Looks That Kill

Was caught by surprise by this one. Looking at the poster I went in thinking it was gonna a broad teen comedy, and although the movie does have some lighthearted comedy to it (mainly from the supporting characters) the overall direction of the movie is actually quite dramatic despite its apparent lighthearted subject matter. It took me a second to catch-on, but luckily the two leads (Flynn and Telles) are truly very strong and carry the dramatic moments with ease. The script is very clever in how it takes an absurd concept of a Boy who can kill people with his looks, and uses that to explore seriously dramatic undertones of death with dignity; it's a super thin-line to walk, but first time director Kellen Moore straddles the line between absurdity and drama very well in my opinion. Overall Moore creates a fun world filled with a wide variety of unusual characters, but don't let the poster fool you, this is more of a drama than a comedy.

Story - 8/10 pros: interesting concept, witty dialogue, and fun characters for the most part. cons: it's an unusual concept but falls into some YA genre related cliches briefly.

Cast - 8/10 pros: Flynn and Telles share a clear chemistry on set. It's easy to fall in love with them as a couple. Telles in particular exudes charisma and charm, while providing some strong subtly during the more dramatic moments of her journey. Scolari and Mumolo provide nice comic relief as bickering parents dealing with a son that continually accidentally kills people in their small town. cons: some of the side characters feel a little under developed.

Direction - 7.5/10 pros: Moore creates an unusual world with a lot of originality. He garners very strong performances from his two leads and orchestrates a couple very dynamic sequences, namely toward the end of the film. cons: feels like at times there is some hesitation from the first time director to commit to a joke, but then at other times maybe he doesn't show enough restraint.

Pace - 6/10 pros: the story proceeds at a very fast easy viewing pace, you never check your watch to see how much time is left. cons: maybe it moves too fast at certain times. Seems like some characters or moments got glossed over or rushed through. not sure if that is a script issue or the filmmakers didn't always accomplish what they wanted but taking points off here.

Atmosphere - 8/10 pros: the world is pretty fun. the sets and decor have a great sense of whimsicality to them but at the same time feel genuine to the world they are in. The costumes accent the sets while sharing in that "Blegh" blahnes humor of the world. The camera work and framing seems to always have a purpose and interesting look to them while adding to the joke or emotion of the moment. The musical score slides by in the background creating a fun feel while also stepping up to hammer down an emotion in the more dramatic moments of the story. cons: a couple locations didn't seem to serve much purpose in the story

Overall Score 7 out of 10, very enjoyable watch and would recommend but not a classic.

When you get passed the ridiculous premise and glaring plot holes, the film is a good little black comedy/Romcom. The two leads are interesting and funny enough in their roles. Some good supporting roles from some elderly characters which ground the story with some nice comedic results. Now as far is the story outside the boy and girl's dilemmas, the themes and messages getting pretty muddled. It clumsily tries to tackle some serious subjects and gets lost. The movie is similar to the film Spontaneous with its dark/weird/funny/cuteness theme. But that film was more successful in its ideas. But still, Looks That Kill still makes for an entertaining ride.

If Wes Anderson, Tim Burton, Michel Gondry and John Hughes Had An Awkward Love Child. This is an unusual romantic comedy with visual cues of Wes Anderson and Tim Burton with some magicality of Gondry, but the main driving factor is the surprisingly heartful drama that brings back memories of some great John Hughes Dramedies of the 80's. Brandon Flynn stars as a young boy that is lethally attractive, his dry presentation of Max could fit into the ensemble cast of any Wes Anderson film or maybe it draws back memories of an extremely attractive Johnny Depp getting covered in makeup and scars so he's unrecognizable by Tim Burton just this time Moore covers the young heart-throb Flynn in bandages and sunglasses vs makeup and scissor-hands. There is a magical sequence at the end of the movie that would make Gondry jealous, I won't give it away, but is a powerful kicker to an impressive first effort by Moore.

Honestly had low expectations but really enjoyed this film Funny , sad and sweet Really good performances by the cast