There's a scene in this very episodic movie (divided into 'tracks') where the girl bass player is trying to show her art portfolio to a plainly uninterested man in a suit. I know how he feels.
There's always room for another movie about urban rock'n'roll, and 1234 (also the name of the band) isn't a terrible addition to the genre, it's just that the characters are much too shallow. There's a complete presumption from the start that you will care about the band and the characters' lives, without question. The characters are no deeper than the nerdy one, the moody one, the arty girl and her immature boyfriend and the really thick one, who's the drummer. Things happen that anyone who's ever been in a band will recognise, but they happen in the way that things happen in a bad soap opera: because the script says so. For example, Stevie is walking down a street, and we're supposed to believe that it's a surprise that he comes across Emily; but look - there's Emily's house. There's no indication, and she doesn't question, whether Steve is stalking her or anything, which might have been interesting; it just happens because - that's what the script says happens.
*HERE BE SPOILERS*
Again, the ending leaves you guessing not only why Steve does what he does, but what might happen afterwards, which is a major copout. By this time in the movie you ought to be identifying with his decisions, not trying to second guess them. In a nutshell: Steve was in a band because he wanted a girlfriend. Otherwise, he would have bought a decent amplifier. It's a movie about somebody who's not very ambitious. Ho hum.
The script fails to raise the stakes high enough, or draw the characters deep enough; they're just middle-class people struggling with boredom and there's zero development. It's not the fault of the actors, and the music is mercifully kept to a minimum, because that isn't going to win any Grammys either.
Keep you expectations low if you rent this one.
There's always room for another movie about urban rock'n'roll, and 1234 (also the name of the band) isn't a terrible addition to the genre, it's just that the characters are much too shallow. There's a complete presumption from the start that you will care about the band and the characters' lives, without question. The characters are no deeper than the nerdy one, the moody one, the arty girl and her immature boyfriend and the really thick one, who's the drummer. Things happen that anyone who's ever been in a band will recognise, but they happen in the way that things happen in a bad soap opera: because the script says so. For example, Stevie is walking down a street, and we're supposed to believe that it's a surprise that he comes across Emily; but look - there's Emily's house. There's no indication, and she doesn't question, whether Steve is stalking her or anything, which might have been interesting; it just happens because - that's what the script says happens.
*HERE BE SPOILERS*
Again, the ending leaves you guessing not only why Steve does what he does, but what might happen afterwards, which is a major copout. By this time in the movie you ought to be identifying with his decisions, not trying to second guess them. In a nutshell: Steve was in a band because he wanted a girlfriend. Otherwise, he would have bought a decent amplifier. It's a movie about somebody who's not very ambitious. Ho hum.
The script fails to raise the stakes high enough, or draw the characters deep enough; they're just middle-class people struggling with boredom and there's zero development. It's not the fault of the actors, and the music is mercifully kept to a minimum, because that isn't going to win any Grammys either.
Keep you expectations low if you rent this one.
