I didn't see this movie because I really wanted to. I mean, it looked decent, but I figured I'd rent the DVD, I wasn't too keen at seeing it in the movie theater. But I haven't been to the movies in weeks, and this was the first weekend in a while that I didn't have to work, so I felt like I HAD to see a movie, ya know? Not only that, there haven't been any good movies released in a while, so there wasn't a lot to choose from. I'm curious to see what the hoopla is with "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," but that one screams chick flick, so I'll probably just rent the DVD. Anyway, yeah, when it came time to choose a movie to see, "One Hour Photo" was the one chosen.
I liked "One Hour Photo." It was good, though not great. It was a little too slow, which can be fine for a movie that I get totally sucked into, like "Magnolia," but this movie wasn't like that. "One Hour Photo" was an entertaining movie shot by a director who really knows his craft, but the story wasn't all that intriguing to me. It was different, and it certainly wasn't the typical Hollywood crap that we're so often inundated with, but that doesn't necessarily guarantee I'll love the movie. I didn't love "One Hour Photo," but I liked it.
"One Hour Photo" was written and directed by Mark Romanek, a man who ruled the world of music videos during most of the 90s. He directed some of the best and most well known music videos ever made, including "Closer" and "The Perfect Drug" by Nine Inch Nails, "Criminal" by Fiona Apple, "Scream" by Michael & Janet Jackson, "Free Your Mind" by EnVogue, and that's just a select few. This is his first feature film since being a hotshot music video director, but this is not his feature film debut. In 1985, he directed and helped write a movie called "Static." I don't know much about it, but I'd like to see it, because Romanek really is a good director. His music videos were incredible, and "One Hour Photo," despite it's flaws, is an incredible movie visually. Typically, a director gets noticed when he/she has shots in his/her films that call attention to themselves (not that I'm criticizing those kinds of shots or those kinds of directors... David Fincher, the director of "Seven," "Fight Club," and "Panic Room," is like that, and he's one of my favorite directors). Mark Romanek is much more subtle. Pay close attention to the little things. There's a reason why the married couple wears dark clothing, but in the older photos, the clothing is colorful and vibrant. There's a reason why "Sy the Photo Guy" has blonde hair and his apartment is almost all white. There's a reason for everything in the movie having to do with color. Also, pay attention to the symbolism of certain things and how often "Sy the Photo Guy" seems to be walking towards the camera. This movie is filled with that sorta thing, and although I didn't love this movie, I wanna see it again to catch all of those little nuances. Mark Romanek is a great director, and I really look forward to his future work. I'd love to see what he'd do with a fantastic script.
"Sy the Photo Guy" is played by Robin Williams, and this is a nice change of pace from the kinds of roles he usually plays. He must be as sick of playing them as I am of watching them, because with "Insomnia" and now with "One Hour Photo," it seems like Robin Williams wants to take on darker roles. I applaud the risk he's taking, and I hope he continues to stretch, because though I'm not a huge Robin Williams fan (but I loved "Popeye," which needs to be released on DVD), I like these new roles he's taking on, and he does a good job with them. The very sexy Connie Nielsen (she was in "Devil's Advocate" and "Gladiator") is also in the movie, and she does a really good job. The woman is beautiful, but the beauty is downplayed as she (quite literally) plays the typical suburban soccer mom. Her husband is played by Michael Vartan (he was in "Never Been Kissed" and he's in the TV show "Alias"), who's also pretty good. The son is played well by Dylan Smith in his feature film debut, and Eriq La Salle (Dr. Peter Benton in "ER") gives a solid, subtle performance as a detective.
I liked the acting, and I loved the directing, but the script, I feel, was only so-so. It had really cool parts in it, and a couple of surprising funny moments (as well as a few surprising frights), but as a whole, it wasn't enough for me. I still think that the movie is worth seeing, though.
Scale of 1-10: 7