Hey folks, Harry here with a look at a CHANGING LANES by someone that didn't enjoy the film much at all. Now, it should be noted that this film isn't due to hit till Christmas time, and the director (Roger Michell) has plenty of time to tweak here and there. The results with the film should be better than what we are hearing here today. And we have had a positive review thus far. BEWARE OF SPOILERS in this one though... Dr. Zhivago got angry...
Harry,
If you think this is worth posting feel free.
Is there any hope? Will Hollywood get through this rut of unoriginal, un-watchable filmmaking? I’m sorry Harry but this summer has been a wash. One great big disappointment! Granted, Hollywood executives would say otherwise. Summer sales figures continue to rise, geeks all around praying for the summer’s salvation movie flood theaters to see junk like Jurassic Park III and Planet of the Apes as if the experience will be life altering and/or thought provoking.
There are those few gems that creep their way into become audience favorites worthy of recommendation and a possible future DVD purchase– but non have come from this summer’s batch of insulting third rate nonsense.
Ok I’m venting. $10 a ticket can do that to a movie fan. But last night I realized that the ticket price has little to do with my ever-growing disappointments. Last night, the movie was free – a screening that drew hundreds of fellow movie goers to see an upcoming film (that is if it ever gets released) of Changing Lanes staring Ben Affleck, Samuel L. Jackson, Toni Collette, Amanda Peet, Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Dundas, Kim Staunton and directed by Roger Michell (Persuasion, Notting Hill, Titanic Town)
With a billing like that you would think: A MUST SEE! But once again we have Hollywood reverting to the same ridiculous formula, which sells movies based on hype rather than substance. What has worked rather than what will work. Don’t actors want to be challenged? Don’t they want to be recognized for there work? Don’t directors want to inspire their audiences? I would hate to be a member of the Academy forced to pick from this stinky litter. If I were a director or screenwriter I would dream of the day a concept of mine hit the big screen. Where I could proudly walk into a theater house showing my creation, take a seat amongst the general public (Damn the critics) and watch the joy and entertainment on their faces.
All right, all right I’ll stop huffing and get on with the review. Changing Lanes attempts to illustrate how there is no good left in the world and the best we can hope for is a livable measure of chaos.
Ben Affleck, plays what else - a self-absorbed, money hungry lawyer married to Amanda Peet daughter to the Firms equally as greedy and self-absorbed founder played by Sydney Pollack.
Sam Jackson, plays a recovering alcoholic that’s hit rock bottom, attempting to salvage what little he has left, mainly his relationship with his two sons. However, his ex-wife plans to get full custody of the boys and take them with her to Portland, Oregon.
Here the basics: Affleck and Jackson get into a fender bender on New York City’s FDR highway. Both are in a rush (both ironically are late for court) and the accident puts them both in a time crunch. Affleck attempts to make things right by giving Jackson a blank check, but Jackson wants “to do this clean” and insists on exchanging insurance information. Affleck leaves the scene in a hurry leaving Jackson stranded with a flat and late for his child custody court appearance. We all know you can’t wrong Sam Jackson. We’ve seen every one of his films. The Negotiator, Pulp Fiction, Die Hard III, the list goes on. And since we know Sam Jackson – we know revenge and restitution will soon follow. And it does. Along with scene after scene of silly back stabbing antics by both characters making the other more and more homicidal.
See Affleck doesn’t get away from the accident with Jackson "Scott free". In the moments of confusion following the accident he drops an important document, which is crucial to his case. Without it, it could defame him in the eyes of his father in-law, he could face criminal charges, and even imprisonment. Jackson has the document and Affleck will stop at nothing to have it back and in the hands of the judge by the close of the day.
Personally we might have saved this film if Jackson and Affleck played each other’s characters. I’m bored of seeing Ben in a suit, talking smack, with that self-righteous smirk of cockiness. He done this before: Bounce – Boiler Room – Forces of Nature – and to some degree all his other films. (Excluding Good Will Hunting and Chasing Amy) Sam Jackson has talent but it’s wasted by continuously reprising his role from Pulp Fiction. Lets see Sam play a weak character for a change. When I say weak I don’t mean flawed, most if not all his characters are flawed but scenes are just written into scripts to see Sam Jackson orally rip someone a new asshole for no other reason than that’s what we expect out of him in a movie. The street preacher! The “Dissing Master”! “One bad Mother @&#$er!” what I’ll call “Jackson Speak.” Unfortunately, things are the way there are no editing or re-editing can reverse their roles. So I’ll stop imagining and continue.
One example of mindless Jackson speak: Right after the judge throws out Jackson’s appeal for custody and all hope is lost he begins his downward slide. In a bar for the first time in months he confronts his demons.He orders a drink and painfully licks his lips daring himself to drink. We’re interrupted by a crossover to Ben Affleck character, only to come back to Jackson using the pay phone in the bar. He’s talking to his AA “buddy” played by William Hurt. The scene here is powerfully gripping; the fear and weakness is strikingly real…it’s also the one and only time the audience is made to feel this way about any character…so I placed a lot of importance on this scene.
“I’m in a bar!” Jackson says in a whisper. “Did you drink?” “No”, as the camera pans over his shoulder showing us the glass still full. He hasn’t lost it. He’s human; he’s crying out for help. HELP HIM DAMNIT! Another abrupt cut to Affleck’s character whining about the missing file. When the story returns to Jackson he’s back in his chair seemingly much calmer and asks the bartender for a coke.WHAT HAPPENED? What did William Hurt say? Where did the inner struggle go?Sipping his coke (I guess Richard Pryor was right a coke and a smile is all you need) Jackson notices two advertising executives talking about their favorite ads. The conversation turns to Nike’s I’m Tiger Woods commercial where one executive mentions the “cute little black kid” and the other says, “I’m TigerWoods” in an Asian voice. You should know better than to do this in front of Sam Jackson: these two clowns obviously do not. But here we’re supposed to be rewarded by the lip service Jackson’s unleashes on these two morons. Giving his own, racially charged, description of what the commercial should look like. But it falls flat and its poor lip service even for Jackson. But this is intended to be the charge that sets him off, where too seconds before he was finding the peace and willingness to return the file to Affleck he now simply wants to kick some ass.
I wont get into the tedious back and forth the two undergo. Just know that it’s unrealistic off the wall and childish. After each vengeful episode, which increasingly become more dangerous and life threatening each character takes turns with having a change of heart. However, right before they put an end to their antics and make amends someone get caught in a car accident or gets arrested or has their credit history erased in some scheme set up by their nemesis. Re-energizing their efforts to “Get Back” at the other.
I'm sure you can imagine where it goes from there.
Yep that’s all folks…
Dr. Zhivago
