Hit And Run (2012)

Bradley Cooper and henchman walk in on a party of swinging septuagenarians.

At a glance:

In love on and offscreen:
Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell
at the L.A. premiere.
(Eric Charbonneau/WireImage)

Hit and Run, to risk an obvious pun, is all hit-and-miss. Apparently impressively made under 10 weeks and under US $2 million, this road movie is a labour of love from Dax Shepard (The Freebie, 2010), who wrote, directed and even got his fiancée Kristen Bell (You Again, 2010) to play opposite him in it. I think she might have been producer, too. Their sweet pillow talk starts us off on an overwritten script, as we follow the couple on the road to L.A. in a custom '67 Lincoln Continental for a job interview, while bein chased by an assortment of maladjusted characters on both sides of the law. I'll leave you to discover them yourselves.

Bad news on the doorstep:

It's easy to blame the crowded cameos and fleetin characters but I suspect they would've been just perfect if only the romance between the lead pair was a wee bit more substantial. The winsome couple draw well from their real life chemistry but without a stronger reason to root for them, the heart of the story is absent and their elaborate dialogue tend to turn petty. Hit And Run is funny only in spurts and I reckon a more traditional storytellin dynamic would've turned this into a top act instead just shiftin gears for mild giggles in between.

Perennial wonderment:

A GPS-powered app to find gay dates in your area. Really? Yep. In real life, it's somethin called Grindr. Funny how much you might be missin out on just by bein on the straight and narrow, eh? On a related note, the movie is full of references to derogatory terms and I'm not entirely sure if I was alright with one or two gags that might actually be genuinely offensive to me. Hit And Run is clearly made to appeal to a certain portion of middle America and if I watched this a second time I might really think it was out of order.

Reminds me of:

Underwhelmin crime capers like Cat Run (2011). Shame. It had a few things goin for it but the end credit feelings are reminiscent of Larry Crown (2011) - cute and likeable but with a hole for a heart.

I can't remember if I cried:

When the crew walk in on some butt-naked septuagenarians about to get busy with their swing party. Wow. I ain't seen such graphic inelasticity since Les Textiles (2004).

Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi? 
Maybe I had higher expectations for this because I was a little pumped up from watchin Mel Gibson's excellent Get The Gringo (2012) the previous night. Anyway, show some love to Dax Shepard for puttin his best foot forward. Hope he'll work on gettin a stronger story if he decides to do somethin wacky like this again. Man the guy can really drive!★★1/2
Bonus material:

Dax Shepard and the custom 1967 Lincoln Continental used in the movie.

The Skeptic (2009) @ The Haunting of Bryan Becket

At a glance:

"Is it so wrong to believe that
the Malaysian PM is innocent?"

You have every reason to doubt this telemovie that didn't quite make the big waves TV commercial director Tennison Bardwell wanted it to, despite first spawnin the idea as early as in the 80s. The Skeptic another haunted house exercise but with a decidedly strong focus on the titular lead, upon which the movie's credibility rests. Unfeelin workaholic lawyer Bryan Becket (Tim Daly) is a doubtin Thomas who moves into his late aunt's reputedly haunted Victorian mansion after her death, much to the displeasure of his wife (Andrea Roth) and his partner (Tom Arnold). Naturally, the spookfest begins and ghostbusters are consulted - a scientist (Bruce Altman), a psychiatrist (Edward Herrmann), a priest (Robert Prosky) and even a young psychic (Zoe Saldana). The psychic points out to Bryan that it has somethin to do with his childhood memories.

Bad news on the doorstep:

"You heard whispering sounds,
and presuming that they must be human,
your brain strove to put speech to them.
It's called psycho-acoustics."

With hardly any special effects, the burden of suspense rests squarely on Tim Daly's exasperated character; and the actor does give it all. However, the Sceptic vs Believer elements are a little overstated by the filmmaker, as if tryin too hard to make a ghost movie for adults. This strangely brings about an air of unintended humour to the proceedings but to no good effect. Slant Magazine's Fernando F. Croce points out that Bryan's scenes with his partner (Tom Arnold) and priest (Robert Prosky) have comic and poignant energy, but for the most part the film awkwardly suggests Poltergeist (1982) as a 12-step self-help programme.

Perennial wonderment:

"I see dead careers."

I find movies with such titles irresistible. Here are some if you care for more: The Possession Of Gail Bowers (2006), The Disappearance of Alice Creed (2009), The Haunting Of Molly Hartley (2008), The Possession Of Emma Evans (2010), The Possession Of David O'Reilly (2010).

Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?
Some interestin moments and a committed though not particularly compellin performance from the cast. You will finish the film, at least. Popmatter's Cynthia Fuchs put it best: "Inane as any other insight offered up in The Skeptic, at least it acknowledges the fundamental metaphor of every haunted house movie ever made. And now, we can all go home."  ★★ 1/2

Bonus material:

"So father, did you manage to find my career in here somewhere?"