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MELT WITH YOU (director/writer:
Mark Pellington; screenwriter: Glenn Porter;
cinematographer: Eric
Schmidt; editor: Don Broida; music:
tomanddandy; cast: Thomas
Jane (Richard), Jeremy Piven (Ron), Rob Lowe (Jonathan), Christian McKay (Tim),
Arielle Kebbel (Randi), Carla Gugino (Officer Boyde), Tom
Bower (Captain Bob);
Runtime: 122; MPAA Rating: R; producers: Rob Cowan/Norman Reiss/Mark
Pellington; Magnolia Pictures; 2011) "Pretentious toxic male bonding film." Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz Mark
Pellington ("Arlington
Road"/"Henry Poole Is Here") directs and co-writes with
Glenn Porter this pretentious toxic male bonding film,
that goes down a low-rent Big Chill road until the
middle-aged druggie boys, who have never grownup, have
a meltdown over
self-pity and go suicidal. Reckless womanizing author-turned-teacher Richard (Thomas Jane),
crooked investment manager and loyal family man Ron
(Jeremy Piven), failed marriage and quack Dr. Feelgood
type Jonathan (Rob Lowe) and self-loathing gay drifter
artist Tim (Christian McKay) are college buddies who
gather for a week each year in a cliffside rental
mansion at
California’s Big
Sur to celebrate Tim's birthday and renew their
friendship. After the boys do drugs, party and have
endless tiresome conversations, the untimely death of
one of the unhappy friends sets off a series of events
that are too ridiculous to take seriously but plays
out as the heart of the film--as things turn into an
unbelievable crime mystery story. The pic piles on heavy drug
use, stress over failed life ambitions, pain from
loss, loud background music from the Sex Pistols and a
midlife-crisis on four unsympathetic characters, who
try to escape their miserable lives by always being
high. When the drugs wear off, the age 40-something
men discover they can't face life when sober and take
comfort that misery loves company. The depressing melodrama is
unpersuasive, not entertaining and the acting is so
over-the-top it could make you seasick if you don't
jump ship. REVIEWED ON 12/8/2011 GRADE: C- Dennis Schwartz: "Ozus' World Movie Reviews" © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DENNIS SCHWARTZ |