impressionable minds are undoubtedly the ones that will believe this film paints a "stark and real" picture of what happens to everyone who uses drugs, without exception.
Overall, if you have never had a drug problem, known anyone in your entire life who has had one, ever used drugs, or heard anyone talk realistically about drugs, then maybe this is the movie for you. An MTV version of the "real world" from a junkie's perspective. It's not even amusing as the joke it ends up being. In the genre of drug movies this one should be filed under "oregano".