As Garotas Vão ao Bar

So this movie is free, which is kinda strange, it's cool but I do hope that it doesn't become a common thing because I personally think a movie like this would be better enjoyed in a big screen. Anyway it is still a pretty decent movie, it boasts an amazing cast including the always awesome Rosario Dawson and the effortlessly cool Carla Gugino, the fact that this movie is free and it has such an amazing cast is very impressive.

The storyline is fun and easy to watch, the intertwining story lines follow in from each other seamlessly and the dialogue is quite witty at times, (is it true that Mexican men love cunnilingus?). The only thing that let's this movie down is the lack of any type of soundtrack, music adds so much to a film and it would have been great to hear some cool indie tunes throughout this movie, but I suppose the budget has to be considered in cases like this.

I think that the writer director could do something really great if given the right budget and, I'm sure in the future we will see some cool things from this guy. Lets just hope he is able to attract as excellent a cast as what he has in this movie. So yeah if you're looking for an easy watch with a few laughs, great characters and excellent dialogue then check this out.

Kind of like 200 Cigarettes minus the 80's setting. Fun times. :)

I feel like those who have given this film such bad reviews either expected too much going into it or just couldn't let themselves go for the brief slice that this movie was. This is not a deep or complex movie, despite weaving together almost seamlessly multiple arcs, and it's not meant to be some heavy, meaningful piece (as least in my opinion). The point of any movie is to entertain, and I certainly was. I put this on with the intent to read a book while watching; by five minutes in I had abandoned the book completely. It's a quiet, unassuming comedy featuring some excellent performances. Simply charming.

"Girl Walks Into a Bar" is made up of a bunch of connected scenes, each taking place in a different bar. These scenes are heavily dialog-driven (sometimes with internal dialog). Some of them work, some don't.

Most of the dialog is clever, well-written, and delivered by good actors. It's unrealistic and fast paced, with no time between a line and the response to that line. This is good entertainment, but if you get bored by dialog you'll get bored fast--there's no action here.

There's a sense throughout the movie that you're watching a long, fast paced joke. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but you start to wonder when the punchline is going to show up, which can be distracting.

Good movie overall, there's a lot of talent involved.

"Girl Walks Into a Bar" is, at once, both better and worse than it was marketed as: A witty comedy with a cast of strangers in inter-locking stories. It's the inter-locking stories part that gets disconcerting. That generally means we get too many loosely-related stories with too many characters that we barely get to know with meaningless plot lines that don't go anywhere. This movie isn't that, it's mostly better.

There are only two story lines, born from each other, with arguably two or three main characters. And the beginning totally gets us invested in them. Nick (Zachary Quinto) is sitting nervously at a bar and doesn't want anyone to join him because he's waiting for someone. Francine (Carla Gugino) is that someone; he just doesn't know that. Minutes later we suddenly have no one left to sympathize with when it is revealed that Nick is about to commit an unforgivable crime and Francine gives no concern to the lies she just said.

Henry (Aaron Tveit) walks into a bar and steals our attention back. He flirts with Francine and just for the fun of it, and steals her wallet. Our two story lines involve Nick on his mission of crime and the law enforcement on his tail while Francine is on the tail of Henry. Their night of adventure involves checking into a number of bars each with another person to meet. The cast list is quite the collection of talented, mostly recognizable names, but they have nothing to do. Sometimes they say things that are supposed to be clever but are not.

That's where the film is worse. The dialogue is not witty nor funny, and it should not be classified as a comedy. There were quite a few scenes which had actors saying crap that none of their characters should have said and which added no meaning or value to the film.

Then the movie ended with some kind of choreographed musical and dance number which didn't conclude anything. Almost unbeknownst to me, Nick's storyline was wrapped up in a previous scene (Josh Hartnett's only scene) but with one short, stupid phone call. Quinto can act, as can Hartnett, and a well written scene with confrontation was desperately needed. After the first two scenes, there was very little confrontation, and indeed revealed that you weren't watching much at all. "Girl Walks Into a Bar" seems visually interesting, with compelling lead characters, good acting and clever story lines but then doesn't really go anywhere.

"Girl Walks Into A Bar" is exceptionally well written, with every little story linked harmoniously with each other. Another reviewer mentioned the excessive use of stereotypes. If there is something you can stereotype, it's strip club regulars.

Despite all the anonymity the film tried to cover itself with, it will get the attention it rightfully deserves, because it's not, as most movies of the same caliber, funny for the sake of fun. This is real comedy, and while it may not make you laugh uncontrollably, you will find a certain kind of humour that has not been attempted in a long time. Sometimes the writing is so funny, there is no actual need for dialogue.

This is not, strictly speaking, a comedy. There are a few dramatic aspects to it, as well. I give this a 9/10, although I think it deserves something closer to 8.5. Certainly one of the best films of 2011, simply for being... simple!