Life During Wartime

There's really not that needs to be said about this movie, except perhaps that it is little more than an unbelievably average attempt by all parties involved, from scriptwriters to actors to the film crew Stanley Tucci within a tight timeframe, and this was the only project on the shelf. But how any producer could look at If there's one good thing I can draw from this movie is the increase in respect I offer towards the Cohen brothers; even in their weakest attempts, the characters themselves remain interesting and unique due to a successful blend of writing, acting and directing.

Why Evan Dunsky was handed this film to both write and direct is beyond me. One must imagine that the producers had to use Dunsky's record and see "My Demon Lover" as his career highlight is beyond me.

My guess is that Dunsky is stuck filiming commercials for the collect-calling companies, as his only use for David Arquette is to count the angles at which he can capture his smirks. Still, credit does go to Dunsky for making a feature length piece that is easier to watch than those 30-second commercials.

The rest of the cast is utterly forgetful; no surprise, as their characters are bland and without the ability to utter anything that might deamnd out attention.

The movie's strongest points lie in what starts out as the plot for the film -- residential alarm and theft-detection salesmen -- and the small tributary tales that grow from it. Unfortunately, many of these branches are severed quickly (most simply dry up and disappear) while the heart of the plot meanders onward.

As this film originated as a play, ultimate judgment must fall on Dunsky. His screenplay adaptation is as snappy as a train-of-thought piece written while on Riddelin, his direction little more than a poorly-lit theatre production taken outside and put on film.

in this case, with the Dunsky behind both the typewriter and camera, it's easy enough to point the blame. Still, this movie did not fall victim to the channel flip... perhaps it was because I was too busy counting the 20-odd members of the Arquette family involved.

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.

It's rather sad to see that so many people seem turned off by this comedy. Just like Romeo is Bleeding, too many people seem to just give up when they're finally shown something that truly creates an original tone for itself. This movie walks a tight-wire between the absurd and offbeat while still seemingly plausible and realistic. The plot twists with wonderfully subversive glee. I could not help but fall hopelessly in love with this charming movie. Don't listen to all the negative comments. Rent it and judge for yourself. You just might be wonderfully surprised.

Aside from David Arquette's irritating performance, this is solid and fairly competent work. Although the characters may be dead-hollow, the events that ensue during the 90 minute run of the film are both amusing and inspired. Genuinely good.

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.