I don't like reading long reviews, so I'll be brief:1. If you like dark comedies, this is for you. Just buy it right now.
2. If you're still on the fence, I loved the ending.
3. You still don't know if you want to get this? Casting was superb. I wasn't so sure about Tobey who is just so darn nice, but by the end of the movie, you'll agree that Tobey was ideal.
4. Okay, this is not a terribly deep movie, but I enjoyed the full 101 minutes of it. Isn't that the definition of a 5-star movie?
Tobey Maguire plays a young married doctor whose life seems to be continually spiraling downward, primarily because he keeps making poor choices. It's not that he's really a bad person; it's just that he seems to get himself trapped in desperate situations and, in order to save himself at the moment, he makes the wrong decision.
I'm not sure if Tobey's problems started with the raccoons that were destroying his lawn or his deciding to renovate his house without getting a building permit. Or, maybe it was the fact that he and his wife (Elizabeth Banks) had not had sex in many months.
Would you believe that any one of those seemingly relatively minor events could result in murder?
I don't want to be a spoiler, so I'm not going to detail the events that cause Tobey to sink further and further into his quagmire. Watching him do so is half the painful fun of this likable offbeat movie, written and directed by Jacob Aaron Estes.
THE DETAILS was filmed in Seattle and features a superb cast of supporting players that includes Dennis Haysbert, Ray Liotta and Kerry Washington. Laura Linney, who plays Tobey's whacky and meddlesome neighbor, delivers the film's scene-stealing performance.
The Blu-Ray disc from Anchor Bay Entertainment include a both an alternate beginning and ending, both of which were best left on the cutting room floor.
© Michael B. DruxmanI love an oddball quirky indie, when it doesn't try too hard to be an oddball quirky indie. You can pretty much surmise the plot from reading the cover. Jeff (Tobey Maguire) has not been having sex with his wife (Elizabeth Banks). Romantic that he is, he asks her by spelling out the F-word. He confides his problem in a friend (Kerry Washington) listed as "the other fling" on the cover. They are caught by her husband (Ray Liotta) listed as "The Problem" who demands money. His rodent problem leads to other issues which include "The Fling" with the "wacked out" neighbor(Laura Linny). And since there is a guy called "The Fixer" (Dennis Haysbert) you can only guess correctly at this one.
The film had a great plot and the acting was great except for the lead. It was clear the cast was acting rings around Toby Maguire who doesn't have the talent to be a leading man. Similarly this reminded me "Snow White and the Huntsman" where our leading lady stood out like a sore thumb. If you like dark comedies and can stomach another bad performance by Mcguire, go for it.
Parental Guide: F-bomb, sex, brief shot of Elizabeth Banks butt."In life when something disastrous happens you go back and replay everything to see where it went wrong." Jeff Lang (Maguire) has just found a family of raccoons ripping up his new sod in his back yard. He decides to place traps to kill them and take back his yard. This one little event leads to adultery, murder, transplants and everything in between. This movie is one of the most interesting, entertaining and fun movies that I have seen in awhile. I would call this a comedy but a definite dark comedy, so if you offend easy I would avoid this. The writing is so clever that the movie keeps you wanting to see what happens next and you are both horrified and smiling about it. I really can't say to much about this movie because I don't want to give anything away but each event triggers something worse. I really enjoyed this and I recommend this sleeper hit. Overall, one of the darkest and funniest comedies that I have seen in a while and a real under the radar movie that deserves to be seen. I give it a B+.
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