"Wristcutters" had a fantastic cast that drew me in more than the plot. Patrick Fugit had a great role in "Deadbirds", Shea Wigham nailed the horror hero in "Splinter", John Hawkes is a great up-and-comer, and Mark Boone Junior, Will Arnett, and Tom Waits are among the fantastic cameos involved. It had everything going for it, and failed miserably.
The new film hype is the "quirky characters falling in love against all odds" arc, a big leap from the hero and heroine. So often you see the type of weird people you wouldn't befriend if your life depended on it becoming heroes of their own quirky movies and their quirky characters fall in love against all quirky odds. The odds in this case is granted an interesting concept, in that Fugit's character commits suicide (hence Wristcutters) and finds himself in a Grey-tinted land where no one smiles.
Fugit meets Wigham's character, who is the most interesting in the film. He is a Russian whose entire family killed themselves almost consecutively, and as a result they are still together in whatever world they are in. Quirky events happen and Wigham and Fugit go on a road trip, where "Wristcutters" starts to go downhill. Shannyn Sossaman's character, a hitchhiker who is looking for the Gods of her new home, gets picked up and guess what happens with Fugit and Sossaman.
A very interesting concept poorly executed by director Goran Dukic. The cinematography is bland and boring, which one may argue is supposed to match the feel of the film. Still. It's bland and it's boring and completely uncaptivating. The dialog is equally bland, and I offer the same argument I previously stated. The direction and feel of the film came off as lifeless, which again, is not something you want, even in a film about lifelessness.
The acting by Fugit is surprisingly mediocre. For the star, he does little to keep our interests. The same with Sossaman, who does nothing with the already bad dialog she's given. The romance between these two is supposed to be our anchor and the lack of chemistry is obvious. The only thing that kept me hooked was a great performance by Wigham (his name is not included on the list of schlocks this movie commits) and a Tom Waits cameo that never seemed to show up.
What can I say besides "this is a brilliant idea that ultimately failed". It may strike a certain audience but for a mild-mannered-movie-buff I thought this movie sucked.
The new film hype is the "quirky characters falling in love against all odds" arc, a big leap from the hero and heroine. So often you see the type of weird people you wouldn't befriend if your life depended on it becoming heroes of their own quirky movies and their quirky characters fall in love against all quirky odds. The odds in this case is granted an interesting concept, in that Fugit's character commits suicide (hence Wristcutters) and finds himself in a Grey-tinted land where no one smiles.
Fugit meets Wigham's character, who is the most interesting in the film. He is a Russian whose entire family killed themselves almost consecutively, and as a result they are still together in whatever world they are in. Quirky events happen and Wigham and Fugit go on a road trip, where "Wristcutters" starts to go downhill. Shannyn Sossaman's character, a hitchhiker who is looking for the Gods of her new home, gets picked up and guess what happens with Fugit and Sossaman.
A very interesting concept poorly executed by director Goran Dukic. The cinematography is bland and boring, which one may argue is supposed to match the feel of the film. Still. It's bland and it's boring and completely uncaptivating. The dialog is equally bland, and I offer the same argument I previously stated. The direction and feel of the film came off as lifeless, which again, is not something you want, even in a film about lifelessness.
The acting by Fugit is surprisingly mediocre. For the star, he does little to keep our interests. The same with Sossaman, who does nothing with the already bad dialog she's given. The romance between these two is supposed to be our anchor and the lack of chemistry is obvious. The only thing that kept me hooked was a great performance by Wigham (his name is not included on the list of schlocks this movie commits) and a Tom Waits cameo that never seemed to show up.
What can I say besides "this is a brilliant idea that ultimately failed". It may strike a certain audience but for a mild-mannered-movie-buff I thought this movie sucked.