Talented filmmakers and wonderful actors alike get stranded in Middle of Nowhere, a shockingly bad coming-of-age dramedy that tests not only our patience, goodwill, and understanding of humanity, but also our ability to stare at a screen for 90-plus minutes. Everything about the film has been done before, done better, or at least done with a certain degree of professionalism; there are sequences throughout this movie where the camera angles and lighting change so drastically that it's not possible to simply blame it on re-shoots. This is the kind of film that is banished from wide release to protect the futures of the participants' careers, then forced into a hasty DVD release to try and swindle a profit.
What went wrong? Even bad movies, when made by talented people, are often unfortunate misfires with good intentions. But what can one possibly make of a film so shallow in its depictions of youth growing into adulthood, so cynical in its blatant retread of every dysfunctional family drama that came before it, and so lacking in basic filmmaking proficiency that it seems like an empty exercise is unearned vanity? And further, what does one make of the fact that the film stars Oscar winner Susan Sarandon, her talented daughter Eva Amurri, and is directed by the very talented John Stockwell? Some films move beyond standard bad-movie snickers and simply become sad.
Amurri, whose talent has been well-established in films like Saved! and The Life Before Her Eyes, as well as the TV series Californication, plays Grace, who is entering into her final summer before heading off to college, and whose tight-wound ambitions could easily be deterred by any number of factors. Her mother, Rhonda (Sarandon), is unmotivated and irresponsible, leaving her family to rely on the potential monetary outcome of a car-crash settlement. Her younger sister, Taylor (Willa Holland), is aimless and cynical, the product of a world that only values her for her looks, specifically her long, flowing hair. Grace is smart and capable, but she doesn't live in a world that can possibly reward her noble intentions.
Enter Dorian (snarky geek-actor extraordinaire Anton Yelchin), the black sheep of a much more prosperous family, who has survived in the equally-poisonous environment by using his cynical wit to hatch murky schemes, most of which usually involve breaking the law. Through a stroke of serendipitous screenplay maneuvering, Grace and Dorian end up working as lifeguards at the same water park over the summer, and on one innocent ride home, she is exposed to Dorian's other method of making summer cash: selling drugs. Thus begins the precocious law-breaking section of the film, in which our two mismatched protagonists go into business together, in an attempt to earn enough cash to break free from their proverbial hells.
Middle of Nowhere's coming-of-age framework is redundant, but can still work with the right material. Its hare-brained "innocent kids breaking the law" gimmick is cheap and unnecessary, but even that could possibly work in the right hands. But what becomes unavoidable as the film unfolds -- slowly, predictably, and painfully -- is that no scripted element, no matter how original or interesting, could possibly survive as a watchable narrative under this direction, which seems to lack any cohesive style or verve, or within this screenplay, which seems cobbled together from rusty spare parts with only minimal attention to detail and character.
The script is easy enough to explain, coming from a young first-timer named Michelle Morgan -- it is chasing after a certain "last summer before adulthood" feel, but lacks any truthful perspective to earn its stripes. The direction, however, is a different story; Stockwell, director of teen-angst dramas like crazy/beautiful and Blue Crush, must assume the blame for the film's static frames, harshly inconsistent lighting, and images offering so little grace -- or even basic visual variety -- that cohesive editing can barely come into play. Stockwell has never been a critics' darling, but one could never fault his style and professionalism. Either Stockwell chose to check his talent at the door, or his body was usurped for the duration of the shoot by Alan Smithee.
Just last year, filmgoers were graced with Adventureland, a hilarious and beautiful film about growing into one's own skin. It took place at an amusement park, centered on an odd couple whose love bloomed from unfortunate circumstances, and was set during one final, crazy, wonderful summer before its characters entered the frightening unknown of the real world. Sound familiar? My advice: Rent Adventureland, and try to put Middle of Nowhere out of your mind... starting now.
What went wrong? Even bad movies, when made by talented people, are often unfortunate misfires with good intentions. But what can one possibly make of a film so shallow in its depictions of youth growing into adulthood, so cynical in its blatant retread of every dysfunctional family drama that came before it, and so lacking in basic filmmaking proficiency that it seems like an empty exercise is unearned vanity? And further, what does one make of the fact that the film stars Oscar winner Susan Sarandon, her talented daughter Eva Amurri, and is directed by the very talented John Stockwell? Some films move beyond standard bad-movie snickers and simply become sad.
Amurri, whose talent has been well-established in films like Saved! and The Life Before Her Eyes, as well as the TV series Californication, plays Grace, who is entering into her final summer before heading off to college, and whose tight-wound ambitions could easily be deterred by any number of factors. Her mother, Rhonda (Sarandon), is unmotivated and irresponsible, leaving her family to rely on the potential monetary outcome of a car-crash settlement. Her younger sister, Taylor (Willa Holland), is aimless and cynical, the product of a world that only values her for her looks, specifically her long, flowing hair. Grace is smart and capable, but she doesn't live in a world that can possibly reward her noble intentions.
Enter Dorian (snarky geek-actor extraordinaire Anton Yelchin), the black sheep of a much more prosperous family, who has survived in the equally-poisonous environment by using his cynical wit to hatch murky schemes, most of which usually involve breaking the law. Through a stroke of serendipitous screenplay maneuvering, Grace and Dorian end up working as lifeguards at the same water park over the summer, and on one innocent ride home, she is exposed to Dorian's other method of making summer cash: selling drugs. Thus begins the precocious law-breaking section of the film, in which our two mismatched protagonists go into business together, in an attempt to earn enough cash to break free from their proverbial hells.
Middle of Nowhere's coming-of-age framework is redundant, but can still work with the right material. Its hare-brained "innocent kids breaking the law" gimmick is cheap and unnecessary, but even that could possibly work in the right hands. But what becomes unavoidable as the film unfolds -- slowly, predictably, and painfully -- is that no scripted element, no matter how original or interesting, could possibly survive as a watchable narrative under this direction, which seems to lack any cohesive style or verve, or within this screenplay, which seems cobbled together from rusty spare parts with only minimal attention to detail and character.
The script is easy enough to explain, coming from a young first-timer named Michelle Morgan -- it is chasing after a certain "last summer before adulthood" feel, but lacks any truthful perspective to earn its stripes. The direction, however, is a different story; Stockwell, director of teen-angst dramas like crazy/beautiful and Blue Crush, must assume the blame for the film's static frames, harshly inconsistent lighting, and images offering so little grace -- or even basic visual variety -- that cohesive editing can barely come into play. Stockwell has never been a critics' darling, but one could never fault his style and professionalism. Either Stockwell chose to check his talent at the door, or his body was usurped for the duration of the shoot by Alan Smithee.
Just last year, filmgoers were graced with Adventureland, a hilarious and beautiful film about growing into one's own skin. It took place at an amusement park, centered on an odd couple whose love bloomed from unfortunate circumstances, and was set during one final, crazy, wonderful summer before its characters entered the frightening unknown of the real world. Sound familiar? My advice: Rent Adventureland, and try to put Middle of Nowhere out of your mind... starting now.
