Reviews

Oh My God this movie was bad… So horrible… it hurt to sit through the first 20 minutes to get to the point. I felt I could review it due without ever bothering to digest the whole piece.

Despite the high profile comedic talent on hand, (Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy), the movie is so predictable that you can guess almost every nuance in it. If you wish to have your intelligence insulted for an hour and a half, this is for you.

The idiotic pranks the script calls for in the first half hour are so predictable, you laugh at the characters as they attempt to convince you they're going through the actual experience of identity theft. The lame attempt to profile a law enforcement agent's disdain for having to pursue an identity thief is akin to what the audience feels in their effort to connect with the characters. McCarty's character is so predictable we've seen it 100 times in Hollywood. Good person feels unloved, steals someone else's material goods to feel appreciated, throws party, is told no one cares and voila… they want to do right.

Hello, thanks for your complete lack of originality.

When you have comedic talent, you don't have to give them an 9th grader's high school play script to read. Give them some real material. McCarthy's character is so predictable you already hate her before you're invested into why she actually bother to steal Bateman's character's identity. By the time the movie reveals that McCarthy is a self-loathing, conceited, self deprecating individual who wants out of her predictable Drug/gang related troubles, you have no empathy for her character what-so-ever. In fact, you've already begun to detest her role as a leach.

Bateman is the only character worth investing in and perhaps that's because we still identify with him as one of the principles in Hancock, nearly the same character.

If I'm spending $8 to see a film it sure as heck isn't this one.

Give us a real script and less predictable jokes, less predictable outcomes and less predictable plot lines. Yes, the actors were funny, but everything else about this film suc&ed.

Save your $ go see something else.

I can't tell you how good the cinematography was, or how the original novel compared to the script. I can't explain how excellent Saoirse Ronan was in her portrayal of a victim or how captivating Rachael Weisz and Mark Wahlberg were as parents in this film. I certainly can't empathize with Stanley Tucci in his role as the villain.

I can't tell you because I can't get past one thing...

The topic is so vile.

This was a movie that rips your heart out as a parent and offers no explanation as to why it was made or any socially redeeming value other than to profit those who made it.

I'm not negative because it was poor film-making. Au contraire... it was an exceptionally well done piece on an extremely controversial topic. Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) obviously put his abilities to work here in an attempt to tell the story.

The problem is, there is nothing entertaining about this topic. Even Jackson's decision to tone down some of the parts to make it more 'audience-friendly' weren't enough to make this palpable to any parent.

To profit from this movie, then celebrate it with critical acclaim and awards... well, that just confirms the negative perception I have of movie show-business. I would question anyone who tells you to go see this movie, and doubt their abilities as a trusted source for future reviews.

The movie makes an attempt to illustrated the nuances of how the Motion Picture Association goes about its business of rating films. While it does outline the basics of what level of unacceptable behavior will result in a more restricted rating, it does so poking fun at the notion that a board elected to rate the films may actually know better than the filmmakers themselves as to what is acceptable and what isn't for a 17 year old child.

In any family with daughters, it is no surprise that parents are highly sensitive to the ratings on movies and what their children may (or may not) see.

The opening scene in this movie is typical of the rest of the film. It shows a filmmaker who takes issue with the strikes that the panel gave her film. The studio killed the film because it had an NC-17 (no child under 17 allowed).

The three strikes against the film were; Strike one, a scene with a shot of a boy coming up from "going down" on a girl but has his face covered in cum. Strike two is graphic scene depicting anal rape of a boy. The third scene is an explicit display of a woman's long orgasm.

While the last scene may be acceptable for showing sexual gratification (R rating), it is a far fetched notion that any child should be allowed to see scene one or two. The filmmaker is completely surprised by the board's stance.

This documentary styled film is an illustration as to why the Motion Picture Association has no business letting filmmakers rate their own films. The artists and the filmmakers themselves have no idea of vulgarity or beautiful scenery.

While the film attempts to show both sides, it's tilted to the notion that filmmakers should be allowed more freedom.

Want a movie with an agenda... this is the one for you.

When you see a remake of an old movie or TV series, you have to hold your breath and hope that they're not just doing it to make a quick buck because they didn't have any good ideas of their own. Well, that unfortunately is what it seems the THREE STOOGES movie is like.

Not only aren't the new cast of characters as engaging or comical as their predecessors, you can see the gags coming from miles away. One of the main appeals of the original show was that we grew to love the characters even when we knew the gags were coming. We put up with some of the lesser funny ones because we knew more humorous ones were coming.

Well, this version wasn't funny. It wasn't engaging. The actors, try as they might, just failed at every level to be remotely entertaining.

If the producers thought this was good enough to release, I'd avoid their next effort.

I'm sure people will go see this hoping like heck it's similar to the original. Hope as they might, there's no way this will satisfy that desire.

Can I get my money back?

Avoid this at all costs. Bad idea for a remake.