Head Above Water

"Head Above Water" certainly isn't a classic film or anything, yet it's probably worth a watch even though the film is short and the humor is dark and the plot is somewhat weak. The performances from Diaz and Keitel make it worth a view. Cameron Diaz as sexy as ever stars as Nathalie a free spirited young lady who's had a rough past with substance abuse, and supposedly now that her spouse is a judge named George(Harvey Keitel)her problems have washed ashore at their summer beach place. Upon a visit from an ex flame of Nathalie's a young man Kent(Billy Zane)takes an unexpected departure and things only become more complex when nearby friend Lance(Craig Sheffer)rounds out the mix in what is found to be a triple love triangle! Overall nothing great it's just some good and sexy work from Diaz in one of her early works as the plot just unravels to show a slick and messy triple love triangle.

The great thing about this film is that once the usual character-building stuff is out of the way, you will not move an inch and your eyes will only move if you have a widescreen television...

Sterling performances from both Harvey Keitell and Cameron Diaz really make this film come alive and as incident after incident fall upon the hapless couple, you feel yourself gripping the chair more and more, your nails getting smaller and smaller, and the enjoyment increasing and increasing.

All in all, Head Above Water is a great film, with good (if not at times, erratic) directing, and with superb acting.

Quick note for the norwegian readers. The film "Head above water is a remake of Mikkel Gaups' "Hodet over vannet". The original is much better. Also, don't leave the theatre at once, wait until after the credits :)

This movie has got to be one of the greatest movies I ever seen. This is a true work of art. All the movies today are all big budget with their big effects and people are forgetting the most important part of a movie is the story which HEAD ABOVE WATER is very strong in. The characters are great. Keitel is awesome. Diaz is hilarious with her facial expressions. The movie keeps you guessing and laughing all the way through and only gets better as the story unfolds. It has a twist that you never see coming. The writing is great. And another thing I find interesting is how a story with only 3 people in it can hold the attention of the audience. That says something great about the writer. HEAD ABOVE WATER is a story and character driven movie that I'd recommend to anyone!

The acting is pretty good, and seeing Harvey Keitel playing in a dark comedy was a pleasant surprise. What was not so pleasant was the plot. It starts out looking like another attempt to get rid of a dead body, like "Enid is Sleeping" or Drop Dead Sexy". What it winds up being is an overly complicated, convoluted black comedy, that is only marginally successful. Some of the plot contrivances are so unrealistic that they weaken the entire movie. Things like the postcard, a vodka bottle, and most of all a runaway chainsaw are nothing but ludicrous distractions. To top things off we get a completely unnecessary boat explosion as part of the astoundingly unbelievable conclusion. Very average at best. - MERK