Saw this at its world premiere at SIFF, where half the audience was cast/crew members. Between that, the fact that it was filmed in Seattle (I even unknowingly saw a scene being filmed), and that I'm an Elisabeth Röhm fan from Law & Order, I think is keeping me from panning this movie to the level it deserves, but I'll try.
This movie is certainly entertaining, which, after labeling itself a screwball comedy, should be a given. The problem starts early on, when Elisabeth Röhm's character Angela transforms into a loony screwball character after playing the first several scenes fairly straight. You keep waiting for her to "drop the act" and play it straight again, especially since Angela went to acting school, but she never does and her wacky behavior is never explained. Are we really supposed to believe that this alpha woman who on a professional basis transforms criminals into likable witnesses at trial would herself completely lose her composure on the stand? The supporting characters were all great, my favorite being Pisay Pao as Angela's housekeeper-in-disguise. Sean Patrick Flanery was Angela's wanna-be leading man Gary, written as the unoriginal nice guy friend who's been making puppy dog eyes at his friend since forever, hoping she comes around to seeing him as the man she wanted all along but didn't know it. When they finally get together at the end, the scene feels forced and rushed, resulting in classic bad acting. This is the scene that for me sunk the whole movie far lower than it could have been.
In the end we're supposed to believe Angela has "seen the light" about how her job undermines justice, but the movie fails to convince, in part because Angela is still not being played straight, but also because the movie here fails to follow the first rule of storytelling, "show, don't tell".
Also, several elements of back-story are alluded to but never developed further. Maybe they would have given this movie some much-needed depth.
This movie is certainly entertaining, which, after labeling itself a screwball comedy, should be a given. The problem starts early on, when Elisabeth Röhm's character Angela transforms into a loony screwball character after playing the first several scenes fairly straight. You keep waiting for her to "drop the act" and play it straight again, especially since Angela went to acting school, but she never does and her wacky behavior is never explained. Are we really supposed to believe that this alpha woman who on a professional basis transforms criminals into likable witnesses at trial would herself completely lose her composure on the stand? The supporting characters were all great, my favorite being Pisay Pao as Angela's housekeeper-in-disguise. Sean Patrick Flanery was Angela's wanna-be leading man Gary, written as the unoriginal nice guy friend who's been making puppy dog eyes at his friend since forever, hoping she comes around to seeing him as the man she wanted all along but didn't know it. When they finally get together at the end, the scene feels forced and rushed, resulting in classic bad acting. This is the scene that for me sunk the whole movie far lower than it could have been.
In the end we're supposed to believe Angela has "seen the light" about how her job undermines justice, but the movie fails to convince, in part because Angela is still not being played straight, but also because the movie here fails to follow the first rule of storytelling, "show, don't tell".
Also, several elements of back-story are alluded to but never developed further. Maybe they would have given this movie some much-needed depth.