Marmalade

This has to be the most unique movie I've seen in awhile. At first it seems like you know what you're getting into, but there are plot twists my family and I didn't see coming at all. Not to mention the cast really put their whole careers into this movie, in my opinion. There are also little easter eggs through out the entire movie that hint towards certain things at the end, which makes me excited to rewatch it and see what I missed and what makes more sense after knowing how it ends. I truly hope this movie and its cast / crew get at least a few awards for this. I've never written a review on here before but this movie warrants one.

No pun intended - I assume if you have watched this, you will understand or read into this something else than those who haven't. Let's just say, the movie might be able to have some surprises for you at hand ... the main character is quite well played and chosen. And while he may not seem like it, he might have some ideas ... how would he have been able to survive this long.

Generally speaking I did like the cast of the movie. They did a great job and the twists really helped me enjoy the whole thing. Now some things may work a bit too convenient ... but there are clues why certain things had t be done (I am looking at the door guard and the sheet wagon ... let's call it that) ... if you think about it. Still suspend your disbelief ... and just enjoy this for a light thriller ... this does not ... "pretend" to be anything else ... or does it?

It was definitely refreshing and amazing to have watched this sort of a movie nowadays when we get scarcity of thrilling and unexpected comedies. The plot was outstanding because it was flexible open to interpretation and easy to manipulate like what the director and writer just did. The protagonist's performance was so smart and clever die to his ability to portray such complex character that initially seemed innocent and unsuspecting to someone more sinister and clever. The scenes were also intelligently edited because there were no plotholes and the twist was satisfying in the end. The whole anagram thing was a bit corny though.

I thought this movie was absolutely terrific. It was fun, interesting, and refreshing, and any doubts or qualms I had with it in the beginning were resolved by the end.

In fact, a little ways into it I thought I had guessed then ending, and thought "wow, what a neat little concept." By the end, it had taken what I thought would happen and added a few twists, and really left me pleasantly surprised. I've seen plot progression similar to this before, but this really stuck the landing and left me wanting more (in a good way).

Some of the performances and character decisions do feel a little off in the beginning, but this makes sense at a certain point and becomes part of the charm.

As a directorial debut and possibly best performance yet by the rising Joe Keery, I have to go with a 10/10 for this one. I can't think of anything that would have enhanced it, and it all wrapped up in a satisfying, if not 100% original, way.

By the way, I only knew about this film because I follow Justin Long (apparently a friend of the director) on Instagram. Really curious as to how this gem slipped by with minimal promotion or recognition.

This is the kind of movie that relies heavily on the story and its twists. Unfortunately, the story, while shiny on the outside, falls apart upon the slightest inspection. It is not original, and it is not nearly as clever as it thinks it is.

When the movie has such gaping plot holes, and requires such enormous suspension of disbelief, then it needs to be extremely fun in order to make up for it. But this movie is not fun. The pacing is uneven, sometimes it drags slower that the terrible southern drawl of the main character, and other times it tries to rush too many things into a few minutes. Despite being billed as a comedy too, all you get form it are just a few chuckles.

The acting is perhaps the best part of it, but that goes only for some of the supporting characters. Camila Morrone was excellent and Aldis Hodge did a solid job, although his acting is uneven - some moments he is excellent, some moments downright bad. Unfortunately, Joe Keery wasn't good, although his character was supposed to carry the movie. In keeping with the aforementioned lack of originality, two characters from two famous movies immediately jump out as the inspiration (to put it politely) for the main character, but the actors in those movies are light years ahead of Keery (I won't go into any details in order to avoid spoilers).

Overall not a terrible movie, but not a good one.