The Other Man

Goolphipp Award: 1.8 (Wait for DVD)

Goolsby:
Point blank, I’m a fan of Liam Neeson. He’s the reason I went to see this movie. He is my old man crush. I only knew the basic plot, nothing else. I was confused for about half the movie, more than half probably.

Perhaps I missed a key line, but for the life of me, I could not figure out if Lisa, played by Laura Linney, was actually dead or if she just disappeared. Liam Neeson’s character Peter obsesses over his wife’s old lover. The other man is Ralph, played by Antonio Banderas. Random casting – it was a weird mix of people, but worked I guess.

The plot is complicated, lies, and some more lies. The movie was playing at our local indie movie theater, and the movie produced what you would expect. It was strange. Some types of movies you have to put in a box to digest later. That’s what I had to do. If you go see it, or eventually rent it on DVD, and want to talk about it, let me know.

I think they could have handled the transitions in the movie better. It was too jagged for me understand. They needed to work on the overall composition. The sound mixing was also horrible, but it could have just been the theater.

Goolsby overall: 2
Meh, if you feel in the mood to be confused and want to watch a handsome old man, go for it.

Phipps:
This movie was like being in the middle of a tangled ball of yarn. Not only are you all tangled up, but the ball starts to roll down some stairs. I was completely confused the entire time. The fog just never cleared up.

I was confused by the character of Lisa. I didn’t understand if she was dead or if she up and left Peter (played by Liam Neeson). I didn’t understand her whole deal…even after the script finally gets around to explaining it. She’s at the center of the movie, but it’s like looking into a black hole. You know what it is, you know what destruction it has caused, but you don’t understand why. She remains a mystery. I have to say this, she did wear a great pair of red high heels.

Antonio Banderas was quite impressive as the “other man.” I’m with Peter, as he grudgingly admits that “he is rather wonderful.” The other supporting cast did a fantastic job as well. You see, the problem with this movie is not the actors and their performances or even the cinematography or sound – it’s the actual storyline. It spins you in circles, and when you are good and dizzy, it lets you fall.

I’m not sure when this was filmed, but I would have thought that this movie would hit a bit too close to home for Liam Neeson. It was rather painful to watch.

Phipps overall: 1.75
I’m still confused.

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