OK. This movie was bad. I mean really bad. I usually start with the plot and then mention what I think but I just couldn’t help myself. On the surface, the premise is quite OK.
Jack Bishop (Simon Baker) is a loving husband and a father who coaches girls’ soccer team where his 11-year-old daughter Toby (Chloe Moretz) also plays. His first wife -Toby’s mom- is dead but Toby seems to be getting alone fine with her stepmother Amaya (Paz Vega). A good marriage, a simple life. There are implications of black magic in the movie but hey, you don’t mind. Maybe there are essential to the plot line and maybe it will all make perfect sense at some point. The simple and happy family life is ruined when Toby is kidnapped. Jack is devastated and so is Amaya. They try anything and everything to find Toby. But as the story unfolds, it will become apparent that no one and nothing is quite what it seems, except Jack’s love for Toby.
I might get into spoilers so read on at your peril:
The pace is slow. But sometimes slow pays off. Not this time. We are thrown weird twists here and there, like Jack actually speaks Spanish when his wife thinks he can’t. Whores in Mexico seem to know who is and they know him by another name. The black magic thing is something…that the writer wants you to suspect that it will relate to the story…It does but it never makes any sense. Jack’s identity as a loving father doesn’t add up. Amaya’s 10 year-old acting is ridiculous. The daughter’s reaction is absolutely ridiculous. The picture in the beginning- the picture of Toby’s mother- does belong to Claire Forlani. And she also has a ridiculous role in the film, just like the rest of the cast.
You wan t more specifics? Please ask me in the comments. I can go into as much detail as you like. I like Simon Baker, I really do. But this movie is off. Whatever genre or pace it was aiming, it is off. I don’t even get what attracted Simon to the script in the first place. There is nothing that’s attractive about the movie. Well, except the one part where Simon tortures and wastes the long-haired bad guy. That was cool. But if you want Simon to go all affectionate, watch Something New. If you want him all smart, watch The Mentalist. This is rated 4.5 on IMDB, voted by over 600 people. And frankly, even 4.5 is way overrated.
All Posts Featuring Simon Baker
Simon Baker Trivia: 21 Facts About Australian Actor Simon Baker
Top Nine Aussies in The Entertainment World: Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Kylie Minogue and More
Posts featuring Simon Baker and The Mentalist
The Mentalist TV Series Review- Starring Simon Baker
Castle vs The Mentalist- Comparing the two addictive shows
Television’s 3 Most Brilliant, Emotionally Broken Men: Patrick Jane, Gregory House and Jack Bauer