Jenova_Project

I saw this a while back, and I thought the subject matter was really interesting: our closest family members can be struck in the middle of the night with a mental illness and can be lost to us so fast. The movie had the potential to be so moving, but I thought the filmmakers did a really bad job at depicting the Tennies' story.

First of all, the performances did the movie no favors. William Mapother and Illeana Douglas do so little to make the Tennies look like likable, concerned parents. Most of their interactions with other characters are incredibly hostile and stilted. Even Bubba Lewis, who I normally like, can't convincing play a schizophrenic character without making it cheesy and funny. Sorry, there needs to be more nuance in depicting someone who has visual hallucinations-- not someone who is completely off the wall.

Maybe I'm too harsh-- the script didn't help the actors. I can go on and on about all the moments I hated: When Mom Tennies had that huge cry towards the end that was way over the top, when Jason had that hallucination of the TV, lines like "I feel compelled to mention that he has a black belt." Aye-yi-yi. Those type of moments you would expect out of an lifetime movie. Furthermore, I get and understood that Jason Tennies was a kind, interesting young man who was taken away too soon, but it doesn't help anyone to constantly weave in flashbacks that don't really have any connection to the present story. It just makes the movie feel disjointed.

Honestly, if this wasn't a true story, I'd probably give the movie a 2. Since it was, I am empathetic to the Tennies' loss and the need for them to tell his story. However, I felt the filmmakers should have done a better job for them in depicting him as a heroic, sympathetic figure-- not some over-dramatized mental illness indie drama.

I like this movie. I don't love it, I don't hate, I don't regret watching it, but I don't really remember it until I watch it the next time. That's the best I can tell you, and I think that's unfortunate because with the stars in the movie, the location, the cinematography, and the score, it should have been so much more. But it's slightly above average and that's frustrating.

First off, the story is the movie's biggest fault. There's just so little stakes-- nobody is living or dying. It's just very inconvenient for all those involved. It draaaagggs the movie down so much because every time we are taken away from a character moment or a comedic scene to focus on the plot, the movie gets boring. Secondly, the movie foremost wants to be a travelogue that will get you to movie to Shanghai. Since it doesn't accomplish the first thing very well, it doesn't accomplish the second thing very well either. If they had just tried to tell a compelling story instead of forcefully hinting at the charm of Shanghai, maybe it would have been more effective.

So, why did I like it then? Everything else is pretty stellar. The comedy writing is great. There's a lot of lines ("DOES ANYBODY HERE UNDERSTAND THIS GUY?") that are funny and a lot of character interactions ("Pretty Chinese girl!") that land very well. Like I said, the cinematography is nice. Shanghai is beautiful and the landscape photography really makes it pop. THE ACTORS. Daniel Henney is so charming and likable even when he is doing bad, unethical things. Eliza and Zhu Zhu are great as the "love interests" and bring a lot out of the secondary characters. Bill Paxton is a step down from his best films, but he has some general charm too.

Whenever we're given a moment to sit with the characters, the movie lands. It's just a shame that the story is so subpar. I heard through the grapevine that the movie was at one time considered as TV show, and I think that would have been a way better option since having a compelling narrative would not be as important. Instead, it kinda just serves as a nice DVD that sits on my shelf for whenever some friends come over, and we don't wanna go out.

With all the films in Hollywood that glorify nudity as sexual, it's nice to watch a film that has more in common with the innocent Doris Wishman movies of the 60s than modern day porn flicks. I just wish that the film itself was as interesting as its premise.

The story itself is quite low-key, and even boring at times given that stakes are quite low: Leah and Charlie want to sell the nudist resort, but the nudists want to keep it, so they try to convince them otherwise. They live fairly comfortable lives before they arrive, and the character arcs in which they go are quite contrived.

The characters are all quite diverse, and the actors are all convincing in their parts. Yet, this doesn't yield as much drama as one would think. Leah and Charlie are both quite different characters, yet the actresses don't seem to have much chemistry together, and despite their different philosophies on life, don't particularly have interesting scenes together.

In terms of technical specs, the cinematography and sound are satisfactory. It's an indie pic, so the low budget look of the film falls more in line with a hipster music video, which certainly aids the film's flat, laid-back feel. It's just a shame a location that is not typically seen much in film is not filmed to be more interesting.

Above all, I think what really weighs the film down it that it's not particularly funny even though it's a comedy. The lines are not zingers (even with a gay character!), and it's hard to really laugh at the same joke over and over again. They're naked! The girls are uncomfortable! But, in the end, it's hard to be completely mad at the film. It's tone is quite pleasant, and the performances are pretty good. Just don't expect anything really earth shattering, given the subject matter.