Life During Wartime

Dark, humorous, quirky and melodramatic. The mix of this movie may not gel and disappoint some, but on the whole I found it fun and entertaining. Dave Arquette, Stan Tucci and Kate Capeshaw give fine performances in this very offbeat movie that starts dark but ends with a comedic twist. Perhaps the plot could be better but there's plenty enough to give viewers amusement and chuckles. A strange one you'd either hate or enjoy. For myself, I found it on the plus side.

The first time I saw this movie, I joined in right before the mood got dark--during the overnight stay with the parents, and this movie knocked my socks off. Very quirky and interesting, but not "Tarentino-like" at all, as someone else has said. So tonight I rented the movie and watched it start to finish. Ugh! I feel like the first time I saw it, I only saw the very best of the movie! It's got one dark, nice twist, but otherwise, this is a mediocre movie at best. Stay away unless you're very bored!

This was surprising, maybe I didn't expect much: just the usual somewhat stupid and sleazy comedy of today. Instead it was one of those films that IS a comedy for the most part, but in the last segment turns dramatic.

The comedy in here is more subtle than normal and David Arquette does a nice job with, especially in one scene that is not-so-subtle. Just his stupid grin throughout the film was worth a few laughs. Stanley Tucci, meanwhile, is very convincing as as less-than-ethical salesman. Kate Capshaw makes the female lead role an attractive one.

Without giving anything away, suffice to say this film is a bit different, not what you might think, and worth a look. I can say one thing for sure: it is no award-winner but it's better than most of these reviews would have you believe.

I was surprised by the number of times I caught myself smiling or laughing quietly during The Alarmist (AKA Life During Wartime), a film where the parts are definitely greater than the whole. Be prepared to all but ignore the plot, which is unnecessary except as a place to loosely hang some wonderful performances by everyone involved.

I had looked forward to seeing this film after reading about it, especially given Stanley Tucci's involvement. The first half of the film is quirky and interesting in it's "Tin Men" like overview of the home security sales business. However, the second half of the film veers sharply into post-Tarantino plot devices, none of which are remotely interesting or innovative. By the end of the film (and it's pointless prologue), I was thoroughly bored and ready to leave. Tucci is OK as the slimy proprietor but Arquette's one-note performance grew tiresome. Kate Capshwaw, who looks absolutely gorgeous, is wasted but Ryan Reynolds is outstanding as her son. His scene with Arquette in which he described his attempt at lovemaking was worth the price of admission. In fact, I would have preferred to see a movie about his character rather than Arquette's.