Beautiful Creatures

We finally see the one film that has crawled out of wasted lottery money and it is, indeed, a disappointment. Perhaps foreign audiences who want to lap up anything British will enjoy this badly told tale more than I did. Two not-too-bright girls both have violent boyfriends, one of whom accidentally gets killed as the girls are thrown together and try to help each other. They make maladroit attempts to cover up the murder, which is where things go even more wrong. Wanting so hard to be a black comedy thriller along the lines of Shallow Grave or Blood Simple, Beautiful Creatures is ultimately little more than worthy of mid-week TV viewing.

It really is hit and miss when you pick up a movie that you,ve never heard of before, but being a fan of Rachael Weiz i thought id give it a go.

I was pleasantly surprised. It turned out to be very watchable and made me laugh my ass off. I love a good mystery/comedy. I thought it was witty and original. I also think it was filmed well for an small time movie. So with great humour, original characters and an interesting plot that keeps you guessing what will happen next i think its a thoroughly enjoyable film.

Not to mention the adorable dog Pluto. He was so friendly it made me wonder whether he belonged to the actress playing its owner.

This is a refreshing & darkly humorous, albeit violent, film about women who bond together when things go from bad to worse after they try to help one another. It does have the Thelma & Louise flavor to some extent. None of the men these women in "Beautiful Creatures" are involved are at all redeeming, however. A giddy terror results when they find themselves getting into a deeper and deeper mess. I thought this also had a kind of Scottish feel to it (it's filmed in Glasgow) that reminded me a bit of one of Bill Forsyth's films "That Sinking Feeling." While Forsyth's film was not violent, some people might find "Beautiful Creatures," because of the brutality in it, offensive. Still it's a not often look at the underside of smart women getting involved with some yukky guys and trying hard not to end up destitute & beaten down.

What I liked about the film "Beautiful Creatures" is that the lead female characters, Petula and Dorothy, are not strong women initially. They have allowed themselves to be dominated by physically, mentally and sexually abusive men. Neither seem to be capable of helping themselves out of these relationships. But, ironically, they each have the ability to help the other. And in helping each-other, they find the strength that had been beaten out of them. Even though the film addresses a serious subject, I found it to be very funny without making light of the domestic abuse issue. Susan Lynch is terrific as Dorothy, the fed-up heroine who comes to the aid of a stranger and finds herself facing murder charges. And "Mummy" fans will hardly recognize Rachel Weisz from her most familiar role as "Evie." Weisz is proving herself to be one of the most versatile actors making films today. There is an uninhibited quality about her performances that make every character she takes on totally believable.

Beautiful Creatures was real fun to watch. It won't really change your outlook on life but will make you happier with the one you have. The plot is ridiculous, the coincidence make you feel like buying a lottery ticket, but it gets you involved. It moves on a pace and the humor is very non-PC but the naughtiness makes it more enjoyable. Susan Lynch and Rachael Weisz are superb actresses and seemed to enjoy the filming and this comes over. It is, however, morally corrupt but that is part of the fun once you switch your morals and brain off (don't try this at home).

Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

Dark comedy-like film - nice twists , nice direction style & some really clever jokes, especially if you got a sick sense of humour, hehe. Overall its worth it for its different style. Not for those who're into hollywood crappy comedies or hollywood crap in general