Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent indie drama, 17 April 2007
This one tells the tale of Harlan, a man clad in the dress and mannerisms of a cowboy despite living in the cowboy-free zone of twenty-first century LA. He's a misfit, as you would expect, but things perk up for Harlan when he meets rebellious wee thing Tobe (short for October) and the two hit it off right away. The film follows the development of their relationship - her, smitten by his anachronistic nature; him, smitten by her... well, because she's cute and doesn't make fun of his hat - and the inevitable complications they face as Tobe's stern father decides he doesn't like this cowboy fellow one little bit.
Edward Norton adds to the list of complex, interesting characters he's played on film with this one. His Harlan is a pleasing mish-mash of contradictions (old fashioned when it suits him, modern when it doesn't) who you can't help feeling for even as you cringe when he does something inappropriate. Many big name actors would have avoided this part like a potential stain on their list of purely heroic (and entirely unrealistic) portrayals, so hats off to Norton for his willingness (as with American History X) to take the road less travelled.
Also excellent here is the always excellent David Morse as Tobe's father, a man who perhaps better represents the true nature of the old west (as opposed to Harlan's dangerously romanticised version). Once again, this is a characterisation that choses real-world moral ambiguity over simplistic good guy/bad guy options. Morse's Wade is a guy you sometimes like and sometimes don't, just like real people.
As for the rest of the cast, Evan Rachel Wood does well as the feisty Tobe, while Rory Culkin (very good in Mean Creek) continues to prove he might be the most talented member of his clan.
If you're a fan of independent drama, you really can't go wrong with this one. I liked it a lot. It has great acting all around, refuses to over-analyse its characters (thank the gods - no backstory), and tells an enthralling story that builds to a perfect yet unexpected conclusion. Highly recommended.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Difficult to place this in a genre ..., 10 Mar 2007
Annoyingly, Edward Norton hasn't made many films recently and I was waiting a long time to see this. Thanks largely to good performances from Edward Norton and the very busy Evan Rachel Wood this is an entertaining enough movie. It will pass the time amicably enough, but I feel the script could have been stronger.
The film teeters near the edge of a fish-out-of-water comedy/melodrama as we have a cowboy out of place in L.A. Then it comes close to being a much sinister and darker film. It never can quite make up it's mind what it wants to be. Also, you have no idea what is motivating the main character to do what he does in the final third of the film. He may be a little unstable and a little strange, but, as a non-mainstream, character-driven film, you would expect a little more character study and some insight into his actions.
As in `Primal Fear', Norton displays his acting range by switching from an innocent, out-of-place guy to a threatening menace, but the director (who also wrote the film) cannot commit to either side of the character. He flirts with the idea of Norton as an innocent and as a menace, but never takes the story fully in that direction.
It is good, however, to see two great actors of our generation - Norton and Wood - in the same film together. And all in all it is a solid, entertaining film.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Not everyones cup of tea, 1 Jun 2009
Good points: Edward Norton
This is a quite slow film but if you are a fan of Edward Norton, you will be able to sit through the film. The script is actually horrendous and boring,if not for Edward Norton.
Its based on a "35 year old" cowboy who goes into a suburb to experience new life and meets a teenage girl and seems oblivious to the fact that her foster parent is not too keen his daughter going out with this 35yr old man. In most scenes he still sees himself as a cowboy back in early days when they used to count to 10, turn around and shot.
I would watch it again because it makes me laugh although it is not commedy.
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