astena

Dear Americans: Please stop remaking British comedies. You cannot do it. Your crass obvious method of delivering "jokes" cannot begin to hold a candle to the clever and witty understated humour that British television is renowned for. Every single American remake of a British show is trash, and this one is just another example of that. The Grimleys was a charming and witty show. The Grubbs is a crude ripoff. All-star casting cannot begin to make up for a complete lack of understanding of intelligent humour. And now that I have finally padded this review out to the ridiculous minimum character requirement, I end by saying this: Please just stop trying to remake British TV. You don't understand it, you can't compare to it, you do it an injustice and insult it by even trying.

Clever and colourful design elements can't make up for the mediocre acting and plodding plot. There are no surprises, no secrets, and the story crawls along at a snail's pace. None of the characters are remotely as interesting as the show is trying to *convince* you that they are. The always over-rated Sarah Paulson is emotionless and uninspired as Nurse Ratched, who should be a deliciously psychotic character to watch but instead is dull and dreary. Finn Wittrock gives a committed (pardon the pun) performance, but everyone else feels vapid and shallow, as if they're nothing more than props for Ms. Paulson to attempt to act around, but not with. Not worth watching.

On the surface, this seems to be a simple story with not a lot of action. Underneath, it's a delightfully creepy little psychological profile of a lonely, overburdened man whose entire life is devoted to caring for his demented mother. The entire cast do a fantastic job, and Wil Wheaton's turn as videotape Rent-a-Pal Andy is fantastic - corny and disturbing all at the same time.

The early '90s setting is perfect, from the minutest detail in home decor and retro electronics, right down to the horrible wardrobe and hairstyles. And the fact that most of the movie takes place within the confines of a tiny house and a cramped basement add to the claustrophobic feel that mirrors the protagonist's feelings of being trapped.

There really aren't many surprises as the movie chugs along. You pretty much know where it's going from the get-go. The plot "twists" are predictable, but the journey to get there is fun and disturbing, and even truly touching at times. It's definitely worth a watch.