Flakes

Watching this, i was not expecting much. I have to say i was pleasantly surprised. During the start of the film i was left in awe at how cool the actual set was, the cereal bar is a work of mise en scene genius. But even with an exciting set a film can still be rubbish.

Flakes is not as quirky as it looks. It's dialogue is impressive and the performances are understated and all work perfectly with the story, see Skinny Larry and Winston. There are moments that made me laugh, granted it was more of a chuckle than a hysterical laugh. The thing that strikes me the most about this movie is how well the writers formulated their characters. All very well judged with good casting in them, the only role i was left wondering about was that of Strawberry as she was pretty pointless. Christopher Lloyd is awesome in this, i read on another comment that Christopher Lloyd does his usual but if you grew up watching him as Doc, this really isn't his usual.

Good characters, good premise, original storytelling and the ever lovely Zooey Deschanel. This is worth a watch, it is not a groundbreaking concept, it will not blow your brains out, it will not keep you on the edge of your seat, however it will charm you and leave you thinking about it. Well it did for me at least.

This is a movie that tries to be poppy and indie at the same time. There are lots of movies that do this, and they rarely hit the mark. There's enough quirkiness to keep you watching it, but not enough to really make you remember that you actually did watch it the day after. As amusing as the concept is of guys who buy black market cereal is, there's only so much you can do with the concept, and it ends up with a story line about a nice girl with a jerk boyfriend who really doesn't have the ambition to record his mediocre songs. It is nice to see New Orleans, and to see Christopher Lloyd dusting off his Jim-from-taxi persona one more time. It's the kind of movie you could recommend to your parents when they're trying to figure out how to set up their Netflix queue, unless they don't like swearing, that is. In the end, they probably should have just scrapped the whole idea of being edgy, and gone for the poppy movie thing.

Flakes is more dry and boring than any bowl of cereal could ever be. I've enjoyed many a hipster indie movie, but all the quirky characters in the world can't save a movie that's dull and devoid of any entertainment value, whatsoever.

I think the movie was attempting an Empire Records-type vibe, where you're introduced to a few off-beat characters, and then grow to care about their lives over the course of the movie. That certainly didn't happen. Every character was annoyingly "different", and the viewer is never given any reasons to grow attached to them. They never become anything more than arbitrarily alternative caricatures. I normally love Zooey Deschanel (she's the reason I watched the movie), but she's just as un-appealing in this as everyone else. This may sound harsh, but Flakes was a complete failure. Don't waste your time with it.

Michael Lehmann tells a charming little story about an aspiring rocker, Neal Downs, and an aspiring artist, Pussy Katz. Neal feels obligated to work fulltime at a cereal diner, Flakes, but his girlfriend Pussy Katz wants him to pursue his dream in becoming a musician. She even offers to take over his job, without payment. However, Neal declines. Meanwhile, a rival diner sets up in front of Flakes and in order to teach Neal a lesson, Pussy Katz takes up a job at the new cereal bar.

'Flakes' is overall a fun movie. While the concept is very appealing, the screenplay and execution are splendid. Although the pro-capitalist vs anti-capitalist theme is underdeveloped and the ending felt a little rushed, the comedy mostly makes up for it. The clever humour works brilliantly. I liked the art direction. The colourful sets looked very inventive and authentic. The cinematography is good too and the soundtrack fits well with the atmosphere and flaky surroundings.

Aaron Stanford and Zooey Deschanel form a likable and believable pair. They have great chemistry. Standford is competent as the scruffy wannabe rocker who's afraid of the uncertainty of a musician's future. Lovely Deschanel is a delight to watch. Her natural performance stands out, Christopher Lloyd, Keir O'Donnell and Izabella Miko provide great support.

The jokes made me laugh out loud. This film has heart and brain Positively flaky, fun, energetic and delicious, 'Flakes' at the very least brings a smile to the face. I'll definitely be revisiting this one.

I really enjoyed this. It's a fun, quirky flick with a fun, quirky cast, and the music/set was very well done. The two leads, Aaron Stanford and Zooey Deschanel, had great chemistry and both carried their roles with style and skill; Deschanel is hilariously adorable as always, and Stanford gives his character, Neal, a lovable, believable charm. The concept itself is quite cool as well, I thought; what other movie is about competing *cereal bars*? While the "Franchises = BAD" message is sort of smacked in your face throughout the film, it's definitely worth the occasional eyeroll. Basically, if you're looking for a movie that will make you laugh out loud, have you rooting for a happy ending and leave you smiling when it's over, 'Flakes' is for you.