Trust Me

Trust Me: When I came into this movie, I really thought it might be a more comedic effort along the lines of ' Life with Mikey' with Michael J Fox. I should have known better from the guy who directed Choke. This is a timely movie in a lot of regards with the recent sex scandals coming out of Hollywood and I also watched the documentary An Open Secret which will really make you question humanity. This is about a talent agent for children who is really struggling, down on his luck and finds a new talent who is truly mind blowing. But this is only the tip of the iceberg though. It digs into this world and what it means to live in it. It feels like a drug and you continue chasing that high no matter what the cost. Clark Gregg plays a former child actor turned talent agent representing children. He understands what that life was like and knows what they need. He seems to genuinely care about their well being while everyone else is looking for their piece of the pie. The thing is the way it ends though is a tiny bit uncomfortable. I won't give it away here but this changes the movie entirely. It becomes a strong drama and the title is essential to the theme of trust. Trust in your parents to help you. Trust in your friends to know when you're in a bad situation to help you. Trust that someone else has your best interests at heart. Trust that you're not a pawn in their game. Trusting in nothing becomes a very tiring and lonely life. Never to have your trust rewarded and to always have people fail you. It's a really solid movie and I look forward to what Clark Gregg does next. I give this movie a B.

I can't tell if the trailer is false advertisement to reach a bigger audience, or if it was done on purpose to surprise the viewer, but either way, this movie is far from a comedy and is hands down a drama with even a few metaphorical tid-bits and some film noir influences.

Plot: Howard Holloway(Clark Gregg, mostly known for his role as Agent Phil Coulson in S.H.I.E.L.D., Avenger etc.) is a former child star who, after his career went down, started his own agency to represent child stars of his own. Business is running slow and to make things worse, his most promising clients are getting poached by his "arch enemy" Aldo (Sam Rockwell). His love life is not doing well either, as his approaches on his crush and neighbour Marcy(Amanda Peet) are not leading anywhere either. This all seems to change abruptly when he manages to land a promising new actress, named Lydia(Saxon Sharbino), without his doing to be honest.

What does start off and sound like a "stereotypical" underdog hits big comedy plot couldn't be farther away from that.

Clark Gregg (who also wrote and directed Trust Me) is taking you on a ride that starts as a mild comedy with some shades of drama and step by step turns it into a fully fledged drama that will leave you surprised.

The acting throughout the whole movie is solid and really lives off the great chemistry between the actors. Especially Saxon Sharbino is standing out with her great performance that will go from childly innocent to devastated to treacherous in a heartbeat.

I can't stretch this enough, but don't expect to end the movie with a smile or laughter. It really is not a comedy. The movie even has a few metaphorical tid-bits that don't really stand out at first, but at the end you get what they were supposed to mean. And on top of that the movie even has a few film noir moments that don't seem to fit at all if you got the trailer in mind, but they are scarcely spread in the movie and really fit the mood.

Overall I can definitely recommend this movie.

A black comedy about a Hollywood Agent, superbly portrayed and directed by Clark Gregg.

He was definitely "swimming with sharks" here.

The film not only portrays the industry in a not always flattering light, but shows the obstacles that can be thrown in the way of doing the "right" thing.

Some great character development, but here, as in Hollywood, who would you/should you trust?

A standout performance by Saxon Sharbino, as part of a very talented cast.

Definitely a film to see.

What do you look for in a movie?

Today, it seems like every film has to have a bit of everything: comedy, tragedy, levity and suspense all hung up in this thing we call drama.

It's nearly impossible to do it, I mean, even Shakespeare kept his comedy and tragedy separate. One of the few writers and directors I have seen capable of doing this outside of the scope of literature is Clark Gregg.

You might know him from Iron Man and the Avengers and Agents of Shield: Phil Coulson. But you might not connect him to 'Choke' that awesome movie he wrote and directed, starring Sam Rockwell.

This film is impossible to talk about without spoiling it, so let me stay on the outside.

