The Guitar (2008)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Amy Redford

Writer (WGA):

Amos Poe (written by)

Genre:

Drama | Music | Romance

Plot:

The life of a woman is transformed after she is diagnosed with a terminal disease, fired from her job and abandoned by her boyfriend. Given two months to live, she throws caution to the wind to pursue her dreams.

Plot Keywords:

Guitar | Electric Guitar | Terminal Illness | Pizza Delivery | Shopping Spree

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Saffron Burrows	...	Melody Wilder
Isaach De Bankolé	...	Roscoe Wasz
Paz de la Huerta	...	Constance 'Cookie' Clemente
Mia Kucan	...	Young Mel
Adam Trese	...	Mr. Laffs
Janeane Garofalo	...	Dr. Murray
Owen McCarthy	...	Himself - Everyothers' Singer
Joel Cannon	...	Himself - Everyothers' Guitar Player (as Joel B. Cannon)
Ben Toro	...	Himself - Everyothers' Bass Player
John Melville	...	Himself - Everyothers' Drummer
Reg Rogers	...	Brett
David Wain	...	Phone Man
Elizabeth Marvel	...	Ma Wilder
Bill Camp	...	Pa Wilder
Richard Short	...	Loser Musician

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content, nudity and some language.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Mandarin | Punjabi

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:M | Singapore:R21

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Apple Creek Productions

Trivia:

This film was shot in 21 days.

"Made in 21 Days" says it all

and i have to believe it was written in even less time.

the plot synopsis here at IMDb is good. i wish they'd shot that.

what we got instead was a 95 minute film wishing it could be seen as one of those inspirational and affirming movies about a woman who attempts to overcome everything ... with a guitar. that wish was apparently denied.

instead we end up with a 21-day film where they must've printed every first take; directed by someone disconnected from the subject ... and the characters ... and even simple threads of continuity ... and written by someone with no apparent expertise or sensitivity to the matter at hand. even the script's bones, even its structure is wonky. and the editor, i have to ask the editor what they were listening to when editing this film? the film's heartbeat ... its sense of rhythm is ... missing. for a film titled after a musical instrument with a character named Melody this pretty standard rhythm of editing idea seems a significant oversight.

i have to let the actors off the hook because they seem to offer shallow, thoughtless, stilted although perhaps rushed performances. i kept wishing it would get better as it went along. it just /had/ to, i thought, but it never did.

now i can only hope i saved you 95 minutes.