Moving McAllister

This movie was made because the concept translates well into a two sentence summary that can be used to lure investors. That is, the premise is interesting and sellable. I mean, I rented it based on the synopsis. The problem is there is nothing beyond the initial concept. There is no coherent plot, no fully fledged characters, no real comedy, no interesting scenery, no surprises, and no good performances (except Jon Herder, he does something with very little). It's as if the people who green lit this thing never read the script but only the synopsis. And if there were enough people like me, it may even have made money.

To the prospective viewer: don't waste your time, there is nothing funny or interesting to see here. To the creators of the film: hey, you got your film made, so what if its not that great. Most people never get to see themselves or their work up on screen.

If only the writer/producer/"star" had the slightest inkling of the limits of his acting range, and the way he is perceived on-screen (wearing glasses and a side-parting is not enough to make you look gawky and quirky if your face and teeth have been sculpted by various medical professionals to conform to American ideals of generic, characterless symmetry, erroneously perceived as beauty in this obsessively superficial society) he would have cast John Heder as the main character instead of attempting to pull a Good-Will-Hunting and create a vehicle to showcase his... his... well, himself.

The excellent supporting cast (Lord knows, they must be having problems to agree to this) is wasted in an agonising perpetual struggle to react convincingly to a main character incapable of delivering even the simplest line with appropriate intonation, and believe me, he is not short of simple lines to choose from, as the dialogue appears to have been composed by a five-year-old. Ah wait... it's the same person pretending to be a writer as pretending to be an actor. It's not often that I don't see a film through to the end, but this ejaculation was irredeemable from the outset and showed no signs of improving after the first hour. Excrement.

Rutger Hauer helps along a film that basically can be summed up in the young person finding themselves category, and rather obviously so, so it needs a lot of help.

The beginning holds a lot more promise, of a film that could turn into Michael Clayton or Stranger Than Fiction. It's too bad because I really got hooked into the beginning. Then, like the opening soundtrack, it went from great and intriguing to basically nowhere.

It's fun enough with plenty of curiosities and interesting characters acted well. I'm sure that will be enough for many people. The problem is it all feels contrived and empty which, ironically, is supposed to be the main discovery for the character's self realization. Not the film itself (it's not a self aware film), but that the character is supposed to recognize his own life is contrived and empty.

Eager to score points with his boss (Rutger Hauer), law intern Rick Robinson (Ben Gourley) - who hails from Kansas and looks for all the world like Clark Kent - agrees to drive the old man's free-spirited niece, Michelle (Mila Kunis), from Savannah to L.A., and still make it back to Miami in time to take his bar exam. But Michelle has other plans in mind, and she's not about to make it easy for the uptight, highly regimented young man - whom she believes needs to learn how to let his freak flag fly and just enjoy life - to complete his mission.

Though the opposites-attract, road-trip-from-hell premise is far from original, "Moving McAllister" has enough charm, wit and affability to keep it just this side of entertaining. The performances are winning (with Jon Heder particularly effective as a spacey, zonked-out hitchhiker the couple picks up on their way), and writer Gourley and director Andrew Black have provided a series of loopy dream sequences that help lift the movie out of its picaresque rut. Some of the detours are more enjoyable than others, and the ending lacks credibility and conviction, but the lighthearted tone makes up for most of the movie's deficiencies and shortcomings.

I was very happy about the choices for character casting. Everyone became their part, seeming very comfortable. Our two main characters had very good chemistry. The intermittent characters were given enough focus and detail so that you easily remember them.

It was amusing to follow the characters through all of their adventures. Most of the subplots were rooted in humor, but there were also some dramatic family elements that I felt were well balanced.

Some of the jokes were gross, but still funny. They easily avoided inappropriate language and situations leaving this film an easy pick for teens.

Can't wait for the DVD!