SXSW Review: Disturbia
Filed under: Thrillers, SXSW, Paramount, Theatrical Reviews, Dreamworks
Slickly shot, generally well-acted, and entirely, predictably conventional from stem to stern is the new teen-friendly urban thriller Disturbia. It's the lamest movie of D.J. Caruso's directorial career, and it also stands to become his most profitable. (OK, Caruso's Taking Lives is equally forgettable, but I'm a big fan of The Salton Sea, plus I found Two for the Money to be more entertaining than most folks did.) Painfully "inspired" by flicks like Rear Window, Body Double, or any other thriller in which window-to-window voyeurism plays an important role, Disturbia delivers an entirely generic story, packs a strong lead performance by Shia LaBeaouf, and will vanish from your memory banks in less time than it took to buy the tickets. Even if you love the flick (which is highly unlikely), it'll still be forgotten in very short order.
The plot, quite literally, could not be simpler: A teenage boy under house arrest believes that his neighbor is a serial killer ... and nobody believes him. Skeptical Mom, Annoyed Cop, Goofy Best Friend, and Brand-New Hottie Next-Door all bounce around the periphery as Wolf-Crying Boy waits for The Nefarious Neighbor to do something nasty. And since that neighbor is played by the always-menacing David Morse, there's not much question as to his character's true intentions. (Casting directors generally don't go with David Morse when they're looking for someone to play "wrongfully accused.") It's all very rote and predictable and familiar, and by "all" I'm also including an atrocious third act that shoots for chills and delivers only muffled yawns.
The screenplay, which comes courtesy of Chris Landon (Another Day in Paradise) and Carl Ellsworth (Red Eye), is a half-baked amalgam of back-story silliness, first-act filler and occurrences that could be (charitably) described as paint-by-numbers. We go from a drearily tragic prologue to a genuinely drab set-up before settling in for a long road ahead with LaBeouf and his empty house. And once the (potentially) scary bits show up, you'll realize that the flick has less than fifteen minutes left to go ... and that's never a good feeling. If there's even half a surprise hidden somewhere within Disturbia, I'd love to know where it's been hidden.
The flick certainly looks handsome enough, and the young Mr. LaBeouf continues his streak of strong acting performances, but these assets are employed in service of a plot structure about as thrilling as wet paint. Mr. Morse contributes the quiet glower that's been effective in about 438 films, Carrie-Anne Moss (as Skeptical Mom) gets about four unmemorable scenes, and newcomer Sarah Roemer (a dead ringer for Jessica Biel's little sister) proves to be as aesthetically beautiful as her line deliveries are distressingly inert. Basically, Disturbia is about as exciting as a peanut butter sandwich; it's dry and somewhat easy to swallow, but pretty damn boring, too. Even the flick's target teen audience will be able to guess the content of scene 12 as scene 11 ambles across the screen.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-06-2007 @ 7:37AM
Daniel Francisco said...
I have no doubt that Mr. Weinberg is highly educated in his field. I also understand that reviews must be based on that single critic's opinion. However this review was clearly written by someone who has forgotten what it is today's adolescence looks for in movies.
I'll agree that the story is not at all original (pat on the back to you), but lets look at the strengths of the flick that compensate for this potential weakness:
1. Great casting and acting (protagonists that you find you'd like to sit down and pop a brew with, an antagonist who leaves you disturbed and wanting to have a knife on you at all times from that point on)
2. Much more comedic than the plot would suggest: script is very college-student friendly with hilarious referrences to pop culture and a flawless performance by Shia LaBeaouf
3. Numerous kicking surprises that contribute to one's superficial belief that the film actually isn't so unoriginal
3. Great soundtrack (which, believe it or not, helped in forming positive initial impressions and suited scenes seamlessly)
4. Excellent pace: tension builds quite nicely and the climax is actually climactic (hard to find these days) and leaves cuts no slack or room to breathe.
I saw the movie at a free screening on campus at the University of Washington (Seattle). Typically, as I count down the days until I get to watch a movie I'm truly excited about, I tend to build it up in my head, leading me to be let down on a grand scale (like in the eve-so-manly 300). One would think that because I label Shia LaBeaouf as "the man" and I'm a huge fan of modern thrillers, this movie just wouldn't stand a chance against my high expectations. This film simply did NOT let down. It is NOT impossible to put a twist on or polish someone else's (much) older idea. Example--how often do cover songs have scale the billboards? Disturbia was extremely well put together and is ultimately one of the most well-rounded thrillers I've seen to date.
One might rightfully argue that my words are those of a cinematically uneducated adolescent. We're supposedly unintelligent, conform quite quickly, lack depth, and are shamefully predictable, but we travel in packs and we're primarily the ones who will determine how "successful" films like Disturbia are. My reaction to the movie was no different from those of the other few-hundred in the auditorium-- we simply loved it and couldn't help but genuinely react. Clearly, Scott Weinberg climbed down from the peak of his youth too long ago and has lost sight of what it is kids like us go for: a fresh, excillerating flick that delivers great laughs and embarrasing girly screams.
Walking back to the dorm room, I noticed hundreds of other audience members were holding little walking discussions on the movie-- not a single complaint was heard.
Disturbia is not at all forgettable, which is so much more than one can say about Scotty's review.
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4-06-2007 @ 7:43AM
Daniel Francisco said...
Yeah about all those typos: oops, apologies, pardon. It's the middle of the night here and I don't know what I'm doing up.
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4-13-2007 @ 9:45PM
georgina said...
Unfortunately I was a witness to the film Distubia last night. Disturbia reminds me of a quote a lecturer once said to me 'you can make a bad film out of a good script, but you cant make a good film out of a bad script'
I didn't realise there were any good actors in this film because the dialogue was so incredibly lame. The one or two 'humourous references to pop culture', and the total of 10minutes of tension I experieced; was definately not worth the $7 I paid to watch the film.
A perfect example of Hollywood trash.
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4-16-2007 @ 5:03PM
Courtney Williams said...
Well, I saw Disturbia last night, and I somewhat agree with everyone. I did NOT think the movie was boring. It had be asking myself questions all through out, and it was not forgetable. Although the ending was a bit predictable. I agree with everyone about the suspense factor, the only real moments I got right into the movie were the last 15 at the end. There should have been mroe suspense! I do love the cast, and I will not critisise their acting abilities. It was very well acted, and having David Morse as the "Serial Killer" added to it, becasue you know a man who looks like that is up to something. Im only 12, So I don't know much about movies, but if I had to rate it, I would give 2 stars out of 5, the 2 being for well acting and a relativlely good plot... It would have been much betetr had there have been more suspense, and maybe a little action besides the end.
A good try... But like they say, If at first you don't succeed, Try, Try again... Please, Do NOT try again.
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4-22-2007 @ 12:20PM
Lacey Mihalov said...
I have to say that I agree with everyone on the fact that the movie wasn't up to my expectations. I think that Shia LaBeouf is a total hotty, and that he was pretty good in the movie. But getting to the point, the suspense never really came to me until the ending.....which was pretty quick. The movie could have done without all the kissing scenes, which acording to every movie, the kissing has to happen. In my overall opinion, the movie was pretty good, and according to America, they loved it too. I am only 13, so my opinion may not count, but don't knock the movie until you see it. I had some pretty good laughs during the movie, and I was on the edge of my seat in some scenes. I thought that the amount I payed was worth it. So to all the people who haven't seen the movie, go and see it, it is pretty good.
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