I was in Toronto last weekend and caught this out of curiosity, and to support a Canadian film, since we don't get many in our theaters back in the States. I wanted to pull for the film, but I found it nearly impossible. The script is leaden, the actors are flat and the dialogue is horrible. It reminded me of someone's senior thesis from Filmmaking 101, but with a better budget. Every joke is telegraphed, no character has any original quality whatsoever and the suspense sequences are completely lifted from everything we've already seen in a hundred other films.
I can understand the need for Canadian cinema to compete with American cinema. Personally, I'm no big fan of American blockbusters either; I look for the small, personal, quirky films. "Fool Proof" feels hollow because there's no emotion invested, nothing innovative, no chemistry. It's apparent from the opening sequence that everyone involved in the production is trying to be cool, instead of actually being cool.
As a TV series pilot, this might not have been bad -- expectations are lowered, and the characters don't need to be as fleshed out yet as they should be on the big screen. As a multiplex contender, I don't think "Fool Proof" has enough authenticity or points of interest to generate a sincere audience. Perhaps next time the filmmakers should work from their gut, rather than with their eyes on the theatergoers' wallets -- the same goes for filmmakers around the world.
I can understand the need for Canadian cinema to compete with American cinema. Personally, I'm no big fan of American blockbusters either; I look for the small, personal, quirky films. "Fool Proof" feels hollow because there's no emotion invested, nothing innovative, no chemistry. It's apparent from the opening sequence that everyone involved in the production is trying to be cool, instead of actually being cool.
As a TV series pilot, this might not have been bad -- expectations are lowered, and the characters don't need to be as fleshed out yet as they should be on the big screen. As a multiplex contender, I don't think "Fool Proof" has enough authenticity or points of interest to generate a sincere audience. Perhaps next time the filmmakers should work from their gut, rather than with their eyes on the theatergoers' wallets -- the same goes for filmmakers around the world.