Kill Me Later

The guy who described this as having an undeveloped script was right on the money. The sometimes comic yarn about an embezzlement gone awry with a suicidal mistress accidentally drawn into the plot has got a lot of potential and some very watchable performers but the screen writer apparently was in too much of a hurry and the director didn't have any idea where the story was supposed to go in the first place. It is not a bad watch just to see some young performers who evidently took their work more seriously than the producers and directors and hopefully we may see them again.

Selma Blair is one actor I normally make an effort to avoid, but she is surprisingly good in this B-level piece. Indeed, I think she was done a great injustice by the slick photo that comes with the Australian DVD of The Sweetest Thing. Her performance in Cruel Intentions was not exactly a highlight on her resumé, either. So when I see her in a vaguely appealing form here, the surprise factor is enough to make me award it a bonus point. Quite possibly, this is all that the film has going for it, as I am struggling to think of another selling point.

The plot, such as it is, concerns a loan officer who works in a big city bank. She's suicidal after discovering her lover is less than perfect and her goldfish is dead. So she goes up to the roof. Coincidentally, the bank is robbed, and she gets taken hostage by one of the perps when things don't quite go to plan. Aiding him in his escape, we follow her as she learns more about this rather charming robber with a passable British accent.

The fundamental problem here is that not enough happens in the midst of all this character development to distinguish the story. Perhaps the problem lies with the DVD I viewed the film on. The dialogue is very indistinct in the 2.0-channel mix that is offered on the Australian DVD. Sometimes the difference between a boring, uninvolving scene and one that has the audience grinding its collective teeth in anticipation is merely a sound mix. So if you're thinking of buying DVDs from the Australian market, be advised that at least indie distributors in America take some pride in their workmanship.

Tom Heaton gets a great cameo as the wounded man in the robbery, delivering one of the few stand-out laughs the film has to offer. The ending is syrupy enough to make anyone in the audience, even those with hyper-productive islet cells, sick to their stomach. Apparently, this feature was based upon a short film. The eighty-six minutes that this feature-length offering take up feel like at least sixteen too much, but I may be biased because of my desire for something noteworthy to happen during a story. The number at the end of the film is equally sugary and over-glazed.

Still, I have seen plenty of worse offerings, so I gave Kill Me Later a five out of ten. Speaking of bad audio, the theatrical trailer on the Australian version of the DVD is encoded several decibels louder than the feature presentation. And they wonder why we parallel import?

Shawn Holloway (Selma Blair) has a miserable life since she was eleven, when her father left her mother and she stayed alone with her problematic mother. Presently she is graduated, works in a bank and is the mistress of her married colleague Matthew Richmond (D. W. Moffett). When she finds that Matthew's wife is pregnant, she decides to commit suicide. She goes to the roof of the building, drinks some vodka, trying to get enough courage to jump to the floor. The neighbors see the scene and call the police to save Shawn. Meanwhile, the bank where she works is being robbed by Charlie Anders (Max Beesley) and two friends of him. When the cops arrive to save Shawn, the heist is in progress and the police shoot one robber, the driver escapes and Charlie runs to the top of the building. There, he does not allow Shawn to jump off and saves her. They make an agreement: she would help him to escape, and he would give US$ 50,000.00 to her and kill her later with a shot in the head.

"Kill me Later" is predictable but a good entertainment; however something is missing to be an excellent movie. There are action, black humor, romance and drama. There are excellent ironical dialogs and the story is very reasonable. Selma Blair is extremely beautiful and well dressed along this film. The black costumes fit very well to her beautiful face and elegant body. Her performance is also great, and there is some sort of chemistry between Shawn and Charlie. Unfortunately, the characters are not well developed. For example, why Charlie went to prison? Who is Charlie? Why Shawn, having a good job, dealing with loan, had not previously reimbursed her father, if this situation was bothering her so much? Why did she want to commit suicide? Just because of her relationship with Matthew and her problems with her parents along her adolescence period? How they escaped in the end of the movie, after jumping from the bridge with the police chasing them? My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): 'Mate-me Depois' ('Kill Me Later')

It starts off as a comedy, then it becomes a crime comedy, before turning into a romantic crime comedy. If you liked Bandits or Birthday girl, Kill me later is another film I'd recommend, even though it is probably harder to find. Actually, I could recommend the film to any one who is in the mood for some light entertainment without too much sex or violence, but one that is not too sissy or sappy either. It's not great, but it is definitely likable.

Life isn't going so good for loan officer Shawn Holloway. On the day she decides to jump off the roof of her bank building, there is a robbery that goes south, thirty floors below her. One of thee robbers escapes, and takes Shawn hostage. She agrees to cooperate if he kills her once they are in the clear. that idea doesn't go so well either, because he is (for lack of a better cliché) chicken. Thus the two continue their run from the law, and on the way, Shawn starts to fall for this quirky robber.

Although the story isn't super extensive and its dimensions are of middling depth and detail, it gets you going, and you sort of end up caring. Selma Blair is not much of an actress at all, and much of her work is torpid, but this is a fairly good role for her as an average American emo, who starts to get something out of life when a few cute story contrivances come her way and take her on a crazy journey.

Like all films (even great ones) there is room for improvement, in Kill me Later, but the film is strait forward, to the point, and cute/quirky enough to be worth a watch, if by chance this relatively unknown feature finds its way into your life.

For me, Selma Blair is the reason to watch this one. She's got the creepy, vulnerable quality Jennifer Jason Leigh does so well, but she couples it with a smart-ass attitude. Movie is strongest in the first 40 minutes or so, as the constant running from the authorities gets a bit tedious after that.