Starring Brendan Fraser, Helen Mirren, Paul Bettany, Jim Broadbent, and Andy Serkis
Written by David Lindsay-Abaire
Directed by Iain Softley
Written by David Lindsay-Abaire
Directed by Iain Softley
Why anyone gives Brendan Fraser jobs is beyond me. He is, without a doubt, the worst actor still getting starring roles today. Every line reading is atrocious. Every facial expression is a joke. And in this movie, he even makes Helen Mirren stoop to new lows acting-wise.
I should say off the bat that with the exception of biopics, the fantasy genre is one of my least favorite types of movies. Lord of the Rings...saw the first one and didn't need to see the others. The Princess Bride...never made it all the way through. I just don't like genre for some reason -- not a fan of the mysticism or something. So, unfortunately, Inkheart had trouble winning me over in the first place.
That being said, as a fantasy movie, the premise of Inkheart isn't all that bad. Fraser is Mo, a Silvertongue, which means when he reads stories aloud, a character from the book escapes the book into the "real world;" however, someone from the "real world" will be transported into the book as well. And that's the problem -- several years ago, Mo was unaware of his powers and, when reading a book named Inkheart to his young daughter and wife, his wife was transported into the book. For years, Mo has been searching for the out-of-print book so he can "read his wife out of it." Various book characters come and go, trying to either get back into the book or keep Mo from "reading them back into" the book. An interesting premise, but it ends up being not the least bit exciting.
As I said above, Fraser is awful and Mirren fares very poorly as Mo's eccentric aunt. Jim Broadbent as Inkheart's author and Andy Serkis as the villain are better, but the film does them no favors. The actors aren't helped by the fact that the film looks cheap and low-budget. The thing is, I'm sure they spent a decent amount of money on the flick, but there's really nothing to show for it.
It wasn't the worst thing I've ever seen, but there's nothing memorable here or worth watching.
The RyMickey Rating: D
Proof that Brendan Frazer can act: The Quiet American.
ReplyDeleteBut that was shot in 2002, so it's unlikely you will bother with it :-p
I haven't seen The Quiet American but I did see part of Gods and Monsters before I turned it off...that was another "prestige" movie that he was supposed to be good in.
ReplyDeleteI just can't stand him and I don't think there's a thing he can do to change my opinion.
Understandable.
ReplyDeleteHe's your Joan Cusack. :-D
Oh god. Now I'm thinking about how much I hate Joan Cusack.
In my search for proof on her awfulness I found this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyWfauvK-mE&feature=related god i hate her.
Yep, I guess you could say that.
ReplyDeleteI remember several years ago (and based on a movie release date check on imdb, said year was probably 1999), I saw Joan in two movies that I loved -- Arlington Road and Cradle Will Fall. At that point, she became one of my favorite character actresses. My interest in her has waned over the years (she's been in some really shitty stuff lately), but I don't share your distaste for Ms. Cusack...
When you say "character actress" you mean "actress that you're not really sure if they're actually retarded or not" right?
ReplyDeleteI have to say though, if she is not in some way shape or form mentally disabled she is the best damn actress ever.
Er.
End tirade.
ouch...just ouch...
ReplyDelete