"Trust Me" A story about a child agent named Howard who has watched his client list dwindle and his life degrade gets a big shot at success when he begins to represent a teen named Lydia, who has a shot at a feature role in a movie.

Howard is a good guy and all he cares about is the future of these child actors, hell, he was one himself and knows the sting of being forgotten and left broke; but as he works to do what is best for Lydia, he is oblivious to his fate.

This was an enjoyable movie, any way you look at it. It had the great one liners from Marcy (Amanda Peet) and rival agent Aldo (Sam Rockwell), sustained comedy from Howard (Clark Gregg's character). Lydia (Saxon Sharbino) wavered between emotions, going from light to dark so easily. The acting never took me out of the story.

Clark Gregg has a directing style that is not so much surreal as Visionary. You see what the protagonist sees until he or she realizes their place and you become aware. Because of that, his films have a detective, mystery, noir feel, though they are not quite those types of dramas. You are on the outside, trying to understand and that makes for an absorbing story. Among other things, he is a capable writer.

This was a film that drew me in from the start, even though I had no connection to Child Acting or Hollywood. "Trust Me" is a movie about 'becoming' something, being let go from who you feel you have to be. Whether you look at Howard, the main character; Lydia, the young actress; Marcy (Amanda Peet), Howard's divorced neighbor. All these characters are trying to let go and become who they are.

"Trust Me" is worth a watch.

I enjoyed watching Trust Me and glad I did, though I can pretty much guarantee a lot of folks will hate the direction the film takes towards the end. This is because it seems like a light comedy for most of the movie and you grow to like the characters. And then, out of the blue, it turns incredibly dark….black hole dark! I didn't exactly love the twist, either, or at least parts of it, though I really can't say more or else I might spoil the surprises the movie gives the viewer—and there are quite a few!

Clark Gregg stars as Howard Holloway, an agent for child actors who is definitely in a career slump—or, perhaps his whole career is just a giant slump. He's just about to lose his last client and he has very little to show for his years in the industry---both as an agent and as a child actor himself. His personality reminded me a lot of the character Bowfinger (from the Steve Martin film of the same name) because he'll say or do just about anything to make the deal.

Howard's failing career seems to have a HUGE turnabout when a young actress, Lydia (Saxon Sharbino) decides she wants him for an agent. This is a big surprise, as it's obvious that Howard is NOT a big player in the industry and because her father takes an instant dislike of Howard (don't worry, Dad seems to instantly hate just about everyone). Soon, it's obvious that she is going to be his ticket to the big time, as she's about to be offered the lead in the newest series of over-hyped Hollywood teen blockbuster films (about vampire aliens!). But, while Howard looks like he's finally going to get the big break, a huge number of obstacles are about to be thrown his way—and one BIG one is coming from where he least expects it. And by then, you've actually come to like and respect Howard and you know he deserves better.

I think the best way to describe this film is an ultra-dark look at the awful side of Hollywood, agents and child stars as told through a parable of sorts. The studio executives are shown as being surprisingly ugly and dirty little people. Because of this, it's like the film is biting the proverbial hand that feeds it! But, the film abounds with biting from all sides and I think it's a marvelous film for parents of would-be stars to see—to show them what it is they might be looking for after all. Unfortunately, I am not sure how many are willing to listen.

The bottom line is that I really respect the film for exposing the viewer to some of the ugly aspects of the film industry—especially when it comes to kids. And, I appreciated the twists that come at the end. But, it might leave you feeling a bit depressed…so think about that before you give it a watch. It's exceptionally well written and crafted. All the acting is quite nice and the leads are given some nice support from the likes of Sam Rockwell, Paul Sparks and Felicity Huffman (among others). Gregg is marvelous as Howard and Sharbino IS amazing playing Lydia since she really is only about 14 yet performs like a woman of great intelligence and experience. I just hope that in course of her career (which looks VERY promising with this performance), Sharbino doesn't end up like Lydia in the film! An interesting story that makes you think and also might leave you a bit saddened for the experience.