The Guys
1.5/4
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Anthony LaPaglia
Rated PG for Thematic Elements and Brief Language
When deciding whether or not to recommend a movie, I have to ask myself two questions: What am I getting from this experience, and is it worth sitting through the running time? We all take away something from every movie we see. Often it's a few good laughs from a movie like "Ted," or two hours of suspense from a movie like "Speed." In the case of "The Guys," however, it's a void. The characters talk and talk, but they barely say anything at all.
The film takes place in the days following the September 11th attacks. Joan (Weaver) is a journalist living in New York City. Like everyone at the time, she's still reeling from the shock. A few days after the attacks, Joan receives a phone call from a friend. A fireman has lost 8 of his men, and he has no idea how to write the eulogies. She agrees to help the poor man, whose name is Nick (LaPaglia).
This is really a two-character piece, and there's really no plot. If a film is going to succeed with these limitations (and they are substantial), it needs to do one of two things (or preferably both): have strongly written and acted characters, or have compelling subject matter. Unfortunately, Anne Nelson's play has neither.
The source material is the film's biggest problem. Even though it's based on a true story, it's not very cinematic. Frankly, I don't think it would have worked well on a stage, either. The writing is shallow and fails to do anything noteworthy with the powerful premise. The film doesn't shed any new light on how people react to a terrible situation like this. Nor do we learn anything about Joan or Nick. When the end credits roll, they remain the one-dimensional stick figures that they were at the beginning.
It's hard to fault the actors since they're given such meager material. Anthony LaPaglia, who became famous for playing Jack Malone on the TV series "Without a Trace," has the meatiest role almost by default. That's not saying much. Nick is a shuffling, simple blue collar guy. Eloquent speech doesn't come at all for him. LaPaglia is good, but not standout. Even with a better script, I don't think that LaPaglia would be Oscar material in this role. For example, when he talks about the men he lost, he fails to bring them to life. Again, that's mainly due to the vapid script.
Like LaPaglia, Sigourney Weaver does what she can. She's mainly a reactor to Nick. Weaver is soft and comforting, which is perfect for the character. But during the scene where she cries, it rings false. Weaver has never been particularly adept at heavy drama, like "Death and the Maiden, where she played a torture victim who came face to face with her torturer. She couldn't handle the heavy emotions there and she hasn't improved since then. Fortunately, this only occurs once.
This is Jim Simpson's feature debut (being married to Weaver probably helped him secure the job). Simpson has done a few things in movies (mostly behind the scenes, though). His only previous directing credit was an episode of "Tales from the Crypt" in 1990, although he was the assistant director on "Event Horizon" and "Spice World." His work is adequate, although this isn't a movie where a director could show off. He manages a touching scene every now and then, like when Joan thanks the firefighters (who appear to be real).
The film's greatest sin is that it completely ignores the powerful storytelling opportunities that the premise allows in favor of things that are completely inconsequential. The source material was either really bad to begin with, or Anne Nelson and Jim Simpson completely butchered it when adapting it for the screen. It's vapid, repetitive, and at times completely absurd (the dance sequence is a case in point. And, adding insult to injury, it's a cheat).
The best thing I can say is that the ending is nicely staged. But the film is so lacking in every department that it fails to have the emotional impact that it shoots for and the story deserves. And it's not insulting, so it's got that going for it too.
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Anthony LaPaglia
Rated PG for Thematic Elements and Brief Language
When deciding whether or not to recommend a movie, I have to ask myself two questions: What am I getting from this experience, and is it worth sitting through the running time? We all take away something from every movie we see. Often it's a few good laughs from a movie like "Ted," or two hours of suspense from a movie like "Speed." In the case of "The Guys," however, it's a void. The characters talk and talk, but they barely say anything at all.
The film takes place in the days following the September 11th attacks. Joan (Weaver) is a journalist living in New York City. Like everyone at the time, she's still reeling from the shock. A few days after the attacks, Joan receives a phone call from a friend. A fireman has lost 8 of his men, and he has no idea how to write the eulogies. She agrees to help the poor man, whose name is Nick (LaPaglia).
This is really a two-character piece, and there's really no plot. If a film is going to succeed with these limitations (and they are substantial), it needs to do one of two things (or preferably both): have strongly written and acted characters, or have compelling subject matter. Unfortunately, Anne Nelson's play has neither.
The source material is the film's biggest problem. Even though it's based on a true story, it's not very cinematic. Frankly, I don't think it would have worked well on a stage, either. The writing is shallow and fails to do anything noteworthy with the powerful premise. The film doesn't shed any new light on how people react to a terrible situation like this. Nor do we learn anything about Joan or Nick. When the end credits roll, they remain the one-dimensional stick figures that they were at the beginning.
It's hard to fault the actors since they're given such meager material. Anthony LaPaglia, who became famous for playing Jack Malone on the TV series "Without a Trace," has the meatiest role almost by default. That's not saying much. Nick is a shuffling, simple blue collar guy. Eloquent speech doesn't come at all for him. LaPaglia is good, but not standout. Even with a better script, I don't think that LaPaglia would be Oscar material in this role. For example, when he talks about the men he lost, he fails to bring them to life. Again, that's mainly due to the vapid script.
Like LaPaglia, Sigourney Weaver does what she can. She's mainly a reactor to Nick. Weaver is soft and comforting, which is perfect for the character. But during the scene where she cries, it rings false. Weaver has never been particularly adept at heavy drama, like "Death and the Maiden, where she played a torture victim who came face to face with her torturer. She couldn't handle the heavy emotions there and she hasn't improved since then. Fortunately, this only occurs once.
This is Jim Simpson's feature debut (being married to Weaver probably helped him secure the job). Simpson has done a few things in movies (mostly behind the scenes, though). His only previous directing credit was an episode of "Tales from the Crypt" in 1990, although he was the assistant director on "Event Horizon" and "Spice World." His work is adequate, although this isn't a movie where a director could show off. He manages a touching scene every now and then, like when Joan thanks the firefighters (who appear to be real).
The film's greatest sin is that it completely ignores the powerful storytelling opportunities that the premise allows in favor of things that are completely inconsequential. The source material was either really bad to begin with, or Anne Nelson and Jim Simpson completely butchered it when adapting it for the screen. It's vapid, repetitive, and at times completely absurd (the dance sequence is a case in point. And, adding insult to injury, it's a cheat).
The best thing I can say is that the ending is nicely staged. But the film is so lacking in every department that it fails to have the emotional impact that it shoots for and the story deserves. And it's not insulting, so it's got that going for it too.
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