Proving Hollywood is will to sell out war vets for ticket sales.
I don't really know how to classify this film under any one particular genre. I guess it's more or less a teen-romance, but it has elements of other emotion based films. Anti-war stance, coming of age, bad boy turns good, dance off, and the classic redemption tale are all part of this jumbled mess. It's not great... yeah... it's just not very good either.
Outside of the thematic issues, the characters are pretty awful. The main couple aren't really to be admired in this film. I found the young heart-throb to be a pretty awful person. I get that he has had a rough life, but a 18 year old NY DJ with drug issues and a whiny personality isn't someone who I felt any apathy for. His girlfriend isn't much better, and her acting skills were pretty off. She couldn't look a single person in the eye the whole film, which really throws off any of the argumentative scenes she's involved with. There is a scene where they are both hurling "WHO'S GOT THE HARDER LIFE," moments which is really just painful to watch. Josh Duhamel isn't half bad, as the PTSD recovering soldier returned home to council underprivileged kids. He's the only believable character.
There is a massive problem with this film, as anyone who watched it through till the end will know. It has possibly the most redundant ending of any film I've seen.
SPOILERS HERE:
Outside of the relationship that is formed between the two main characters, they may have changed (SLIGHTLY) as individuals, but what about their real problems? You might think they have come to accept the death of a loved one, but what about the boy's relationship with his father and mother? The daughter's mentally ill mother, and her deepening depression? His drug addiction? It leaves all of these huge problems still hanging at the end. I know... movies don't have to summarize all the problems and should leave some questions at the end, but those are for IDEA films, and this is most definitely not one of those.
Anyways, I rated it pretty low for it's use of war vets in a dance off, for WAY MORE BEATS HEADPHONES SHOTS THAN ARE NECESSARY (I don't know a single DJ who uses those, buy some freaking marshals man), and the constant references to Platoon. Which is a much better film. You're better off watching that.
3/10
I don't really know how to classify this film under any one particular genre. I guess it's more or less a teen-romance, but it has elements of other emotion based films. Anti-war stance, coming of age, bad boy turns good, dance off, and the classic redemption tale are all part of this jumbled mess. It's not great... yeah... it's just not very good either.
Outside of the thematic issues, the characters are pretty awful. The main couple aren't really to be admired in this film. I found the young heart-throb to be a pretty awful person. I get that he has had a rough life, but a 18 year old NY DJ with drug issues and a whiny personality isn't someone who I felt any apathy for. His girlfriend isn't much better, and her acting skills were pretty off. She couldn't look a single person in the eye the whole film, which really throws off any of the argumentative scenes she's involved with. There is a scene where they are both hurling "WHO'S GOT THE HARDER LIFE," moments which is really just painful to watch. Josh Duhamel isn't half bad, as the PTSD recovering soldier returned home to council underprivileged kids. He's the only believable character.
There is a massive problem with this film, as anyone who watched it through till the end will know. It has possibly the most redundant ending of any film I've seen.
SPOILERS HERE:
Outside of the relationship that is formed between the two main characters, they may have changed (SLIGHTLY) as individuals, but what about their real problems? You might think they have come to accept the death of a loved one, but what about the boy's relationship with his father and mother? The daughter's mentally ill mother, and her deepening depression? His drug addiction? It leaves all of these huge problems still hanging at the end. I know... movies don't have to summarize all the problems and should leave some questions at the end, but those are for IDEA films, and this is most definitely not one of those.
Anyways, I rated it pretty low for it's use of war vets in a dance off, for WAY MORE BEATS HEADPHONES SHOTS THAN ARE NECESSARY (I don't know a single DJ who uses those, buy some freaking marshals man), and the constant references to Platoon. Which is a much better film. You're better off watching that.
3/10