Miss Meadows

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

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'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

This movie deserves so much more credit than its low IMDB rating. It's is a solid 7.5, simultaneously dark and empowering. Considering all the uninspired scripts being turned into movies these days, Miss Meadows dares to be different. Sure there are a couple of heavy-handed scenes, but pretty much about the film works well, particularly the solid acting (even the kids) and the fresh dialogue, Miss Meadows is a deliciously unique character, and Katie Holmes plays her perfectly. It's been a while since I've seen Holmes in anything, but Miss Meadows is a great reminder of how riveting Holmes can be on screen.

Entertaining little vigilante tale with a quirky twist. The only movie I've seen with Katie Holmes that didn't make me want to stop the flick. A Good Time Waster.