Like most of you, I am a Harry Potter fan and stumbled upon this movie while seeing what Rupert Grint was up to. I thought he was easily the most talented actor of the trio, and was curious to where his career would go - Emma Watson has modeling and fashion, Dan Radcliffe seems to be doing Broadway and other types of media.
Anyway, The movie is centered around two best friends - Malachy (Grint) and Luke (Sheehan). They live a regular yet drug-infused life of a teenager. Malachy is a loved son with responsibility and a job. Luke, however, is the product of a broken home and as a result is left by himself for the most part - fueling the chaos. Malachy's boss' daughter, Michelle, comes to live with him and the two friends immediately fight for her. The love between the friends is obvious throughout the movie, despite frequent fights. Malachy ends up falling for Michelle, and when she reveals she is leaving and therefore cannot start a relationship he works harder for even a moment of love. The ending is pretty surprising, a solid twist.
I didn't like the directing at all. Throughout the movie there is white text that flashes across the screen with phrases that don't seem to make sense. Are they the character's thoughts? words? Narrator's hints? It was unnecessary. The writing was pretty good, a lot of things were unnecessary and unexplained, but some can argue that is just a style that was intentional - perhaps even liked by many viewers. The ending sort of drops off, leaving unclear of the fate of the trio. Again, it may be intentional, but it was far too abrupt and didn't close the movie in the way I would have liked.
The highlight of this movie is the acting. Without a doubt. Every person in this movie is believable and brilliant. Grint did not disappoint and played the character flawlessly. Even when he is not the focus of the shot, he stays in character and even his gestures are consistent and spot on. Sheehan was the biggest surprise to me. I have no idea who he is, haven't seen him before, but he really made the movie for me. The mix of charisma, a character with a chip on his shoulder, and the overall development of his character is apparent with every word, gesture, and smirk. I look forward to seeing him in future films.
Overall, if you are a Harry Potter fan, you will appreciate Grint's performance and probably like the movie. The acting made the shortcomings of the movie less obvious and entertaining. However, this is not a movie meant for a young audience. It is riddled with drugs, sex, violence, and bad language.
