Alter Ego

I like Eric Roberts and Dylan Walsh is a well known actor. They must be really desperate for money if they did this. It's like they took Stephen King's "the Dark Half", stripped it down to an hour long made for TV movie, tossed that script and had a thousand monkeys pounding on a thousand typewriters to come up with this.

The movie bounces back in forth in time, quite annoyingly, I might add. The first ten minutes of the movie (a 75 minute movie, including opening and closing credits, mind you) there is absolutely ZERO dialog. You can see the ending coming from the opening credits. For some unknown reason, there are four characters who feel the need to speak Spanish for a few lines... in Up State New York.... having no bearing on anything. Eric Roberts lines are overdriven so it's hard to understand him. The manager, who claims to be the author's friend, is only concerned with the manuscript.

Do yourself a favor. If you think you might enjoy this plot... skip this and go watch "the Dark Half." I promise, you will thank me.

In short, a writer is afraid that a man who has the same name as a bad character in his novels is coming to kill him, furious about the portrayal in the novel even though coincidental. The writer has an abrasive exchange with a security guard who is called to his home for protection, who isn't so convinced that the angry man is so wrong, but still investigates anomalies around the house. In fact, the entire film takes place only in the house, primarily between these two people. Crap follows.

Eric Roberts has made bit appearances in bad movies at the end of his career something like Bruce Willis - needing the paycheck for something we don't know about? His part is completely unnecessary and is solely there for the great "expose" at the end which is predictable and is essentially a horrendous replication of another famous movie, among others before it.

Dylan Walsh is actually a decent actor and the film starts out potentially promising as he's got some chops. But quickly it devolves into drivel and then a revelation that gives away the film that is cringeworthy - why?

This film is mercifully 70 minutes because it really has nothing to say. It should have been a 30 minute TV epsiode - at best - and even that would be a regurgitation of nothing new with clunky dialogue and Roberts in to ham it up for his few lines. And oh... the reveal... which could be seen from a thousand miles away. Who funds this crap?

After what seemed like 5 minutes of shots of the "being built" Tappan Zee Bridge, one is presented with credit after credit and horrible set up shots. A clear sign this is an amateur film made by people who should stick to moving boxes or taking orders.

Alter ego is about a genius author who spends a night in his mansion by himself waiting for his creation to destroy him. Good acting, clever storyline and in all a well produced film. It's always nice to see Eric Roberts in films and though it's on a indie budget they made it work. This is at least a 7. It's a weekend type of movie.

What an incredible roster of talent! From the cast, to the director, to the producing team, everyone is a superstar. It's hard to believe this was made outside of the studio system. Congrats to everyone involved. It's truly exciting and inspiring to see what can be accomplished when you combine passion, talent, and grit--as this dream team did!