Undiscovered

This movie is called UNDISCOVERED, and it should have stayed that way. We find totally uninspiring characters, a weak plot and some self-conscious acting. It fails to ignite, never making it's mind up about what it really wants to be and in the end leaves the viewer with total indifference. There are obvious attempts a edgy camera-work and innovative cinematography but in the end that also fails miserably. Due to the aimless script the viewer never develops any sympathy or empathy for any character. This movie lasts roughly 90 minutes, which is about 88 minutes too long. The best part of the whole thing is one or two Ashley Simpson songs, and that's not even overly impressive.

So, I'm looking through Hulu for something to watch and I come across Undiscovered, the long awaited reuniting of Kip Pardue and Shannyn Sossamon after The Rules of Attraction. A delectable Pell James, Ashlee Simpson, Carrie Fisher, Fisher Stevens, and Peter Weller. A 2005 movie. Very artful cinematography. Why am I first hearing about this movie on Hulu? It has so much going for it.

Well, it was distributed by Lions Gate... a warning flag goes up. I think of Lions Gate and I think of a studio that built itself with signing the rights to bottom of the barrel movies and successfully distributing them.

Ah, despite the compelling cinematography, which compels me to keep watching, and the great presence of Miss James, and the fairly decent directing job, the story just plain blows. It comes close to being compelling but in each instance, falls to cliché, and even does a poor job at that. Miss Simpson gives a nice performance. Miss Sossamon's talent is sorely wasted in this movie. It makes sense why it went straight to Hulu, but with so much going for it, it doesn't make sense why it turned out to be such a poor movie. I am sure that a lot of people put their hearts into this movie. There was a lot of talent here. Just sometimes, it's not enough... you need that stroke of lightning.

I will say this though... as we get older and we live our lives in the suburbs, we have to remember that there are people, like the characters in this movie, who are really living life, and experiencing the world and new things every day. We need to keep that sense of adventure, otherwise, we are the walking dead of suburbia.

Cheesy plot? Check. Mediocre acting? Check. Stilted lines? Check. Clichéd Hollywood characters? Check. Undiscovered had everything you would expect to find in a mostly bad teen movie. But it did have a few redeeming qualities as well. Like great music, a really funny supporting character, not to mention a lead actor who can really work a pair of leather pants. I went to see a sneak preview of Undiscovered expecting to make fun of it, but I walked out of the theater mostly wanting to check out the soundtrack. The main male character, played by Steven Strait, is a want-to-be rock star who has a ten second encounter with a pretty girl on a New York subway. Fast forward two years, the two meet again in Hollywood. Then, in what seemed to be a highly contrived plot point, the girl, now a successful model, decides to fast-track the guy's career, all while pretending she doesn't like him. Fast forward a few months, the guy's career is taking off, but the pair are still in limbo. I won't say anymore about the plot. Suffice it to say that while the script and story seemed a little forced, and I was pretty sure the director/photographer wanted to make me throw up with a lot of shaking hand-held close-ups, Undiscovered had a pretty good cast of up and comers and a great soundtrack. I was really surprised by Ashlee Simpson, and actually walked out of the theater with more respect for her than when I walked in. Who knew the girl could actually sing.

Luke (Strait) and Brier (James) are two beautiful young people who have a chance encounter on a New York subway. Shortly later, they both go to L.A. to find fame, he as a rock star and her as an actress, but when they run into each other again, they have to decide whether their relationship is strong enough to withstand "the business." Undiscovered was named by many as the worst film of 2005. I can't say I really agree with that. The movie is kind of weak but it's still tolerable and it's also pretty harmless. The premise is fairly interesting even if it's not very original. The execution is only average but still much better than expected. The romance is pretty weak though and just not very interesting. The two leads don't have enough chemistry to make the movie work. There are a few moments of intrigue and some nice performances but the end result is still unsatisfying. The reason the film is kind of lackluster is because of the writer and the director. John Galt wrote the screenplay and he fails to really add anything new to this movie. Also, Meiert Avis just keeps everything by the numbers without adding any surprises.

The acting is only okay with Carrie Fisher giving the best performance. She isn't given a lot of screen time but she still manages to give a few funny lines. Pell James is pretty good as Brier Tucket. She has that "model" look and she has an engaging quality that kept focusing my attention to her. Steven Strait is only okay as Luke. He's a little dull but he has that "rock star" look that suited the character. Ashlee Simpson plays Clea and she is actually only a supporting character in the movie. Her performance is surprisingly average (like the film) but she should stick to singing. Shannyn Sossamon was just annoying and not funny while Kip Pardue was only okay.

I think the supporting characters really kept this movie moving. The scenes between Clea and Brier were pretty nice and engaging. Most of the characters were also pretty likable so the viewer at least cares for a happy ending. The ending was surprisingly good but very obvious. The music wasn't as painful as I was expecting it to be. I don't really like the type of music that was performed in the film but some of the songs were decent. Of course, there were a few cheesy songs but they can't all be winners. I think the movie was unfairly bashed because of Ashlee Simpson's appearance. However, she didn't bring down the movie and the film itself wasn't horrible. In the end, Undiscovered isn't worth checking out but it's not a travesty either. Rating 5/10

this is a review for anyone who doesn't care that ashlee simpson is in the movie or what it made at the box office and just want a movie to rent because they are bored.

with that being said i found this movie entertaining. there was no point that i felt like i wanted to turn it off or watch another movie. i paid four bucks to rent it, do i regret it? no. i rented the movie despite the negative reviews because most of the people commenting on it had not seen it.

the performance of the lead actress is effective but nothing special. i think its a crime they had shannyn sossamon cast for the movie and used her as the worst character in the entire movie. she could have been much better in the lead role. ashlee simpson was fine in the movie. she wasn't great but she was just really in a sidekick role, nothing demanding.

the plot was good enough to keep my interest, the music was really good so i'm probably going to investigate the soundtrack and the direction was music video-esquire, i guess you can decide for yourself if that is a plus or a minus.

so overall if you like movies that can be classified as 'cute' but aren't corny, if your someone who watches the OC on occasion or if you are just looking for a movie with feeling but isn't too heavy then i say go for undiscovered.