Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
Last night's review was a quickie, but two detailed looks came in today from people who took a little time to contemplate what they saw and how it affected them. Sounds to me like Mark Romanek has done exactly what I was hoping he would do... made a strong character drama. It sounds like a cool drink of water for filmgoers parched from the total lack of characterization in movies this summer. I know I was sitting in a theater last night watching the underwhelming FINAL FANTASY last night, longing for something even vaguely human. First up, we've got Kzingirl's look at the film...
You know the drill, long time reader first time poster and all that good stuff.
I too got a chance to view a sneak of a rough print of One Hour Photo. Since Dixie Cup's pretty much given you the total plot summary already I'll get right into the review.
This movie is the epitome of character study. The first hour is almost completely devoted to establishing that Robin Williams is a poor lonely maladjusted man who's become fixated on this one family. And this for me was a bit of a problem. Some of the scenes were just a bit too long. I never got bored and the film definitely held my interest but there were just certain times where the pacing lagged. However that's a problem that can fixed with just a little judicious editing and since that seemed to be the main beef that people had I'm assuming that it's something that will be addressed. (For the record I enjoyed Unbreakable and I didn't have a problem with the pacing.)
On the directing front there isn't much to say, which for this film is a compliment. For this concept to work it had to seem real and the director made sure that he didn't sacrifice that realism to the Gods of Cool Angles and Fancy Shots. That's not to say this was a by the numbers directing job. There were a number of interesting shots that helped set the mood for many of the scenes. The only problem, as mentioned before, was there seemed a few too many of these mood establishing shots that slowed the film up a bit.
That said this movie is probably one of the most conceptually original and interesting pieces I've seen in some time. It focuses on an area of our lives which most of us hardly ever give thought too, namely the photos we take and the people that develop them. There are definite moments that cause you to think about things in a totally different light. (You will never look at Red Eye the same way again.)
The plot itself is interesting enough and picks up notably at the end. However if it's a suspenseful nail biter you're looking for this isn't you film. Like I said before, this is a character study which is why so much of the film rests on Robin Williams and his portrayal of Sy the Photo Guy. And as surprising as it may seem he does an excellent job in getting the audience involved in his character. With a rather understated and fairly calm performance he creeps you out and engages your sympathies all at the same time. This isn't the Patch Adams Robin Williams this is the Good Will Hunting Robin Williams. There are very few times when he isn't on screen and never once do you see Robin Williams. He IS Sy the Photo Guy and he's the single best thing about this movie.
The other actors also step up and perform, especially Connie Nielson (Gladiator) who plays the mother of the family Sy is fixated on. She always comes across as completely natural and genuine as she shifts through the entire emotional spectrum. Michael Vartan (Never Been Kissed), Gary Cole (American Gothic, B5: Crusade), and Eriq LaSalle (ER) also put in very good performances and help add to the general realistic feel of the film.
Overall I found this film to be interesting and engaging even if it was a bit slow. I'll definitely be interested to see it again once it's done. That said I'm not sure this is a film that I can recommend, at least not at the prices you have to pay at your local megaplex. This isn't one of those that you have to see on the big screen so if you feel like waiting for video you really won't miss much. However if the words "original meditative character study" get you all warm and tingly then you might consider taking out another mortgage on the house and going to a matinee.
Then an Anonymous User came swirling up out of the ethernet and spilled his thoughts on the film for you as well...
When I heard Mark Romanek was directing his first film with Robin Williams, I really didn't know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't the intimate, unusual character study that "One Hour Photo" is. I'll keep the plot synopsis brief since it's been on AICN before, but basically Williams plays Sy, an old man who works at the photo counter of a Wall-Mart-esque store, and photographs are his life. Not taking photos, but developing them. Some of the best parts of the movie are early scenes which follow a roll of film through a developing machine, with Sy talking about each step of the process. He takes amazing care in every photo that he develops, and talks about it as if running the machine is like making great art. He talks a lot about photos themselves, and what they mean to us, why they're so important.
His voice-over narratives are really wonderful throughout the film, and through them we begin to understand Sy's character. We learn that he is very lonely, and he has a bizarre obsession with a family that regularly brings their photos to him for development. His relationship with the family is extremely well handled, because although everything Sy does (from covering his walls with photos of the family to buying gifts for the little boy) is undeniably creepy (and there are scenes which make your hair stand on end because you just want him to stop), we never believe for a moment that Sy is a pervert or intends any harm, and more than anything we sympathize with him. Even when his downward spiral begins and he really goes off the deep end, we mostly just feel bad for him. He is not a monster, just a sad, lonely little old man.
As the other review mentioned, this is a slow-paced film. That is not a bad thing at all. It takes its time because it really needs to. There's a very gradual build-up that leads to a bizarre, unsettling, and tragic climax that I won't go into because it's worth seeing for yourself. But before we get to that we have to know Sy, and we have to have compassion for him. The ending leaves a few questions about Sy's character and his life that you sort of have to figure out for yourself.
As a fan of Romanek's work in music videos - most of which are rather extravagent and eye-popping - I must admit I wouldn't have expected something so visually simple from him, but that's not really a bad thing. OHP finds beauty in small, subtle things, and keeps a consistent, interesting visual tone, especially in Sy's large Wall-Mart type store, where the long aisles and bright white lighting are emphasized, and where elevator music always seems to be humming away in the background.
And Robin Williams, I must say, is fantastic. He plays Sy perfectly - very sweet, caring, even grandfatherly, but with that bizarre obsessive quality always lurking just underneath. And when things really go to hell, Williams brings out a fantastic dark side that you wouldn't expect.
This certainly isn't a film for everyone - it's a small, unusual, arty film that probably won't enjoy any sort of wide release or box office results. But I definitely recommend it, especially if you're patient and enjoy interesting character studies.
