Sunday, June 8, 2008

"Reservation Road"(2007) - REVIEW


I think I'm officially done with finding movies that got pushed aside; As great a year as 2007 was, I think I've finally lost interest in investigating it any further (well....except for 28 Weeks Later). Even after I hit a high with "Sleuth" last night, I had a feeling that I was beginning to scrape the bottom of the metaphorical barrel. While Reservation Road is certainly not an awful film, it just feels so routine in its proceedings that the script somewhat undermines the solid work by the talented cast (led by Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo, and Jennifer Connelly). Though the story is compelling, the execution leaves a lot to be desired; the most irritating thing is the way it relies on TV-Movie style coincidences (let's just say this film takes the expression "it's a small world" to a new level). It all just feels so unoriginal that it fails to stand out from similar family tragedy dramas. Not terrible, and it does have its affecting moments, but not enough to make a lasting impression.

Grade: C

Number of 2007 Films Seen: 66

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