Movie Reviews: "A Perfect Getaway" *B-D Rates "Getaway" Average*

[JamesG]

Movie Reviews: A Perfect Getaway
7 August 2009 12:21 PM, PDT

Talk about an antidote to the likes of G.I. Joe: A Perfect Getaway may be it.

Manohla Dargis, a demanding critic for the New York Times, who does not bestow positive reviews on movies lightly, begins her review of Getaway this way:
"Do you suffer from blockbuster bloat? Do wisecracking guinea pigs give you the willies? Are you sick of ugly truths and icky, shticky juvenilia? Are you in the mood for mean, lean entertainment, some gratuitous R-rated nudity, totally unnecessary bloodletting and a slam-bang twist of the narrative knife? A B-movie-style throwback that's consistently diverting and blissfully free of morals and messages, A Perfect Getaway is just the thing for the summertime movie blahs: it's a genuinely satisfying cheap thrill."

Cary Darling in the Dallas Morning News comes away with the same impression of the movie, writing: "Back in the days of movie double-bills and snack-bar food that didn't cost as much as a small car, A Perfect Getaway would have been the perfect diversion. This enjoyable and suspenseful, if ultimately disposable, thriller ... doesn't do much new and the twist is as obvious as a tornado in the Texas Panhandle. But that doesn't make it any less of an escapist joyride on a hot summer day."

Jason Anderson in the Toronto Star adds: "Smart, suspenseful yet aware of its own silliness, A Perfect Getaway outwits and outpaces most of this summer's more bloated offerings."

And Stephen Cole in the Toronto Globe and Mail sums it all up tersely, calling Getaway a "B-movie that knows where it's going and how to get there."

-IMDB News

[browneyes106]

The movie sounds good I might go see it tomorrow or on Sunday.

[JamesG]

A Perfect Getaway

Release Date: August 07, 2009
Director: David Twohy
Writer: David Twohy
Starring: Timothy Olyphant, Steve Zahn, Milla Jovovich, Kiele Sanchez
Studio: Rogue Pictures
Rating: R


By: MrDisgusting

Spoilers follow, and might provide clue as to who the killer is. Seriously, be careful, don’t say I didn’t warn you!*



Being a rabid movie fan, there’s nothing worse than getting older. With every year that passes, I see another 100+ movies, learn a little bit more about filmmaking and see a few things on screen that are (always shockingly) new to me.

The fact of the matter is, I’ve nearly seen it all. Every new movie stems from a classic, and most can never find a way to do it better. Here lies the dilemma as a filmmaker and a studio executive – do they attempt to do something clever and new, or just stick with a formula that has worked for years before their time?

That’s what’s so confusing about David Twohy’s A Perfect Getaway, it appears to attempt to be clever and original, only it ends up being one of the most obvious thrillers I’ve seen in years… and the audience ate it up. Maybe I’m clueless.



The film opens with a wedding video montage cross-edited with Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich talking about their “happy day.” The duo head off on their honeymoon where they hear about two killers who murdered a newlywed couple near the Hawaii islands. While hiking down a secluded trail they meet two different couples who may or may not be the killers. Suspense ensues, or at least is should.

For those of you sitting in my seat - who figured out the “twist” in literally seconds (I’m not kidding) - the glue that holds this movie together is the incredible cast of Timothy Olyphant, Milla Jovovich, Steve Zahn and Kiele Sanchez.

It’s no wonder Milla is cast in so many genre films because she has a special glow that’s mesmerizing and enchanting (she was a supermodel). On the contrast is Timothy Olyphant, who literally steals the show (especially with his Nicolas Cage impression, worth the price of admission alone). His character is given some heavy exposition that he dances circles around and somehow manages to keep this trite thriller afloat (and remotely interesting). Even Steve Zahn puts on such a great performance it makes you wonder why we don’t see him on the big screen more.



The major downfall comes in Twohy’s screenplay, which feels more like a writing exercise than a serious attempt at making a drama-filled thriller. Twohy hits every single beat they teach you in film school, almost to the second, in fact, he made the screenplay self-referential so the characters IN the movie can explain to you exactly what’s going on (although you might not want to listen to Olyphant’s character as he says “red snapper” instead of “red herring”).

The screenplay is so astoundingly cliché that a seasoned film fan should be able to predict nearly every single frame of the movie. On the other hand, it works quite well for the average moviegoer…



While I can argue back and forth about the merits of the screenplay, there is one moment in particular that deserves some reprimanding. Near the finale of the film, Twohy inserts an excessively long flashback to explain what exactly happened up until the twist, as if you couldn’t figure it out for yourself. He ensures that you will be completely removed from the movie by flushing the color palette with blue, just so you now it’s a flashback and not present day. Recovering from this scene is rough… resume watch checking now.



Beyond the screenplay, Twohy shocked me a bit with his newly modified “mumblecore” directing style. Mumblecore is used to create an expensive look to a micro-budget film and he’s using it in a big budget feature, which is not only annoying but also slightly agitating visually. It’s an interesting idea that creatively didn’t work. When Twohy goes back to his old ways, it’s much more engaging and a lot easier to follow.

It’s relative whether or not this movie is “good” or “bad”. Rogue Pictures and David Twohy have crafted a perfect movie for the young teenage crowd as I witnessed them all cheering firsthand. For those of you who haven’t seen a ton of movies yet, I could see you not only enjoying this thriller, but also being fully engaged until the very last frame (sans the flashback scene).

Unfortunately, I’m the guy who figured out the twist during the first line of dialogue.

Score: 5 / 10

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/film/2111/review