I really liked it. I gave it a B.

B+


This is the movie in which Sienna Miller finally shows that she can act. Apparently, she's usually just not given the opportunity, but in this one she shows it all. I suppose it helps that she is probably playing a character not too far removed from her own person. Steve Buscemi has always been underused and relegated to supporting roles, so he definitely gets to shine here as well, but in his case we at least always knew that he has got it in him. So Sienna Miller is the true winner of this film, delivering her performance of a lifetime (yes, even eclipsing her turn in Factory Girl). I don't see her being offered all too many roles like this one again in which she just bares her soul (as opposed to baring her body which she has done in several of her other roles).

You know how they sometimes say that a movie is just about people talking? Well, in this case it is not an overstatement. The whole movie is just two people (Miller, Buscemi) and a video camera. The interesting thing is that it still never ever gets boring (the 80 minutes running time sure helps too). The exchanges between the two, ranging from meaningless over funny and mean to truly bitter and sad, are a joy to watch. Unlike what a film could have done, it does not play much for comedy. There's a lot of heavy stuff in there which is why the film sometimes comes across as rather heavy-handed. But for all the film's pitfalls, the unlikely Buscemi/Miller pairing more than makes up.

And then there's that ending. I am not really sure what to think of it. I did like the reveal that pretty much all that Miller has said has been an act, but the whole thing with Buscemi's wife seemed a bit too much. I liked when the whole film was rather low-key. I give the ending points for being unexpected, but I think it could have done without the whole wife story.