2006 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 50 min
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeffrey Wright, Bob Balaban, Freddy Rodriguez, Mary Beth Hurt
Another twisted fairytale movie, this one from the famed director of Sixth Sense (who many say peaked with his first movie). I think people put too much pressure on Shyamalan, honestly. This movie is good... it's just different. There's not really a big surprise, twist ending. It's just a unique version of a *very dark* bedtime story.
Very dark, indeed.
The plotline is creative, the premise an odd juxtaposition of the mundane and the fantastical clashing together, and the effects are pretty good too. I think some of the dialogue is a bit lacking, and some of the random bit parts are eaten up by the world's worst actors (I cite the cop that comes to file the animal report as Exhibit A). BUT the major billed roles are all done very well, from Bob Balaban's underwhelmed and annoyed movie critic to Giamatti's spot-on stutterer. It's not a perfect movie, but it has so many things going for it, that I like it all the same. And Bryce Dallas Howard is amazing, in my opinion.
I give credit to Shyamalan for his diverse subject matter in all his movies, from fairytales to ghost stories and everything in between. At least he's out there trying to do something a little different.
