We Were Really Bad.

Very Bad Things
Dir. Peter Berg

This movie had it's faults.  It was an alright storyline that you can tell has been done since, but overall, I had some major issues investing myself into this one.

So, right off the bat, it seems like there are a lot of moments in this movie, mainly with Cameron Diaz, where I feel like the editor or the director should have sped up the takes or had the other actor speak quicker.  If you watch, for instance, when they are in the parking lot, and Laura comes out to tell the boys she wants them inside, she stands there for an awkwardly long time pointing at the door before anyone else speaks.  It's almost like everyone in the scene forgot what comes next.  But this happens quite often, causing some party scenes and fighting scenes that should be more fast and chaotic seem... well... choreographed.

My biggest issue with the overall film, and the reason I don't feel like it worked nearly as well as other movies that have come out since, is that it doesn't seem like the movie can decide what kind of movie it wants to be.  Is it a comedy?  Is it a roadtrip movie?  Is it an ethical movie that you should take sides on and try to figure out who's the bad guy in this?  Or is it a deranged chaos trip movie?  It never really makes that decision either.  The Hangover works because it's a comedy.  Fear and Loathing works because it's an arty drug trip.  Plain and Simple.  But with this movie, it was just so undecided and scattered.

Now don't get me wrong, it did have it's moments.  I liked the dark humor bits scattered in there, like when the widow fights back and when Laura shows her bridezilla side.  But overall, there was no common thread throughout this movie to hold it all together.

Run time 100 min + 837 previously viewed = 937 so far