don't be put off by the snobs

Rating: Null/10 (13 December 2004)

To give this brief review some context i will start by saying i am neither a fan of Ashton Kutcher nor the Teen_Psycho-drama_With_Brains sub-genre, like donnie darko/final destination and their ilk, but i have to own up and say this was a pretty satisfying piece of entertainment and Kutcher acquitted himself well in this dramatic roll. Don't be put off by the snobs, cinema is art (i like my fair share of art house and world cinema) but it is also mass entertainment and as such is intended for the layman, not an initiated few who can flex their vocabulary over something they were never prepared to like in the first place. If you allow yourself the suspension of disbelief this is a worthwhile movie to give a few hours to. When it comes to this kind of movie i usually have the attention span of a gnat, but the directors create an engaging and immerse atmosphere that retained my attention throughout.
The mystery is why exactly this movie has attracted so much negative criticism, it is after all only the 1st feature for this pair of directors. some sight the exploitative nature of some of the subject matter, which simply does hold any water, and any self respecting and professional reviewer would know thats a hollow argument when dealing with matters of this particular media.
My only personal gripe with this film was the ending, which felt conveniently tacked on and a little to "hollywood", as if added to appease the studio, i understand there is a darker ending on the DVD.
i for one would have just liked it to end a couple of scenes earlier with the main character in the asylum, making the last 2 hours a window into someones private madness, but hey thats just me.
In short, its not a classic but its no where near as bad as some would have you believe.