marxmith

Undo. A lot of recognizable Utah/Salt Lake Locations. Interesting if you grew up or lived in Utah in the late 80's early 90's. It's amusing to sometimes see cars driving down a sidewalk, or other areas around Salt Lake repurposed for locations like police stations and courtrooms. It's nice to see the old Salt Lake City police cars. Takes me back. Utah has never looked so good. It's usually grey and miserable. This must have been filmed in the early Spring. The rock climbing scenes are filmed on location and give the movie some production value. The movie is fine, the main actors are pretty good and elevate the material. But there's nothing groundbreaking here. The premise isn't bad. If the writing, directing, and story structure were revamped, and the cast was packed with A-listers This could probably be remade today with great success. Sela Ward and Rachel Ward are beautiful and Tron is pretty good too (he gets better as they add 5 o'clock shadow makeup). Sela Ward's lawyer assistant feel out of place. At one point she mentions having lived in New York. However, nobody in in the past 100 years would voluntarily move from New York to Utah. In 90's risqué fashion, they think that dude's butts will make it edgy. Additionaly some 90's fashion pops up now and again and makes you wonder if Nerf designed everything from this era. There's a lot of mentions of Utah and Salt Lake throughout the movie, but it doesn't really have relevance to the story. It also seems odd that so many characters are smoking indoors (and inside a school).

It's a fun 70's romp. I almost wish it would have spent a little more time showcasing the 70's (much in the way Zodiac 2007 did), because that is the film's biggest strength next to Crowe and Gosling. There's a few head scratching moments and the movie falters logically in a few places, but overall a fun film with good chemistry between most of the characters. Disappointing to have Keith David cast in a prominent role, but given almost nothing to say. Give the guy at least a few good lines to showcase his voice. Russell Crowe is distractingly overweight. I can see his character as being a bit pudgy, but there are some shots in this movie where you fear for his health. This review is a bit focused on the negative, which it shouldn't be. Good performances, overall good writing, fun movie.

Spoiler: There is an interesting moment in this movie where the character delivers a monologue gradually directly into the camera basically saying that the Detroit automakers do not want you to see this movie because it exposes the truth about pollution, and there is a comical moment referencing electric cars and other hints here and there regarding oil, cars, etc.. The film seemed to want to convey a subtle message about the future (our present) regarding pollution, transportation, and fossil fuels.

Independent film thrives on the internet, and "Gorilla Interrupted" is the "Clerks" of the current generation. That said, nobody sits down to watch "Gorilla Interrupted" with extremely high expectations. But in a world where every multi-hundred-million-dollar Hollywood extravaganza ends up being a sandblasted disappointment. "Gorilla Interrupted" is a cute, fun, entertaining, and extremely original film that hits its target audience. A generation of Sci-Fi savvy film buffs that grew up in the 80's and 90's.

The story is a charming blend of Sci-Fi and comedy, influenced by 80's nostalgia, and kitbashed into a decent narrative. The surprisingly charismatic cast/crew truly shine. Most notable is Rich Evans, who's Herculean threshold for pain inspires a performance that is like a triforce of Jerry Lewis, Rick Moranis, and Marlon Brando. Likewise, Mike Stoklasa and Jay Bauman cast themselves as real characters, and not just kneejerk "let's make a movie" caricatures. Garrett Gilchrist's Safari Hunter seems a bit out of place and over exuberant at times, but adds texture to the film. Lisa Renley provides a controlled cuteness that balances the melange of a cast.

The production value is as high as it needs to be. Any better and your expectations would elevate, any worse and it would be distracting. It is a film that satisfyingly exceeds the sum it's parts. At a comfortable running time of 68 minutes, it does not feel stretched, and ends before it becomes irritating.

The latest release of "Gorilla Interrupted" also includes a fascinating retrospective on the 7 day production, and takes you through the crew's communal film-making experience. In the end you get the feeling that all you need to get a fun film is an empty house, a camera, and the absence of parental supervision.