Great for artistic value, but average everywhere else.

Rating: 5/10 (4 September 2005)

I caught a sneak preview of this the other night. I was looking forward to this for the specific reason to see if Bill Paxton has what it takes to make the transition from actor to director.
After not thinking too much of Frailty, I left the theater after seeing this one with the feeling of seeing yet another movie of "cookie-cutter" value. The only thing that REALLY impressed me about this film was Paxton's use of a "vintage" color palette. So I give kudos there, but really nowhere else.
I couldn't help but feel that Paxton may have been stifled by the ears of the Mouse, but in remembering Frailty, I can clearly say that Paxton is just "another" average director.
The movie itself is your typical "I've seen this this scenario a million times before" true story. It's true weakness is that there is neither highs or lows in the story, it just trudges along at an even keel. The acting is standard (although Elias Koteas' accent slightly bothered me), the plot was uninspiring ...if only for the fact that Paxton failed to inject any caring or emotional impact into the material, relying instead on gimmicky special effects shots to try to make the film interesting.
If you're looking for an emotionally gripping film with heart, this one is not it. If you've seen every other "based on a true story" Disney film, then you've seen this one all to many times before.
I gave this a 5 just because it was not bad in the sense that it is unwatchable, I just thought it was "typical". And while Paxton is a capable director, he shows no signs of "shining through" the endless sea of average directors (especially actors TURNED directors). I give him merit for the look of the film, but he REALLY needs to work on the emotional aspect of his films if he is going to get anyone to really care about them.