Stuck : Instinct de survie

Mena "American Pie" Suvari and Stephen Rea star in this remarkable little thriller that manages to deliver despite it's glaring and obvious flaws.

It tells the story of a woman drunk at the wheel looking at her phone who runs into a homeless man with her car. With him embedded into her windshield she proceeds to drive home, locks the car in the garage and mulls over what to do next.

I like the concept, it's handled well and Stephen Rea is fantastic as our protagonist who you really find yourself caring about to levels you rarely see. In fact I haven't cared as much about a character since The Pursuit of Happyness (2006).

Essentially a thriller it has moments of black comedy, mostly due to Russell Hornsby who was really good here.

The films main flaw is that it's essentially following the antagonist, the lead is the bad guy (Or girl in this case) and that comes across odd especially as it's as if you're watching her plight when she's blatantly the antagonist. Watching Rea struggle against the odds is very enjoyable and builds to a decent finale that really underlines the movies quality.

Despite it's flaws this is a great film helped by a solid premise and decent cast.

The Good:

Stephen Rea

Some great ideas

The Bad:

Having the antagonist as the lead is just odd

I still don't like Suvari, no idea why

From the director who brought us "Kid Safe", an educational drama that teaches kids what to do in emergency situations, comes "Stuck", a movie about grown-ups doing everything they possibly can do WRONG in an emergency situation.

The frightening thing is that this tale is no joke. At the heart of the story is a true event that happened in Texas in 2001 (the woman's real name is Chante Jawan Mallard). But I strongly advise you NOT to look it up until after you've seen this movie, otherwise the fun of this bizarre, unbelievable movie will be shadowed by the harshness of reality. The Texas case has been retold & dramatized several times, but this is the first time I've seen it done with a funny-ish presentation which effectively diffuses its disturbing nature and makes it "entertaining".

I loved this movie. It's not exactly a thriller, not a comedy, not a straightforward drama but a very psychotic mix of all three. The DVD description tries to make it look like a tense thriller while the trailer makes it look like a comedic romp. Yes, it has elements of both, but the best way to take this movie is as a total surprise, no expectations of any particular genre.

So I won't say much about the plot except that it's got a dash of Stephen King's "Misery", a bit of the Coens' "Fargo" and a squirt of Ira Levin's "Deathtrap". It's basically a story about having the absolute worst day of your life. And I don't mean just getting fired or dumped or a speeding ticket. I'm talking about a day so bad that Job from the bible would buy you a drink.

Normally movies like this stress me out, but this one crosses so far into catastrophe that it becomes surreal, detached, and darkly humorous. So you can shut off your sympathies and just watch the fun. Each actor was excellent, beginning with Stephen Rea (keyboardist for Strange Fruit in the movie "Still Crazy"!) playing the role of a schlep who can't get a decent break if it hit him at 40 mph, literally. Then there's Mena Suvari (American Beauty, Caffeine) who plays an average girl who somehow taps into her inner psycho. Her slow, neurotic descent makes the her character more believable and engaging than the real Mallard ever was. But for my money the show-stealer is Russell Hornsby in one of his earliest big screen roles, playing the part of a tough guy drug dealer who, in reality, can't defend himself against a chopstick. Russell's character is what injects the comedic element into this otherwise nonstop tension piece, adding to the film's unique quirky personality.

In addition to the aforementioned classic films, I would suggest this movie to people who enjoyed "Heathers", "Super" and an obscure diamond called "Don McKay" with Elizabeth Shue as the crazy femme fatale. All of these films are memorable for their genre-stretching approach to murder & mayhem, and "Stuck" fits right in with the best.

9/16/2008 Addendum: IMPORTANT! This review applies ONLY to the 94-minute FESTIVAL cut of this film. I see that the DVD version is only 85 minutes ... do NOT buy or rent it based on this review.

* * * *

It's movies like this one that will keep me going to the 'Midnight Madness' program of the Toronto Film Festival forever. I saw it at last year's, and have been looking forward to a repeat viewing ever since. I love it when a low-budget film can soar above the corporate mega-movies on a clever script and a cast that gives it 110%, and this is definitely one of those movies. It gave me everything I could want in such a film – sex, drugs, and violence, with some jet-black humor for dessert. (Note to PG-13ers: AVOID!) It probably won't make a big splash when it's released theatrically, but I'd put money on it achieving cult status after coming out on video.

This is easily the best work that director Stuart Gordon has done since REANIMATOR – I'd go so far as to say that it's his best ever. It's a suspense-horror-comedy full of situations that make you laugh and groan at the same time … one that's also refreshingly NOT top-heavy with f/x. The Midnight Madness program has a firm policy that a film has to grab your attention within the first 15 minutes in order to qualify for inclusion, and this film meets that requirement with room to spare. What's more, it never drags for a minute.

