An Invisible Sign

sure, it is far to be the right word. but it is the most comfortable. for a beautiful story, for a great job from Jessica Alba, for the touching atmosphere, for the performances of Marylouise Burke and J.K. Simmons. maybe because I am teacher, Mona Gray seems to me one of the most seductive characters from the last decade of cinema. because this job remains a refuge, has deep roots in the experiences of childhood, impose a form of train of exercises to escape from yourself. if a sin of film must be defined, it is , maybe, the desire of director to be a complete work - from traumas to the love story. but it is a small, almost insignificant sin. so, a lovely/touching film.

I so wanted to love this; how many films are there about math teachers connecting with their students. It's such a great idea. However, in the execution, the indie vibe goes from off-kilter to off-track and the film is weirdly pompous in its false modesty and humbleness.

Quite frankly after some initial interest it's biggest problem is boredom - neither the script, nor the events, nor the characterization hold the attention - and so what we end up is a lot of loose ends and ideas.

Jessica Alban does a fine job at the slightly emo OCD vibe but we never really connect with the cuteness, and all in all, it was a little too off-kilter for this viewer.

If you like indie films you may enjoy this - we just couldn't connect with it - and found it all trying too hard to be different, instead of using the film to show math as a tool for wider issues.

"There comes a moment when you look around waiting for the person in charge to help you and then you realize your the person in charge." After her father suffers a breakdown, Mona (Alba) becomes obsessed with math. Using it has an escape she becomes distant from reality until her mother kicks her out. After taking a job teaching math to elementary school kids she learns to grow up and help others. This movie started off very funny and entertaining then really started to drag. The ending was OK, very predictable though. The middle of the movie seemed to repeat itself and drag on and on and on. For those who like off beat quirky humor this is a movie for you. I would compare the humor to "500 Days Of Summer", but not as funny. This did have some very touching moments in it, but overall this movie had the potential to be very good, but it never got what it needed. Overall, a good movie that could have been better. It was just missing something. I give it a C+.

Would I watch again? - I don't think I will.

*Also try - 500 Days Of Summer & Music Never Stopped

An Invisible Sign is one of those films you kind of wish you had never seen. There are plenty of movies worse than this one; but this one tries so very hard to be both loved and cherished that it leaves one feeling used.

First-time feature-film director, Marilyn Agrelo (she had earlier directed the documentary Mad Hot Ballroom), uses so much saccharine in trying to sweeten Sign's audience into loving and liking and feeling for and/or sorry for this odd assortment of characters that one begins to wish strychnine had been used instead. In real-life, NONE of these eccentric characters would come across as likable and so one has to force himself/herself into finishing this film.

Jessica Alba (Fantastic Four, Sin City, Never Been Kissed) plays Mona Gray, an odd-duck of a character who is kicked-out of her house by her parents years after her genius mathematician father has suffered a nervous breakdown (she is kicked-out for no real reason other than she is 20 and her mom isn't likable). Lucky Mona, though (!), as her mother has helped get her daughter a job as the math teacher at the local elementary school ... Mona having no degree isn't a problem (Mom lied saying she had one) as the school never looks into her past (I'm not kidding).

It is at school/work surrounded by kids with greater problems than her own that Mona begins to wake-up to life and find purpose and meaning beyond a search for numbers. Mona also meets a fellow teacher played by Chris Messina (Julie & Julia, Monogamy, Vicky Cristina Barcelona) who becomes interested in her odd manners and seeks out her friendship. Just as these last few sentences suggest, An Invisible Sign IS oddly disjointed and filled with scenarios and situations that don't really go together. It is as if the film were pieced together because of "cute, little moments" ... instead of giving us a cohesive and plausible story.

There is little-to-no charm here and the entire thing feels tried and odd to me. I believe Messina's character was written/created for the sole purpose of having a sane individual in the film (yes ... groan). Alba has tried drama in the past and has come across marginally successful at times; but An Invisible Sign doesn't help her resume. It is almost too bad this one wasn't invisible.

I'm really disappointed to see that this movie has such a low rating - it doesn't give the movie justice at all.

First of all, the story is unusual and well-told - I haven't read the book so I cannot compare but I suppose that the basis is very good because in general adaptations tend to be worse than original books, and this adaptation is pretty good. The film explores the idea of growing up - when does this moment come? What should happen to finally show us that we are adults ourselves, that there is no other grown-up around? This process of maturing of a person totally locked into her shell is very interesting. Secondly, I must say that I've never been Jessica Alba's fan but now I can say that she's not only pretty but she can act. Hope that she will have more films coming that actually involve acting. Thirdly, the ensemble cast gives a really good impression. There is no one who seems out of place. And finally, the film itself leaves you with such a warm and positive aftertaste that any faults that it has seem totally irrelevant.

Not a masterpiece but still a very good movie. 8/10