Unexpected

Rating: 6/10 (6 November 2004)

I didn't go see this movie in the theaters. I remember seeing the trailer for it, and the audience reacted with the ever-popular war cry of "Video!" It didn't even look good enough for a video rental, to be honest. I mean, come on, Ashton Kutcher as Donnie Darko? Gimme a break.
About a week ago, curiosity got the better of me, and I ended up renting it. The thing is, I'm almost ashamed to say it, I liked the movie. Now, I say that with a couple of caveats. First off, Ashton is nobody's idea of a dramatic actor and he performs about as well as you'd expect. The second thing that's wrong with the movie is that there seems to be a lot of "movie science" going on. Ashton studies caterpillars so that he can write a paper on memory loss. What? But, having said that, there is one thing that stands out about this movie. It takes some really bizarre turns for a studio film. There are a lot of topics in here that are usually reserved for independent movies. Sexually abused children, dogs being burned alive, prison rape.
The movie takes some chances, and for that I give it 7 out of 10.