Dirty Weekend

This is not a great movie, so if you are looking for one, skip it. That being said, it is certainly not a bad film. The acting is good, the subject is interesting and the overall mood is that of a road movie.

You have these two coworkers in some company that is not revealed, as it means nothing to the story, stuck in "Albu-Quirky" until weather gets better in Dallas. One of them is Matthew Broderick, a middle aged man that seems to want to go to the town center for some reason, and the other is Alice Eve, his efficient and professional female counterpart who won't leave him alone. By the time the movie ends, we know more about the two characters and what their inner struggles are and they have bonded as good friends - and not romantically.

Now, the pace is slow, the humor is mostly character based, manifesting as various quirks of the people in the film, the moral is that what happens in Albuquerque stays in Albuquerque and the meat of the film is talking and again talking. I actually went to IMDb to check if it was a Woody Allen movie in which he chose not to star for a change. It is not. It is another Neil LaBute story that he both writes and directs.

While I won't recommend this film, I can't say that you should stay away from it, either. It is an unspectacular road movie, where you get to understand more of human nature.

It seemed like an attempt at Ferris taking Albuquerque, but without the solid humor. Too bad, but at least his co-star will attract some audience. Broderick seemed like he wasn't happy about the script and even tried to play it too straight. Or maybe he wasn't happy the layover was in Albuquerque.

I haven't seen much of Eve, but she should have at least let her hair down earlier during the layover , that would have been a bit more realistic. I've never been to the town , but they did a great job of making it seem like a very small town without many people. Not sure if that was intentional but seemed odd nonetheless.

I kept waiting for this movie to come together and make any kind of point, but sadly it never did. On top of which, Matthew Broderick is just plain awful and torture to watch.

Ahhh, Matthew, you've gone from WarGames, Ferris, Biloxi, and even Election, to this? You used to be cool denim and now your dusty polyester. Time to hang it up dude. Your incessant whining made me nauseous and just killed the credibility of the film. In real life nobody would last two seconds listening to you.

Other than being sickened by Broderick, the movie was pointless and I think they were trying to be cool in a Breaking Bad sort of way shooting in Albuquerque but it never really came off that way.

One bright spot was Alice Eve. I can watch her all day. She's an absolutely captivating actress and should be getting closer to a breakout film than a resume buster like this one.

In the end, watching this movie was a dreadful waste of time.

Has too low a rating of very few people when I write this review, deserves more. Maybe because the story is somewhat un-American, minor references to uncommon sex and all that. Where the mise-en-scene and a humdrum title translates in underacting, perhaps to the disappointment of an expectant but misguided demographic, not expecting acting but enactment.

Alice Eve, plays antagonist business sales colleague Natalie, the somewhat aloof Brit girl 'everyone in the office wants to f^%k but not me' our confused, married and square protagonist proclaims.

Matthew Broderick's acting is really Matthew Broderick's acting, and never falls short. Alice Eve has a slow start, where perhaps the direction is to blame. When the story progresses she transforms from the plastic impersonation of a stereotype Brit professional woman to the warm sometimes-vulnerable girly person in great stride, quite smoothly and with a great performance.

This is a 'New York style' actors movie with really just two actors. Phil Burke did good in his the cameo-like 'Cabbie' appearance. There is no further production value whatsoever.

Alice Eve is a genuine gem in this one.

I admit, "slow" films are the kind I like. You can recognize real persons and situations and believe them.

The script is not a masterpiece, but deals fine with our unconscious or prohibited desires. Craftsmanship is on Hollywood level - excellent!

Of course, Matthew Broderick is the "backbone" of the film and, I think, plays the role with perfection. The person everyone of us can find in the neighborhood. I believe him!

Alice Eve is a positive surprise! Fine support with no unnecessary tries to dominate. And, of course, beautiful as always!

All in all, film worth seeing !