Reencontrando Amigos

At the start of the movie, Alec, Samantha, Trevor and Casey are about to graduate from college. They reunite one year later in Los Angeles, and none of them are doing exactly what they expected.

Alec and Trevor are living together in what can best be described as a dump. Alec would like to be a movie writer, but for now he is basically a secretary to a demanding female boss. Trevor wants to be an actor, but he can never succeed. Casey arrives in town with big dreams and gives the impression he is a success, but he isn't, and he's stuck living in the dump with the others. Plus he needs to find a girl who he had a child with years ago. Samantha, who goes by Sam, is an idealistic social worker who hopes she can keep an immigrant family from being deported, but this proves to be harder than she thinks, and her superiors are no help.

Alec finds out he has a brain tumor, and this may be what is giving him visions. (Can you say "Eli Stone," boys and girls? I knew you could.) He may be seeing the future, or he may be finding out how to solve his problems and those of his friends. The visions give him the idea to rob a bank (though he keeps the source of his idea a secret from the others). And the bank robbery itself is the funniest part of the movie.

This is okay, but overall nothing great. Too much of the movie is depressing, but I did like the funny parts. The ending comes as kind of a surprise.

I don't understand how this movie wasn't released until now. Incredible movie, great story, amazing cast. Possibly my favorite performance from Ethan Embry [and I've seen nearly everything he's done]. Peter Facinelli shows he has more talent then he showed on Fastlane.

And Jeff Anderson!! Heck yeah!! Randal pops up for a quick scene :D

"Stealing Time" actually dates back to 2001 when it was mysteriously titled "Rennie's Landing". Which explains how director Marc Fusco was able to afford this cast of now established television/movie actors in what is obviously an extremely low budget production. About ten minutes into the film you understand why this thing never got a theatrical release after it made the film festival rounds several years ago.

Its recent distribution by Franchise Pictures probably reflects a perception that the rising popularity of certain cast members can be milked to recover some of the modest production costs. Although not a great addition to anyone's resume, young actors have done worse things when they were desperately seeking acting work of any kind.

Peter Facinelli, Ethan Embry, Scott Foley and Charlotte Ayanna play college friends who do an early "Big Chill" reunion and compare war stories about the failure of reality to measure up to their dreams.

Unfortunately nothing else happens, absolutely nothing. Yes Alec (Facinelli) dreams about a liquor store holdup and a bank robbery, which are then "cheaply and lamely" staged to completely inappropriate music. It is the least suspenseful bank job since W.C. Fields was the guard in "The Bank Dick".

If anyone can point to any moment in "Stealing Time" where something "actually" happens I would like to know about it, because as far as I can tell, not a thing happens in the whole film. Perhaps Fusco, through incessant visual reflections, is trying to say something profound about taking control of one's life before it is too late. Like "St. Elmo's Fire" the movie is littered with every profound thought ever uttered by a young adult who has left the ivory tower to experience the real world for the first time.

I felt Fusco was going for a kind of Howard Hawks Young Professionals in Action "Only Angels Have Wings" motif. Then again, I'm sure I was reading much too much into the film. After all, things actually happen Howard Hawks films.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

This movie has a great Gen Y ensemble cast, including Peter Facinelli (Riding in Cars With Boys), Ethan Embry (Can't Hardly Wait), Scott Foley (Felicity), and a cameo by Jennifer Garner (Alias). The clever script has its ups and downs, but is generally carried well throughout the movie. Marc Fusco's (Steven Spielberg's personal assistant) direction is stylized and stimulating, thoroughly disguising the use of digital video. Although it starts out as a millennial update to Saint Elmo's Fire, the unique spirit of this film saves it from tedium, and the twisty ending elevates it far above the ordinary. Rennie's Landing sucks you in from the first frames, and doesn't let go until long after the credits have rolled.

I know, it's not rare to see really small movies with developed, interesting characters and a great storyline in theaters, but I wish some of them didn't slip through the Hollywood cracks so easily. This movie is so great, and I can't even pick a specific reason why. While not Oscar-worthy, I just liked all of it: the characters, the performances, the photography, the editing, the story, everything. Not to mention that it's thought-provoking, which is more than I can say for the majority of movies with wide releases. Movies like this are perfect examples for why independent movies need to paid more respect than they are.