No Day At the Beach.

Rating: 5/10 (5 May 2015)

The Beach (2000): Dir: Danny Boyle / Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tilda Swinton, Robert Carlyle, Virginie Ledoyan, Guillaume Canet: Intriguing film until one sees through its phony advertizing and dreary writing. Title regards opportunity and freedom, which is something the characters believe they've found until the fine print reveals unexpected dangers. Leonardo DiCaprio plays a drifter who is given a map to a paradise island. He ventures to the island and encounters people who made it their home. Lame subplots include shark attacks, romantic elements, and a dope crop. Director Danny Boyle cannot sort out the mess and hardly capitalizes on his success with Trainspotting. Ravishing production and photography are an asset. DiCaprio goes half way with his performance. He gains possession of this map and then inhabits another culture or lifestyle as well as romance two women but he goes through unexplained personality lapses in the third act that make little sense. Tilda Swinton is intriguing as an islander until she basically becomes a romantic prop. Robert Carlyle appears briefly with the map before he kills himself in a drunken state. Virginie Ledoyan and her boyfriend, played by Guillaume Canet accompany DiCaprio before also becoming a romantic prop situation. It addresses the perfect fantasy but as a film it is no fantasy and certainly no day at the beach. Score: 5 ½ / 10