The story is based on the bizarre true life tale of a woman who hit a homeless man with her car and let him slowly bleed to death while stuck in her windshield. Gordon calls this "the way the story should have turned out." The homeless man in this case is played by the reliable Steven Rea, whose sad eyes give him a head start on eliciting sympathy. He's newly homeless, and his fall to the bottom is cleverly punctuated by him repeatedly hearing a timeworn cliché uttered by a succession of unsympathetic characters. The woman is played by American BEAUTY's Mena Survari, and this is her richest role since that one. She finally gets to play a character who actually evolves over the course of a film, instead of just doing 9-5 duty in another eye candy role.

I can't overemphasize how impressive the bang for the buck that Gordon gets with this film is. He also makes an amusing Hitchcock-style cameo (one that I'll bet Hitch himself wouldn't have minded making). There was genuinely enthusiastic applause at the screening I went to when the movie ended and the cast (except for Rea) came on for a lively Q & A. If movies lately seem a bit too tame for you, this is very likely just what the doctor ordered.

Stuart Gordon made a masterpiece in Re-animator, and carved a career in the eighties out of schlock horror with a heavy foot in satire. In the nineties he managed to lose his way a little but the naughties has seen him experimenting with genres, providing his most interesting work to date. Edmond was a lurch to the left with Mamet's difficult play, but this film returns him to a genre he's more familiar with, yet the tone is firmly planted in reality.

Some reviewers have suggested that Stuck is simply a thriller but I disagree. Certainly there is a grotesque sort of suspense, yet Gordon has managed to provide humanity to his victim, and show us the type of system that puts so many to the street.

It also shows us how a relatively normal reaction of fear and shock can mislead even the most well meaning person into a situation which climbs out of control with devastating consequences. It will also reinforce the fact that we never know how people will react until placed into a difficult situation, ourselves included.

The film never feels forced. You can believe that this actually happened, (based loosely on a true story) though this takes events to the extreme.

Stephen Rea gives a constrained performance, (pun intended) as the proverbial bug. You'll feel his pain and scream for justice.

I hope Stuart Gordon continues taking risks. His best work may be ahead of him.

STUCK is one of those films that creeps up on you, teases you into thinking a comedy is in the making, then slowly reveals itself as what seems to be an exposé of our current manner of getting through life, of competing in the workplace, and of self absorption to the point of endangering those around us. The fact that the film is based on a true story as adapted by director Stuart Gordon and transformed into a bitingly satirical screenplay by John Strysik increases the impact of this well-crafted little low budget film. Watch it once for the gritty content of the story, then watch it again to appreciate all of the very dark (and very pointed!) humor in what at first appears to be a grisly tale.

Brandi Boski (Mena Suvari) works as a Nurse's Aid in a nursing home of senile elderly patients, giving some of the finest care for those entrusted to her talents. Brandi's compassionate work is noted by the supervisor Peterson (Carolyn Purdy-Gordon) who manages to trick Brandi into an even heavier work schedule by suggesting a raise in position. Excited about her possible promotion Brandi and her working partner Tanya (Rukiya Bernard) celebrate that evening with Brandi's boyfriend/drug supplier Rashid (Russell Hornsby) who gives Brandi a pill of Ecstasy and the mixture of the drug with the alcohol creates a mess of Brandi's mind.

The parallel story involves one jobless Thomas Bardo (Stephen Rea) who lives in a tenement, is evicted because of past due rent, and becomes a street person, treated with cold (but satirical) mechanical responses at the Department of Unemployment. Left to sleep in the park he is befriended by another homeless person, given a shopping cart, and makes his way toward a midnight mission.

Brandi cum altered thought processes drives home, hits Thomas who comes sailing through her windshield badly injured, and out of fear and distress Brandi merely takes the 'stuck' Thomas home to park him in her garage, knowing that her boyfriend Rashid will help her. Thomas is conscious, unable to climb out of the glass of the crushed windshield and begs for help. How the stranded and injured Thomas is treated by the desperate but self-centered Brandi, by the frightened but macho Rashid, and by neighbors who fear intervention because of reporting an incident that would encourage police intervention and threaten their deportation as illegal immigrants results in an ending that shows how 'justice' can prevail!

The cast is first rate - especially Rea, Suvari, Hornsby and Bernard. The direction is tight and maintains credible characters in incredible situations and holds the audience attention every moment. This is a fine example of how a low budget film, in the hands of pros, can be more successful that the big budget, less thoughtful movies that crowd our marquis. Grady Harp