Looks That Kill

Was caught by surprise by this one. Looking at the poster I went in thinking it was gonna a broad teen comedy, and although the movie does have some lighthearted comedy to it (mainly from the supporting characters) the overall direction of the movie is actually quite dramatic despite its apparent lighthearted subject matter. It took me a second to catch-on, but luckily the two leads (Flynn and Telles) are truly very strong and carry the dramatic moments with ease. The script is very clever in how it takes an absurd concept of a Boy who can kill people with his looks, and uses that to explore seriously dramatic undertones of death with dignity; it's a super thin-line to walk, but first time director Kellen Moore straddles the line between absurdity and drama very well in my opinion. Overall Moore creates a fun world filled with a wide variety of unusual characters, but don't let the poster fool you, this is more of a drama than a comedy.

Think Brandon Flynn is the next coming of James Franco. Plays the incredibly good looking guy that it is totally awkward and uncomfortable in a totally believable way, not an easy combination to hit. Really enjoyed this movie.

This is a quirky little movie that seems like it's gonna be super light hearted and fun YA ride, but as the story moves along and you connect with the characters, Director Kellen Moore really hits the emotion button hard and packs in a surprising amount of heart into the final chapters of the film. Really enjoyed the watch!

When you get passed the ridiculous premise and glaring plot holes, the film is a good little black comedy/Romcom. The two leads are interesting and funny enough in their roles. Some good supporting roles from some elderly characters which ground the story with some nice comedic results. Now as far is the story outside the boy and girl's dilemmas, the themes and messages getting pretty muddled. It clumsily tries to tackle some serious subjects and gets lost. The movie is similar to the film Spontaneous with its dark/weird/funny/cuteness theme. But that film was more successful in its ideas. But still, Looks That Kill still makes for an entertaining ride.

Story - 8/10 pros: interesting concept, witty dialogue, and fun characters for the most part. cons: it's an unusual concept but falls into some YA genre related cliches briefly.

Cast - 8/10 pros: Flynn and Telles share a clear chemistry on set. It's easy to fall in love with them as a couple. Telles in particular exudes charisma and charm, while providing some strong subtly during the more dramatic moments of her journey. Scolari and Mumolo provide nice comic relief as bickering parents dealing with a son that continually accidentally kills people in their small town. cons: some of the side characters feel a little under developed.

Direction - 7.5/10 pros: Moore creates an unusual world with a lot of originality. He garners very strong performances from his two leads and orchestrates a couple very dynamic sequences, namely toward the end of the film. cons: feels like at times there is some hesitation from the first time director to commit to a joke, but then at other times maybe he doesn't show enough restraint.

Pace - 6/10 pros: the story proceeds at a very fast easy viewing pace, you never check your watch to see how much time is left. cons: maybe it moves too fast at certain times. Seems like some characters or moments got glossed over or rushed through. not sure if that is a script issue or the filmmakers didn't always accomplish what they wanted but taking points off here.

Atmosphere - 8/10 pros: the world is pretty fun. the sets and decor have a great sense of whimsicality to them but at the same time feel genuine to the world they are in. The costumes accent the sets while sharing in that "Blegh" blahnes humor of the world. The camera work and framing seems to always have a purpose and interesting look to them while adding to the joke or emotion of the moment. The musical score slides by in the background creating a fun feel while also stepping up to hammer down an emotion in the more dramatic moments of the story. cons: a couple locations didn't seem to serve much purpose in the story

Overall Score 7 out of 10, very enjoyable watch and would recommend but not a classic.