A Justiceira

I read a couple of negative reviews and I can only conclude that this is one of those times when people have simply different expectations (high or just different) and they are overall too surprised to enjoy the movie as it is. Some say Holmes plays too young character for her actual age, some say the film isn't funny enough, when it should be a dark comedy and some complain the story is too predictable.

Main complaint however is that the storyline fails to develop enough to seem believable, and simply emerges to, quote, off-puttingly bizarre (review on holywoodreporter). I must disagree. This movie would not seem annoyingly odd, if you simply don't watch it with certain expectations, and this actually counts for almost any movie. Forget for a minute you're watching Tom Cruise's ex wife, forget that she's also a co-producer, and just let yourself enjoy the movie. Who says films should be "believable"?! You may treat this movie as a fairy tale and you'll get overwhelmingly fascinated by the tap-dancing, the hairstyle and the costume design in it.

You also may be surprised you actually like Holmes' acting. She plays a woman living in a fantasy world, who starts slowly meeting the reality - but who says she should meet the reality all the way through? She abandons her fairy-tale world for a while, just to fix the things that are too odd, but what's nicely surprising is she doesn't abandon it completely. I would say she plays some sort of an everyday super hero, because she fearlessly helps and saves people in need, but she's is depicted without the clichés for a superhero character, and the film is weird enough, in a nice way, to make us think of this without putting it too obvious.

Another reason to watch this movie is Brenda Abbandandolo's costume design. Miss Meadows' clothes, combined with her hairstyles and maybe the makeup, are the things that make this movie so enjoyable. For any fashion lover, this is a reason alone to watch it. Scenography is also nice, but Katie Holmes in a elegant high waist skirt wearing white gloves and tap-dancing shoes, with cute hair strands and big eyes, this is something completely overwhelmingly cute and sure a reason to love at least a little the film. Her well-illustrated character will make you like the rest of the cast's look - Sheriff's intentionally balding hair, bad guy's evil looking face and his character's overall look - the hair and the dog on a leash.

At last, I suggest if you suspect that you have developed any kind of high expectations for this film, simply skip it. Watch it only without prejudice, and you will enjoy Katie Holmes acting, and Miss Meadows' clothing and hairstyles.

A tap dancing vigilante may seem an impossible idea to turn into a comprehensible script but somehow Karen Leigh Hopkins makes it work. The opening sequence of the film makes it clear that Miss Meadows (Holmes) is no ordinary school teacher cum vigilante, with victim number one clocked very early after the title sequence. Holmes does a great job of making Miss Meadows seem the epitome of eccentricity, with, apparently, carefully created, precisely drawn and meticulously manicured manners, even at the point of the kill.

Throughout the plot are moments of blissful dialogue intertwined with pauses, telling looks, and, it has to be said, the incongruous, but it does hang together if you stick with it. There are continuity blunders in more than one scene, and occasional poor editing, but these do not stop the film from being surprisingly engrossing. The acting is rather good too, especially from James Badge Dale (the Sheriff) and Ava Kolker (Heather). There are memorable scenes like dancing to an unseen and unheard accordion in a field which make this film a little like an old fashioned fairy tale or a fable, but the message is totally adult in content, and should leave you thoughtful by the end.

A film like few others which is going to be underrated and under exposed. It is better than it will score on places like 1Mbd.

I thought this movie was underrated and I love Katie Holmes and James badge Dale and Jean smart. I thought ahead of next week's lot very cute. This is one you don't wanna let get away I like it.

i've never reviewed a movie on IMDb before. i review them on my facebook page when i feel the urge, but i'm supremely unqualified to do so. although what the qualifications would be, i don't exactly know.

first, let me say that black comedy is a category which seems to impact me and stick to me longer than nearly any other genre. and i'm a sucker for the unreliable narrator as well and they usually go hand-in-hand.

when i say this movie was brilliant, i have no proof of it, no one single detail which would qualify it, but i do know it held me enthralled from beginning to end. and yes, there were a couple of rough patches where i thought the script sort of wandered off track, but then, i didn't write it, so it might well have been exactly what they intended and that one scene or two or an exchange of dialogue just didn't resonate with me.

i completely understand this genre is not for everyone and the comedy goes right over the heads of many people--too many things seem to do so these days.

i apologize for the wandering 'review', but i just think it deserves 2-3 stars more than the IMDb is showing as the average. don't let the slightly low rating keep you from watching it.

/guy

I'm happy for Katie Holmes that she got a role, that might seem one sided or one dimensional on the outside, but is actually pretty meaty on the inside. And she has fun playing that character obviously. Unfortunately the movie or rather the script itself is not so good. It can't keep up with the pace and quality of the character.

It's a weird movie nonetheless and it's very violent while innocent looking. If you don't mind that split, which actually makes the difference to other movies, you will enjoy this. It's not about being right (though you couldn't argue the values), but about how or if one should act upon those values ... Not that the movie will leave you thinking too much ... It's supposed to be entertainment after all