The Tourist

Nothing more, nothing less. It's an anachronism, the type of escapist movie that Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn made in the late fifties and early sixties. It's supposed to have a silly twist at the end, all neatly tied with a bow.

I just couldn't work up the anger and outrage that many reviewers have churned up about it. OK, so who would have guessed that Johnny Depp would be weirder playing someone normal rather than his usual weirdo roles? And who would really believe that Angelina Jolie would fall for an unassuming American math teacher?

No one. That's why it's fun, folks. Just roll with it, taking in all the wonderful Venice scenery while you're at it. Seriously, this is an elegant film from beginning to end and it doesn't matter that it's more than a little preposterous.

It's an escape, a European fantasy. Just laugh and enjoy it.

Revolves around Frank (Johnny Depp), an American tourist visiting Italy to mend a broken heart. Elise (Angelina Jolie) is an extraordinary woman who deliberately crosses his path.

I entered this film expecting it to be a pile of horse apples. I actually sort of liked it... sexy, intriguing, a bit of action and comedy. By no means is this a movie of the year or anything, but it is a fun film and the kind that might make a good date movie.

I ma not the sort to kiss Depp's butt. He is a great actor, but he is not flawless. Yet, here, I think he was really expressing a range I do not often see from him anymore. A ladies man who is shy and nervous, the Depp of "Edward Scissorhands"... back before he was the international superstar. I liked what I saw here.

Imagine a movie, imagine that movie stars two of the hottest commodities in Hollywood and add a sensual, somewhat dark French-thriller plot. If you did that, you would have the trailer for The Tourist, and it would sound like a pretty good movie, right? But then if you take away the words "dark" and "thriller" and realized that those sought after actors were actually last minute replacements, then you would have the actual movie.

The Tourist stars Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp in what appears to be a very promising plot. Jolie plays Elise, a beautiful and mysterious woman who ensnares spy-fiction fan Frank Tupelo (Depp) into his very own web of international crime and intrigue. Under the orders of Chief Inspector Jones (Timothy Dalton) Scotland Yard's John Acheson played by Paul Bettany (The Da Vinci Code, A Beautiful Mind) tries his best to keep up Elise and the man he believes she is connected to…Alexander Pearce.

For what sounds like a fantastic plot on paper, the execution of it all leaves a little something to be desired. Perhaps the problem is with expectations. As stated before, the premise and the trailer and two actors who typically take on fairly meaty roles suggests that The Tourist would at least have hints of substance, instead the audience is left with a beautiful and…fun movie that is essentially summer action fluff – think The Italian Job meets Knight and Day.

The problems with the film almost assuredly were the result of apparently several casting and directorial issues during pre-production. Depp's role was reportedly originally slated for Tom Cruise, who was replaced by Sam Worthington who dropped out over "creative differences" and ultimately was replaces by Johnny Depp. Angelina Jolie's character was also apparently intended for someone else…none other than Academy Award winning actress Charlize Theron. The director, German born - Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (Director of the Academy Award winning film The Lives of Others) also was a replacement and who he himself dropped out at one point, only to resume his directorial role later on. It seems that for whatever reason, no one wanted to be a part of this film.

The Tourist certainly has its strong points. The visuals are simply stunning, whether that describes the beautiful European vistas, lavish homes and hotels or the lead actors, there is definitely eye candy everywhere. The action scenes are exciting and even the dialogue has some charm. However it seems that for every peak there is a valley. The Tourist like its pre-production story seems to have a bit of an identity crisis. At times the film feels intense and brooding, other times it feels like a carefree romp through the waterways of Venice. The dialogue and script have their moments of wit and charm while other parts feel like a reject Bond script. The Tourist is by no means a perfect film, however going in with realistic expectations; it may be just the way to end your night or your week

Opening day (a Friday) enough of the critical reviews I read were negative enough, that I was asking 2 friends if they wanted to switch films - money is tight, yah know? But we agreed there was nothing wrong with checking The Tourist out, at worst there would be some eye candy.

Once again, I'm glad I blew the critics off - it's not that the negative reviews are wrong, exactly. There ARE too many scenes of entire rooms of people turning around to look at Jolie, like a perfume commercial (or someone with toilet paper stuck to their behind). Characters and relationships aren't fleshed out enough, and it's a predictable film - North by Northwest is far superior.

But. As one critic said, it's a frothy diversion, pleasant and fun. Thought the rumpled Depp was low-key and charming, and Jolie was gorgeous and a sympathetic character. There are some amusing twists, and our fairly full theater laughed a lot and was entertained by the film; at no point did any of us lose interest. There are far worse ways to spend a Friday night, and I'd recommend to anyone looking for some diversion and gorgeous views of Venice. Good for anyone looking to unwind after a long hard week.

Thanks to a lot of negative reviews, my hopes on enjoying this movie were pretty slim.....so I wound up pleasantly surprised that the film was, at very least, entertaining. Yeah, it was not hard to guess the "twist" near the end, but it was an enjoyable, mellow ride.

This movie reminded me of old films, '50s and '60s-type spy films in which there is little action but the characters are interesting enough to make you pay attention and see if you can guess who's who and what's what. Kind or like the 1963 hit "Charade," except this movie is much more low key. Cary Grant would have been ideal in Johnny Depp's role.

Despite mostly dialog-driven, Angelina Jolie and Depp have star-power faces that will have you involved as does the great European scenery and photography, which is first rate on a Blu-Ray.

All in all: a pretty good subtle film and worth a rental.