Taking Chances

This endearing and thoughtful indie effort is well worth the watch. There are some hysterical scenes, particularly those between the hero (Justin Long) and his best friend (Keir O'Donell), and everything the Mayor (Rob Corddry) does. The story has a few small holes, but that doesn't get in the way of recognizing that this is a powerful satire of small town America down on its luck. The narrative exposes the fragility of American values when greed and corruption take hold. The hero turns out to be the only one in town that remembers why America is America, and for that his neighbors decide he must pay a price. Lots of turns that you don't see coming, including a big one at the film's climax.

I rented this movie because it had Justin Long in it. I'm normally a fan of his. But no matter how much of a fan I am of his, this story was incredibly unfunny. I did enjoy Rob Corddry's performance, but that was not enough to save this from being a long boring film. As usual, Emmanuelle Chriqui was stunning to look at. I think she has solid acting chops as well, but her character just wasn't likable at all once you find out she's cheating with the mayor. And it was a bit unbelievable that the mayor's wife still wanted to help her after finding out. I need to stop renting movies I've never heard of just b/c Justin Long is in them (he was in "Just Add Water" as well, and that was another awful movie). I don't know why he does films like those. Wanting "indie cred" is fine, but he needs to pick scripts that are actually interesting or entertaining. This film was neither.

This endearing and thoughtful indie effort is well worth the watch. There are some hysterical scenes, particularly those between the hero (Justin Long) and his best friend (Keir O'Donell), and everything the Mayor (Rob Corddry) does. The story has a few small holes, but that doesn't get in the way of recognizing that this is a powerful satire of small town America down on its luck. The narrative exposes the fragility of American values when greed and corruption take hold. The hero turns out to be the only one in town that remembers why America is America, and for that his neighbors decide he must pay a price. Lots of turns that you don't see coming, including a big one at the film's climax.

I rented this movie because it had Justin Long in it. I'm normally a fan of his. But no matter how much of a fan I am of his, this story was incredibly unfunny. I did enjoy Rob Corddry's performance, but that was not enough to save this from being a long boring film. As usual, Emmanuelle Chriqui was stunning to look at. I think she has solid acting chops as well, but her character just wasn't likable at all once you find out she's cheating with the mayor. And it was a bit unbelievable that the mayor's wife still wanted to help her after finding out. I need to stop renting movies I've never heard of just b/c Justin Long is in them (he was in "Just Add Water" as well, and that was another awful movie). I don't know why he does films like those. Wanting "indie cred" is fine, but he needs to pick scripts that are actually interesting or entertaining. This film was neither.