Grabbed this one out of the bargain bin, with little expectation or idea about it, not having heard of it. I'll start by saying I was pleasantly surprised and even more surprised at the low rating of this film on here. Look, it isn't brilliant, there are some not so good, even bad bits, some corn and plenty of cheesy dialogue not to mention some funny parts, but there are also some very well done, even powerful scenes as well.
The film has three parts, the first being a character study of an urban white trash couple, both of whom I thought were fairly convincing, Jovovich looking the part, while 'Big Al' looking something like a fat, bloated uglier version of Russell Crowe plays a slovenly fat pig, small time crim and bully to perfection and seemed to have plenty of fun doing it.
After some earlier hijinks, the tone of the film changes, moving into a domestic violence expose with a psycho partner and this is where the film excels. The scenes of domestic violence are powerful and comparable to 'Once Were Warriors' in terms of the sensory assault and shock of the violence, intimidation, degradation and dehumanising treatment meted out and the acting of both leads and the dynamics of their relationship is highly believable. The prolonged and sustained assault that features alone makes this worth seeing for the impact on the viewer, but you couldn't call that bit entertaining.
Unfortunately, having taken a turn for the better and setting itself up as something more memorable, it then degenerates nearer the end in trying to be clever, perhaps overdoing the scheming, manipulation and surprises in Jovovich trying to escape the abusive relationship, little of which you couldn't see coming and much of what the film could have done without. In spite of that, I was impressed with it overall, especially not having had high expectations and it's a lot better than a 5.5, the subject matter perhaps putting some people off. It was certainly a worthwhile part for Jovovich contrary to what some people have suggested and she did herself no dis-service accepting this role.
I laughed, cringed and sat speechless through different parts of this film and enjoyed most of it. Oscar material this isn't, but it's worth checking out if you're not too squeamish or prudish. Definitely not one for children though.
The film has three parts, the first being a character study of an urban white trash couple, both of whom I thought were fairly convincing, Jovovich looking the part, while 'Big Al' looking something like a fat, bloated uglier version of Russell Crowe plays a slovenly fat pig, small time crim and bully to perfection and seemed to have plenty of fun doing it.
After some earlier hijinks, the tone of the film changes, moving into a domestic violence expose with a psycho partner and this is where the film excels. The scenes of domestic violence are powerful and comparable to 'Once Were Warriors' in terms of the sensory assault and shock of the violence, intimidation, degradation and dehumanising treatment meted out and the acting of both leads and the dynamics of their relationship is highly believable. The prolonged and sustained assault that features alone makes this worth seeing for the impact on the viewer, but you couldn't call that bit entertaining.
Unfortunately, having taken a turn for the better and setting itself up as something more memorable, it then degenerates nearer the end in trying to be clever, perhaps overdoing the scheming, manipulation and surprises in Jovovich trying to escape the abusive relationship, little of which you couldn't see coming and much of what the film could have done without. In spite of that, I was impressed with it overall, especially not having had high expectations and it's a lot better than a 5.5, the subject matter perhaps putting some people off. It was certainly a worthwhile part for Jovovich contrary to what some people have suggested and she did herself no dis-service accepting this role.
I laughed, cringed and sat speechless through different parts of this film and enjoyed most of it. Oscar material this isn't, but it's worth checking out if you're not too squeamish or prudish. Definitely not one for children though.