Raising Flagg

I will get down to it. This movie was another average film that Hollywood has made.

It focuses around a man and his lifelong struggle with his neighbor; pretty random plot.

Another thing that was uninteresting is how long the film felt, regarding some scenes, which just seemed to go on and on and on, really giving me a yawn.

Somehow In knew this was only inevitable with Neal Miller taking the director's seat. My rating out of ten of this film is a five, because even tedious it can be a little funny.

When Flagg become sick and the family trickled in to pay their respects.

A real shame.

---------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Deliberately botched (for the "it's so bad it's good" crowd) 2 I don't want to see it 3 I didn't finish and or FF'd through it 4 Bad 5 I don't get it 6 Good 7 Great but with a major flaw 8 Great 9 Noir with moral 10 Inspiring with moral.

This is a most unusual art film. It is not for kids, eager for action and gore, nor is it a chick flick, although there are overtones of such sentiment. It's a believable film, beautifully filmed in Oregon, about a stubborn old man whose pride, eccentricity, and self-pity shake up his family and his small town. The movie is billed as a comedy, but there are few laughs. The genius of the film is in its acting and photography. Arkin is just one of the superb actors who make matters almost look like reality television. The shots of rural and small town Oregon (north of Portland along the Columbia) are memorable. The story begins slowly (after 20 minutes I couldn't make out what was going on) and then, in due course, reveals the dimensions of the plot. How could such a distinguished film be made in this era of crass pandering to the majority? I'm sure that it lost money. (Filmed in 2003, it was released three years later.) But serious students of film do not want to miss this little gem.

This movie definitely had potential. How can you go wrong with Alan Arkin? Unfortunately it did. Possibly a casting problem. Arkin as with most of his films is by far the most interesting thing about this movie. Always like to see him act.

"Raising Flagg" is a laid back, innocuous indie comedy about a cantankerous, attention-seeking old codger (delightfully played by Alan Arkin) and his run-ins with various members of his family and community.

Preferring the appreciative chuckle to the full-throated guffaw, writer/director Neil Miller gently ribs his small town folk without once resorting to condescension or caricature to get the laugh. Arkin is nicely complemented by a cast of familiar and not-so-familiar faces (Austen Pendleton and Richard Kine being probably the most recognizable of the lot), while the Pacific Northwest setting provides a scenic backdrop for all the shenanigans.