Not What You Might Think
Daniel G. Lebryk | 01/15/2009
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Is it a film about making a film? Is it a film about writing a book? Is it a film about writing a book about writing a script for a film? Is it a film about a book, turned into a film, which was a book about films being made?
Nope it's none of these things. It's about a very poorly written and filmed mid life crisis. Yep, plain and simple, an author has a fantasy about two young pretty female roommates.
But the director and writer would have you believe this is some kind of Indie art film all about self-relexivity of film and the written word. After about 10 minutes the film is obvious where it is going. The ending, him in bed with the really lovely British "English Professor," is beyond predictible.
The cover art and advertising would have you believe this is a very liberal film, a very hard R rated film. In fact, it gets the R from using the F word more than twice. There is virtually no nudity in this film. No it's really barely a PG-13 film.
The entertainment value is mildly low here. This looks like an assignment for senior year of college film production. Yeah, this director probably thought he was making Spike Lee's "She's Gotta Have It." No, nothing of the kind. Poor camera work, poor lighting, flat sound, decent acting, and strange uneven editing, all make for a movie to pass on.
Absolutely no extra features on the DVD, only trailers for other films."
The life of a writer
P. Mann | Los Angeles | 12/18/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Richard (Campbell Scott), a successful writer, is kicked out by his wife on the day he is to speak to a college writing class, at which he reveals his current status as a homeless writer. Two coeds (Izabella Miko and Lizzy Caplan) invite him to sleep on their couch. The arrangement lasts beyond the first night as Richard promises to assess the women's writing in exchange for his spot on the couch.
Richard repays his hosts' kindness by reading their e-mail, using them as templates for his newest novel, and fantasizing about having a more intimate relationship with them.
To me, "Crashing" was a mildly entertaining diversion but little more. Richard is so self-centered that he failed to engage me, and the two women, as extensions of Richard's fantasies, are not allowed to develop their own personalities. Too often, the dialog seemed affected, as if in an effort to be "Literary" (with a capital L). There is a good story here, but for the most part, it is not allowed to develop.
For those who are interested, the film's R rating is attributable to drug use, language, and sexual situations.
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