Yes, the word painted was intentional since the paintings and the music at the opening were rather compelling. Sienna Miller's Vera character was beyond provocative, believable and quite compelling. Alec Baldwin and Charles Grodin were interesting, unique and also pretty compelling. No other actors would have interpreted their roles quite the same way. And no film with that many compelling aspects deserves a three out of ten star rating.
The dialogue was also quite good and believable, throughout. The situation was a touch over the top but credible enough for anyone to say that it could realistically happen. It could, and it almost did happen to someone I'm close to, many years ago. She would not be happy if I got into specifics on a public page but the fact is, when she was in a similar situation, she thought hard about doing what Vera did. I'm sure she wasn't the only one.
With all respect to this great writer, who I truly admire and respect, the fault in this film, and the reason for the bad reviews, in my opinion, is James Toback. Not James the author, of course. The writer of brilliant films like The (original) Gambler and Bugsy, at his worst is still far superior to most screenwriters of today, at their best. The problem is James, as an actor. His character was grating and annoying and I couldn't wait for his tedious scenes to end so we could get back to the compelling characters, the excellent dialogue and the rather interesting film.
Honestly, I think Toback's scenes could be cut out completely without losing anything, except length. It almost feels like the film was too short so he shot some last minute scenes with himself playing opposite the leading lady. Yes, the film was one of the shortest dramas of its kind, at least since early talkies. Editing anything out would make it into more of a short film than a feature. However, editing out every hint of Toback's character and leaving the rest exactly as it is would make this into a much closer to perfect film.
When I think about all the good Charles Grodin roles, I'm actually surprised there were so many. The Heartbreak Kid, Seems Like Old Times, Heaven Can Wait, Heart & Souls and Midnight Run were all pretty fantastic. His one scene here, in his final scene, shows his acting chops as well as any of them. If the film had been regarded higher, Grodin's performance might have actually been considered for awards.
So my question for Mister Toback is, would you prefer a three star seventy two minute short feature or an eight star fifty minute extended short? Try it without your scenes, release it to festivals and my bet is, it receives high praise. My own eight star rating is for every scene in which the truly gifted and eminent writer, James Toback, doesn't try to be an actor.
The dialogue was also quite good and believable, throughout. The situation was a touch over the top but credible enough for anyone to say that it could realistically happen. It could, and it almost did happen to someone I'm close to, many years ago. She would not be happy if I got into specifics on a public page but the fact is, when she was in a similar situation, she thought hard about doing what Vera did. I'm sure she wasn't the only one.
With all respect to this great writer, who I truly admire and respect, the fault in this film, and the reason for the bad reviews, in my opinion, is James Toback. Not James the author, of course. The writer of brilliant films like The (original) Gambler and Bugsy, at his worst is still far superior to most screenwriters of today, at their best. The problem is James, as an actor. His character was grating and annoying and I couldn't wait for his tedious scenes to end so we could get back to the compelling characters, the excellent dialogue and the rather interesting film.
Honestly, I think Toback's scenes could be cut out completely without losing anything, except length. It almost feels like the film was too short so he shot some last minute scenes with himself playing opposite the leading lady. Yes, the film was one of the shortest dramas of its kind, at least since early talkies. Editing anything out would make it into more of a short film than a feature. However, editing out every hint of Toback's character and leaving the rest exactly as it is would make this into a much closer to perfect film.
When I think about all the good Charles Grodin roles, I'm actually surprised there were so many. The Heartbreak Kid, Seems Like Old Times, Heaven Can Wait, Heart & Souls and Midnight Run were all pretty fantastic. His one scene here, in his final scene, shows his acting chops as well as any of them. If the film had been regarded higher, Grodin's performance might have actually been considered for awards.
So my question for Mister Toback is, would you prefer a three star seventy two minute short feature or an eight star fifty minute extended short? Try it without your scenes, release it to festivals and my bet is, it receives high praise. My own eight star rating is for every scene in which the truly gifted and eminent writer, James Toback, doesn't try to be an actor.