Electric Slide

OK OK. I cannot totally trash this movie. On the other hand......... YES, I watched it pretty much because of the "name" JIM STURGESS. I have admired him for his work in various films. I was anticipating good things.

OK OK. I blame the director. WHO apparently OK'd Jim's silly costume, as well as that ridiculous mustachio, BUT. Here's the WORST: I always note that the Really BAD Actors wander around "expressing" emotions by keeping their Mouths OPEN ! what ??? WHY ?

Sweet JIM, in this role, kept his mouth open throughout PLUS had a scene of chewing gum......I mean CHEWING gum.......what? why?

As an actor, Jim should've protested. As a director ? I'm sorry, it was a waste of supreme talent.

I found this movie exceptionally refreshing. The adaption of the idea of Eddie Dobson was intriguing and mysterious. At times, subtle, the movie captivated my attention (hard to do) and I couldn't take my focus off of what was entertaining me. As many movies as I watch, many movies have become background noise, this is not one of those movies. A well played cast, Jim Sturgess is charming and his dialogue witty. I developed a connection with both his and Isabel Lucas' characters. If you want fast action, pass. This is a warming plot that heats up as it advances. If you like curiosity and underdogs, although troubled, this is your movie. Don't let the other reviews scare you away, give it a chance.

The movie went too slow for the pace I'm use to.

And for a movie about a bank robber, it was boring.

Seem they relied too much on how viewers wood react to the excitement of robbing a bank vs putting it on screen.

The nostalgia of the 1980s was faint to. They tired with the 80s music but overall I was disinterested.

Jim Struggs was actually pretty good though. Found him funny and enjoyable to watch as a furtive store owner looking to pay back a shark loan by robbing banks. Unfortunately, it's not enough to make the movie and neither was the mostly cameo appearance of Patricia Arquette, who the ad people decided to milked her academy award win to promote the movie and Chloë Sevigny.

I'd skip it

When I saw the trailer and the cast-list I thought that this looked really promising, when I saw the IMDb rating my hopes of it being great went down a bit but I thought maybe it could still be alright.

But it was just incredibly bland and initially extremely confusing to the point where it was barely comprehensible, 30 minutes in or so it gets slightly more focused telling a more linear story.

Jim Sturgess in the lead can be great but not in this movie, him speaking as if he's nose is constantly clogged up doesn't do him any favours.

Isabel Lucas is the female love (?) interest and I was surprised that she had so many credits on IMDb cause frankly she's like a empty vessel in this movie, I thought she was a model and was gonna write that she should stick to modelling but yeah she's actually a full-time actress.

Chloe Sevigny is in it for a couple scenes, she plays someone who had a thing with Jim's character prior to Isabel Lucas entering the picture she barely has any dialogue.

Christopher Lambert plays the mob (?) boss with a really fake-looking prosthetic nose Jim's character owes money.

Patricia Arqutte is in it for a couple scenes as well as some random milf with a look inspired by Brigitte Nielsen.

You don't really get to know any of the characters or given much info on what their relationship to one another is or given a reason why you should care for the fate of any of them for that matter.

It makes some half ass attempts at some comedic moments as well.

So yeah not terribly impressive.

Dodson owns a furniture store and aspires to a glamorous lifestyle he cannot afford. He borrows money from the bank and then a loan shark. As repayment pressures mount he resorts to bank robbing to fund his debts. He also teams up with a vacant blonde who likes to spout movie dialogue rather than talk with real feeling and their love story is a meaningless sidebar. The problem for me is Dodson is an unlikable man, he steals from friends and wants things without working for them. Sturgess portrays Dodson as ineffectual rather than charismatic which leaves you wondering why the bank tellers he robbed all liked him. I felt no emotional attachment to any of the characters.

The score also misses a trick opting to use generic synth music rather than some of the definitive 80s tunes. Its a stylish enough film but has no emotional core. The period is evoked sufficiently to feel like a period set piece. Could have been better with the talent involved.