Let down, but hilarious misunderstanding!

Rating: Null/10 (12 November 2002)

This movie was a similar let down to me as Unbreakable. I am just a little tired of movies where all the details in the story combine in the finale. It was fine in John Irvine's book "A Prayer for Owen Meany" (from which the construction of the plot and concept is stolen) but just seems so lazy in films today, unless some real surprise comes out of it, like in Fight Club or the Sixth Sense. Like Unbreakable, we are asked to care about character traits and history of poorly constructed and dull characters. The "surprise" ending, the "twist", is so weak as to be a disapointment.
What is more, Shyamalan continues down his "tribute" to Hitchcock with a pointless cameo appearance again, and the rather blatant shots framed by foreground objects. When is he going to find his own voice? Don't claim Shyamalan is a genius until he does something original!
However, what saved this cinema experience for me was the misunderstanding that ripped through the entire audience of the cinema I was in during the asthma attack scene where Mel Gibson tries to resuscitate his son. The combination of the dialogue and action in this scene immediately suggested itself to the South London audience that Gibson was in fact sexually molesting his son, and no one could believe this was in a movie. The whole place erupted with laughter at the double entendré of it all. I am talking about over 100 people simultaneously experiencing the same thing, and finding it more entertaining than the intention of the film maker. Certainly a more disturbing twist than Shyamalan's intention. I can't believe no one else has noticed this...
The film was terrible, but hurrah for audiences that can rethink a dull movie into something amusing...