Raising Genius

Just saw this film at a festival--

Really, really kooky and wonderful!! What a great cast, too. Everyone was funny. Wendie Malick did her usual thing, which is always funny.

Ed Begley Jr. and Marc DeCarlo were great in supporting roles, as was the trampoline jumping cheerleader (Danica McKellar).

Stephen Root seemed to reprise his "Office Space" role, but hey, it was funny. And Justin Long sort of did an impersonation of Stephen Root in "Office Space." But it was actually REALLY funny.

This movie just keeps taking left turns into kookiness that somehow, someway, TOTALLY works. I give it a thumbs up.

I cant even get thru this movie. It does keep my interest...I walked away to do dishes.

This is a satire that is usually more strange than entertaining. The idea had potential, and the actors have talent, but sadly it fails to deliver. The main character, Hal, is a kid with OCD who is afraid to leave the bathroom. Hal is played by Justin Long, who seems to be doing a bad impression of Milton Waddams from Office Space (one of my favorite movies). Unfortunately Hal is not half as funny Milton. Hal's father is played by Stephen Root, who played Milton in Office Space. Stephen takes his role seriously, and gives a good performance, but he's not funny - he's serious. Wendie Malick also plays her role well, but again in a serious way. The only funny character in this movie is the eccentric grandmother. The theme is there - people with misplaced values taking life too seriously and making themselves miserable. But it's just not entertaining.. It's weird. Basically the movie has an identity crisis. Sometimes it tries to be funny, and sometimes it tries to be serious, but overall it fails at both.

Unless you are a hardcore Justin Long fan, do not bother watching this overwrought, pretentious garbage. Ooooh! Look at me! I'm a "black" comedy! Hold on a second...shouldn't any type of comedy be at least somewhat amusing? Yes, the situations were comedic, but that doesn't cut it by itself. The characters' eccentricities cried out "Plot contrivance!" Everyone seemed extremely one-dimensional, which does not play well in a movie striving to make a point (beat a dead horse) about modern life/society. Poorly written and acted(Did somebody owe Ron Howard some money? How else do you explain the presence of Clint?). Justin Long must have some inside info on some Hollywood bigwigs to continue getting acting gigs; in this particular film, he outdoes himself with a horrible performance. Do not bother!

This film had so many basic movie 101 flaws; it was just a mess. The premise of the genius teenage son who locks himself into the bathroom, (surrounded by family, friends, and neighbors who are by no means helpful) seems to be a good enough start. And certainly with the talented cast involved, I thought for sure this movie couldn't go wrong. However, with a very inconsistent narrative style (voice overs from multiple characters that drop in randomly, serving no purpose other than to cover story gaps), the ever switching p.o.v. (who's story was this? Mom's? Son's?) and the confounding love-like-hate relationship with Mom and Son (are we suppose to sympathize with them, hate them, laugh at them, love them, like them?), this movie elicited nothing from me other than confusion, and the question, "What was I supposed to get from this?"