May

You want infatuation, the twisted kind brought upon by someone longing for something true, but only to be strung along and heartbroken. Lucky McKee's "MAY" is an indie film that draws you in; slowly forming its basis around vivid characters, ongoing interactions, developing pathos, and relationships to only turn it upside down. From quirky one minute, to startling the next, but always underlining its twitchy psychological makeup is a certain calamity that no one can escape. What it really does thrive on though, is the edgy dynamics of Angela Bettis' affectingly misunderstood, yet adorably offbeat lead performance brought upon by her character's awkward naivety, stemming from her constant loneliness that can be traced back to when she was a child. Her best friend is a doll in a glass case that was given to her by her mother as a child, and it seems to somehow communicate, getting into her unstable head. Bettis' portrayal is great, not to take anything away from a mild-mannered Jeremy Sisto and seductive Anna Faris who were equally so, in their characters' careless selfishness of their treatment of May. However it's definitely all about Bettis and her character's slow, crippling descent in finding that someone, who's 100% perfect. How she gets there, can be darkly humorous, but also insanely morbid, as McKee gets it spot on blending these two elements together.

As American horror movies become increasingly derivative and lame it's a real surprise to see something this fresh and original. I wouldn't have even looked at this one twice if I hadn't had it recommended to me by a few people who know their stuff. I'm so glad I listened to their advice and gave it a shot, otherwise I would have missed out on seeing this gem! 'May' is a quirky black comedy with horror elements (nods to Frankenstein and 'Pieces', Argento namedrops). Angela Bettis is perfectly cast as the goofy Goth outsider May who secretly yearns for hunky horror buff Adam (Jeremy Sisto). He says "I like weird. I like weird a lot", but he doesn't know what he's in for! Anna Faris ('Scary Movie', 'Lost In Translation') plays May's lesbian co-worker, and James Duval ('The Doom Generation', 'Donnie Darko') plays a vapid punk. I really enjoyed this movie, especially Angela Bettis' performance, and I will look out for her work in the future, as well as writer/director Lucky McKee's. If 'May' is any indication of McKee's talent then he is someone to keep an eye on.

I have seen "May" about five times or so by now, and it is still as good as the first time I saw it. I found it by sheer random luck in the local secondhand DVD store. I bought it without knowing anything about it or the people starring in it.

What makes "May" unique is the absurdly entertaining story, but also the entire cast. Especially Angela Bettis who performed the role of May to perfection. She was so well-cast for this role. Anna Farris also really performed quite well, and it was nice to see her out of the usual comedy genre that she is in.

The story, shortly summarized, is about a socially inadequate loner named May, who falls in love with a guy she sees on the street, and she tries desperately to get his attention and affection by all means necessary.

"May" is both a story and character driven movie, and it is the type of story that creeps in under your skin and will stick with you. It has a good combination of drama, character acting, thrills and blood. Yes, there is blood!

I can strongly recommend that you sit down to watch "May" if you haven't already seen it. It is one of those movies that is a surprise of a movie.

I remember hearing the buzz on this movie awhile back but never rented it. We have a bad snow storm headed our way so I figured I'd rent a few movies and stay indoors. Rented this on a whim and I was really amazed! You pretty much have a good idea where the movie is going, but there are a lot of truly strange and touching moments along the way.

Angela Bettis is such a fantastic actress! Her jittery mannerisms are near perfect. And towards the end she becomes more self-assured and confident when she starts down her dark path. It almost makes me want to rent the TV version of Carrie that she started in .... well, almost.

The film has a lot of heart, it's surprisingly emotional.

Some movies use gore to distinguish themselves from other horror movies in a unique way, and boy, do they ever succeed. DEAD-ALIVE, EVIL DEAD, RE-ANIMATOR. Others, rather than settle for OTT gore, try to creep you out with old-school tactics that wriggle under your skin into places that are anything but comfortable...places that you only visit in your dreams. THE OTHERS, THE SIXTH SENSE and SIGNS are those kinds of films.

And then you get those rarities...those exceptional films that are not for everyone, that manage to be both creepy and gory at the same time, in a way that's not quite easily classifiable, and so they are never considered "mainstream" by mass audiences in the multiplexes, or critics into selling sound-bites rather than writing decent reviews.

Films like TOURIST TRAP, THE FUNHOUSE, George Romero's MARTIN, ALICE, SWEET ALICE, SISTERS and SILENT SCREAM are some prime examples. To this list, we can now add MAY.

The less you know about this film going in, the more shocking the denoument is. And even those who have heard quite a bit about it, shouldn't be too quick to make assumptions. MAY goes in a direction that most films of this genre hint at, but never commit to. The result is a tale alternating between twisted tenderness and tremendous terror, like nothing you've seen in a long while. And in the true tradition of creepy/gory/blackly comic films, there's no middle of the road with this one. You will love it or absolutely hate it, but either way, you will not walk away from it unaffected. First-time writer/director McKee has seen to that, and then some.

Angela Bettis may need some serious therapy, following up her role in the CARRIE TV remake with this one. I'd be tempted to call it a pattern, since May does share a lot of similarities with Carrie White; the overprotective, overbearing mothers, the role of societal outcast set at an early age. But that's where the similarities end. Where Carrie's weapon of choice was her soon-to-be-not-so-latent telekinetic powers, May's power lies in her very deceptive talent to appear shy, docile, reclusive and weird, but supposedly "harmless." Obviously lacking in the social interaction department, she still has a quality about her that elicits our empathy and sympathy. The characters she meets in the story feel the same way and...well, you have to see what happens to belive it.

Indie faves Jeremy Sisto (SIX FEET UNDER), Anna Faris (the SCARY MOVIE series) and James Duval (A RIVER MADE TO DROWN IN) round out the principal cast. Not to mention May's first 'friend' that serves as a catalyst for the story...a doll given her by her mother, which may have you swearing off dolls for the rest of your life!

I'm not going to give away the main plot, leaving that to other reviewers and their assessments. I will say this: if your horror movies usually have to be series sequels with a number plastered in front of them, MAY might be too much imaginative derangement for you to handle. But if you're in the mood for something completely different, then rent it NOW, by all means. Just make sure you have a good, stupid comedy to take your mind off of it afterward. Trust me on this; even if it's DUDE, WHERE'S MY CAR? for the fifteenth time, TAKE IT. You'll feel...well, maybe a little better after watching this.