The Bystander Theory (2013) User Reviews

Amateur time

[scottjtepper · 4/10 · 25 June 2020]

Now on Amazon Prime. It was free and I still want my money back.

Poorly written, incompetently directed and badly acted, this "thriller" is a yawner for most of its length. It's a B- potboiler, more at home on Mystery Theater 3000. And it never delivers what it promises. The screen goes blank just before the payoff.

If it had gone dark 95 minutes earlier the world would have been saved some precious electrons.

A 95 Minute Garbage Can

[dannyoz-66501 · 1/10 · 6 August 2020]

Well, based on how bad this movie was I just insulted a garbage can. Would you stare at a garbage can for 95 minutes? If you answered no, don't watch this movie. Would you stare at a garbage can for 95 minutes if you were led to believe there would be a reward at the end that gave an interesting twist on what may have went down regarding JFK's assassin? I would, and that's why I watched this disappointing "movie." There's nothing mysterious about the character's family, it's just a plain old affair, and there is no "secret link" to JFK's assassination. It's just a falsely advertised movie to get people to watch. Furthermore, it's low budget, with scenes where the camera handler can't even keep it steady, bobbing up and down, left and right.

Interesting and Entertaining independent Film

[geoffb-71741 · 7/10 · 5 August 2020]

I think some of the reviews here are a little harsh. It is low budget, independent film. If you're looking for a 50 million dollar Hollywood film this aint it. Watching it through the correct lens it was fun snd entertaning. Good twist with the JFK assasination. The main cast were all good acrors for telling this story. Supporting actors more a mixed bag. If you appreciate low budget,independent film, and can avoid picking it apart like its a Hollywood release, this is a really fun movie. My wife and i come from a family of filmmakers. We found lots of reasons to enjoy this movie.

Criminally Vapid

[riversideriverside · 1/10 · 15 August 2020]

Looks like some buddies piled-on to raise the rating of this incredibly rotten movie. Bad acting, bad writing, bad direction and no respect for the intelligence of the viewer. It's as though it was made by high school kids who have no sense of drama and mystery. The one star was an accident.

Zero Stars!!!

A clever offering to Kennedy Assasination theorists.

[tomyoungaustintx · 7/10 · 26 July 2020]

This is a fair to good Texas film produced, directed and acted by mostly local talent. The plot is interesting enough to keep me engaged through to the end with some effective twists. The acting is good, and overcomes the rather stiff staging in some scenes. All in all I enjoyed it.

Don't waste your time

[cawleyhanson · 1/10 · 16 August 2020]

I decided to give this movie a chance.I That was an hour and thirty five minutes of my life I'll never get back. Bad writing, less than stellar acting. I would not waste your time. Don't believe those eight star ratings. I was deceived by them.

Surprisingly good for a low-budget movie....

[leonard-b-smith · 7/10 · 18 August 2020]

I ran across this when browsing through the "you might also like..." movies list on Amazon Prime. Since I like historical movies, I can see why this popped up. I watched the trailer and decided to pass on it.

A few days later I decided "what the heck." and gave the movie a spin. I'm glad I did. The movie was produced out of the Austin Texas film community. It's definitely low budget, but I think they did a good job.

The main plot of the movie is related to whether or not a particular individual may have been involved in the assassination of JFK. There's a couple interesting, but minor subplots. I think it's worth that viewers stay all the way to the last 10 minutes of the movie, which for me made the whole experience worthwhile.

The movie is actually suitable for young teens and up. I don't think I heard any swear words, and while there is some 'violence," it's relatively mild. The film could actually be used to discuss as a family about how things are not always what they seem.

The trailer was the best part

[stanpittman · 2/10 · 1 August 2020]

Every Hollywood cliche piled on a thin premise. Don't bother watching it even for free

Convincing mystery

[cooperhicks · 8/10 · 13 July 2020]

Really good plot & actors. Kept our attention on this who-did-what-to-whom mystery. It was full of interesting twists & turns of suspects & clues.

Haven't seen it!

[brandtstreetcatering · 7/10 · 22 January 2023]

My now deceased ex-husband (COVID) and I did the catering for this film. It was our biggest job to date. It was also the start of our divorce, which tanked the company. The director was very nice. All the crew busted their backsides. Don Javier Castillo also had a small role in this film as well as doing the food. He never updated his IMBD and thus does not show. I wish it had done better as this was a joy to work for-even in the cold, even in the winter, out in Lockhart, etc. I remember going into the house to film in different times of the night, the Ambulance, and many of the shoots in Austin and in Lockhart. Thanks for the memories.

low budget, low talent, low plot

[katykw-2 · 2/10 · 9 October 2020]

While the premise of the movie piqued my interest, the movie itself was poorly written, poorly acted, and the cinematography was on a middle school level. This had the feel of an end-of-term project for a film school class. The plot was slow-moving and although the trailer leads you to believe it's all about the JFK assassination, that figures into the storyline in a very small way. The dialogue was subpar and I never once felt like I was "in the story" with the characters. I watched it to the end with one of those "surely it's going to get better any second" attitudes. It did not.

At 94 minutes it's 95 minutes too long

[gazzalodi · 1/10 · 11 July 2020]

Horrible in every possible way. Every character is a caricature. The actors don't even try. Well the lead actress does, but she's so bad that even the people who are phoning it in around her come off as more believable. The writing is so bad that you can understand why the cast is sleepwalking through this sludge.

Save your time. Nothing is resolved. The lead's grandma was the babushka lady at the JFK assassination, but got ganked by her husband before the film got developed. That's about all there is to this steaming pile of poo. They don't even make a good conspiracy movie out of it, ending the movie before giving a 'possible view' of what she flimed.

Amateur production

[ameliabedeliaamz · 2/10 · 26 May 2021]

I had to turn this off after only 6 1/2 minutes. Poor acting, poor cinemaphotography. The transitions between characters and their lines in the dinner party group (around 6 minute mark) is stilted and choppy--characteristic of the previous 5 minutes, but really shines through in this scene. This could be considered a good movie for amateurs. It's not worth watching all the way through unless you have friends who are in it.

Plot bait.

[woopthuritis · 1/10 · 31 August 2020]

Don't waste your time. Worst cinematography I've ever seen, to be nearly matched by acting skill. Vague sense of anything to do with JFK. However keeps referring back to it.

Made for the Hallmark Channel?

[ttate00 · 3/10 · 30 July 2020]

Probably some of the finest acting I've ever witnessed.

A fun twist on a modern tale.

[richieb-63869 · 8/10 · 23 May 2021]

The majority of the 1/2* reviewers of this movie have only reviewed this movie!

I've managed to do some research on these people and it appears they have dubious links to Government agencies in several countries. This is a genuine conspiracy, maybe this movie is onto something and these people are desperately trying to throw us off the scent.

Oh, the movie was okay.

Only watch this if you are a JFK Assassination Student

[morganmckinley · 3/10 · 14 March 2021]

Horrible movie that gets 3 stars only because I love JFK. Nice try but just falls because the script is awful and obviously the budget was cheap and other flaws.

Outrage

[murrietadiane · 1/10 · 24 August 2020]

I give low budget movies a chance but Really! How about removing the "I'll send one of my Mexican girls" remark.

Very good independent film

[waynekaye · 8/10 · 19 July 2022]

Not sure what is with all the bad reviews, I thought it was really good. I think everyone is judging it as a big Hollywood production when it is obviously a small, independent film. I thought the acting was very good. I got a BBC Mystery vibe from it, but that may be just because that's where I usually watch this kind of thing. I also thought it had really killer dialog. Nothing extraneous that didn't progress the plot.