Laughable at Best

Rating: 3/10 (23 December 2009)

Leaving any debate about the book versus the movie aside, in all honesty, I only purchased and watch this movie because it makes me laugh. I'd like to point out that I saw the movie before I ever read the book, so I didn't go into the film looking for something more only to be disappointed, it disappoints me all on its own.
While I think the themes and the subject matter of the plot are definitely interesting and even terrifying, I think it was handled very, very poorly in this film. Unfortunately for me, it is without a doubt the actors, or rather their acting that just drags this film downhill. When the actors are delivering their lines so poorly that it makes me laugh, I lose sight of the plot and its little nuances. If I can't believe the actors' portrayals of the characters, I'm not going to take the story seriously.
Jack Nicholson gets me to laugh so much in this film when I should be scared that it's disgusting. Between his facial expressions, vocal tones and his pointed eyebrows, I find Jack Torrence comedic. Shelley Duvall's portrayal of Wendy Torrence has me desiring more. I don't believe a single word that comes out of her mouth; it all sounds like an act to me and a bad one at that. And those are just two of the characters. The rest are equally as bad, if not worse.
I don't think the music helps all that much either. Often too loud and just not quite seeming to fit, it adds to the hilarity as it emphasizes a point that should be horrific but only transforms it into something ridiculous. Or this excessively loud music contributes to my holding the remote on my lap so that I can turn the movie down when they decide to raise it to unnecessary ear-splitting levels.
These aspects hamper the tone of the film and I really don't feel the fear or anything else the film has to offer. It could have been a fabulously horrific film, but instead it only ends up a comedic disaster.