Real Time

Not sure which movie rstone and prake saw, but it couldn't have been the same one I did. To be fair this movie probably isn't everyone's cup of tea. It's not a 'Fast and the Furious' action film. It's not a 'Quantum of Solace' suspense film either. It's about a guy, Andy - played by Jay Baruchel, that has thrown his life away by getting hooked on gambling. Baruchel plays the part with the same desperation of addicts striving for one more fix, be it a drug, alcohol, or gambling. And he nails the way that his character seems to point the finger about the way his life turned out everywhere but at himself. It's also about the guy , Rueben - played by Quaid, that takes the job to kill him. I won't lie and tel you I came expecting anything other than am action suspense flick. What I found instead was a story that was marvelously crafted in the 78-odd minutes. I became immersed in it. I cared about the characters, the loser Andy and the rough breaks he had that really just came from his own actions and choices in life, and the solemn enforcer Rueben, tasked with killing someone he knows but determined to give him one chance to, in an hour or so, to make something good. You get some humor, some gun play, but instead of relying on the quick and cheap thrills to make his point, the director relies on the way you are invested in the story to make the film. And you do become invested in it. Maybe it's just that I lost my wife in Dec 2007 to a one car accident that makes me a little introspective when it comes to movies where impending death is the main theme and your choices or ability to choose what you do with your time left are integral to the story. I might not vote this one number one for 2008, but it would definitely be in my top ten. And it was definitely worth the watch.

Smart melancholic drama filled with clever dialog. Randy Quaid shows his chops as tough as nails hit man with a secret and Jay Baruchel is convincing as a beyond hope gambler with nothing to lose. The plot is uneventful but the chemistry between these two characters carries the story to its clever end.

A brief appearance by Jayne Eastwood as Andy's grandmother helps to carry the films theme of luck vs self determination in a short but enjoyable scene. I walked away feeling rewarded for my patience and thinking just a little.

Good stuff.

I noticed a posting "Best film of the Toronto Film Festival" -- now that had to be one of the WORST film Festivals I have EVER heard of.

Randy Quaid and Jay Baruchel did their jobs as far as the acting goes, but come on??????? --- wheres the story? There is no way on this green earth that a hard ass hit man is going to go that route.

This was boring, long drawn out BS.... another total waste of time. -- What is with the film industry today? Has our economy gotten so bad that they have to stoop to low budget crap to infiltrate the market just to give us something to watch? Jeeeezzzzzzz Come ON PLEASE!!!!!!!.

How can anyone give this a 10?

3 at best.

Real Time, the second feature of writer/director Randall Cole (19 Months) made its Canadian debut at the Toronto International Film Festival after being the opening night feature at the Slamdance Festival earlier this year.

Opening with a twitchy, expletive-laden, nervous tirade, Ottawa's Jay Baruchel (Knocked Up, Million Dollar Baby) gives the best performance of his young career as Andy Hayes; a doomed gambling addict bemoaning his constant bad luck.

Pulling up alongside Andy in his big black Town Car is Aussie ex-pat Reuben played by Randy Quaid (The Last Detail, Brokeback Mountain) who gives another in a long career filled with excellent performances. Glancing up at Reuben's car, Andy quickly turns on his heel and walks in the opposite direction down the sidewalk to which Reuben calmly puts the car in reverse. Thus begins a hilarious pas-de-deux between man and car on a grey street in Hamilton.

After a stern invitation, Andy reluctantly gets in the car where we discover that we will be spending much of the last hour and a half of his life with him. Quaid's Reuben quietly explains that he has been given the assignment of killing Andy, but will give him until 3pm to get his affairs in order.

Thus our adventure begins, with director Cole cleverly echoing Hal Ashby's 'The Last Detail' in which Quaid takes on the Nicholson role of guiding his young charge in the last moments before an inevitable fate is to befall him.

Both of these character actors are clearly relishing the freedom afforded them by having lead roles in this excellent comedic drama. Quaid's hit man is kind, thoughtful, and contemplative all the while simmering with potential violence, while occasionally flashing a glimpse of the goofy grin we first saw from him in Peter Bogdanovich's 'The Last Picture Show'. Baruchel brilliantly portrays the sadness all too common in people who choose not to engage beyond the perfunctory with the world at large.

Even as events unfold in real time, there is a surreal timelessness evoked as we glide along dilapidated streets, with Reuben as our guide, while a radio station that will bring a smile to the lips of anyone who has a soft spot for 70s Can Con plays innocently along the way.

With cats (both dead and alive), unspeakable acts on potato salad, a somewhat addled shut-in Grandma (national treasure, Jayne Eastwood) and horizontal urination, there are plenty of laughs throughout; despite the serious subject matter in Real Time.

While the film is full of razor-sharp dialogue, writer/director Cole also allows us space, as we are driven through the beautifully shot ugliness of The Hammer's streets, in which Quaid & Baruchel draw us into their messed up worlds, to this point in time.

This thoughtful film invites us to examine how we choose to spend our time, as Andy contemplates a life that has lead him deep into a thick woods with Reuben's gun at his back…

This film will stay with you long after the credits roll. You will be glad you spent these 79 minutes in Real Time.

2008 has been a stinker for films - it seems nothing has gelled or been original - was Wall.E really the highlight!?!? - so Real Time for me was kind of a nicer way to finish the year.

This is a tiny film - totally focused on the two main characters that just works. The enforcer, in a great turn by Randy Quaid, is there to kill a pathetic gambler, Andy, played by Canadian Jay Baruchel.

What makes this is the conversations, nothing Tarantino-like, but somehow they involve us and make us care.

At only 1 hour and 17 minutes this is short, but very well directed and most of all it is logical, neat, and the performances ring true. Honestly, one of the better films of the year, and I would recommend it as being a refreshing change from some of the garbage we've been served this year.