The next set of reviews we’ll be publishing are some of the ones Roger Thomas has done exclusively for The Stanly News & Press. Roger has written movie reviews for The Stanly News & Press and other outlets for years, long before starting this blog. So we decided it would be good to give readers a sample of his previous work, in addition to posts of reviews of current films. Other reviews will run daily.
Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes
“The Place Beyond the Pines” is the most successful independent film playing in theaters currently. For the past several weeks, right below superheroes, bodybuilders, baseball players and Tom Cruise in the future, a small film has sat consistently on the Top Ten List at the box office.
There are several reasons why this might be true. “Place” is the rare independent film that has crossed over and is playing in multiplexes across the nation. The first week of May the film played in more than 1,100 screens nationally where the next closest independent film was screening at less than 300 venues. “Place” also offers two leading actors who are currently very popular: Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper. In addition to these facts, the film has had an aggressive ad campaign that most likely heightened the awareness of this story of fathers and sons, cops and robbers.
So is the film worth seeking out. First, there are some strengths. Both the lead actors are good in the their roles. Gosling and Cooper are popular, talented and Oscar-nominated actors and both give strong performances here. Both play flawed men who actually want more out of life than what they currently have, and at certain moments both characters earn the sympathy of the audience.
Beyond the lead performances, there are some fine supporting actors as well. The music score for the film sets the right tone. There are many moments when the cinematography is inspired, especially during the chase scenes following intense bank robberies.
But then again, the film is far from perfect. For me, the greatest flaw is that neither of the leads fully earns my interest. First, Gosling’s Luke is a concerned father and a bank robber. Movie fans have rooted for many bank robbers through the years; my first were probably “Bonnie and Clyde” played by Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. I liked Luke’s scenes with his former girlfriend played by Eva Mendes; these moments showed his tender side. Plus the action when he was robbing banks, as stated above, is thrilling. But when his story played out I realized that I did not care what happened to him. I was not invested in the outcome of Luke’s story.
Then there is Cooper’s Avery. Avery is a cop. He is a cop with integrity. When some who serve with him want to bend or even break the rules, he wants to do the right thing. Avery chooses to be a crusader for what is right and true. However, Avery’s story turns out to be no more compelling than Luke’s, perhaps even less than the story of the bank robber seeking to provide for his son. These are good actors, playing characters that could have been something special, but neither of them ever fully clicked with this reviewer. My investment of time in their story did not pay off for me.
And then came the third act of the film. This takes place 15 years after the majority of the story. This section deals with the sons of Luke and Avery. Both of these boys are troubled. Both are making bad choices. I hoped for this final segment to redeem the film, but for me it did not. I felt less for the sons than I had for their fathers. And in the end I left the theater disappointed.
“The Place Beyond the Pines” is not the worst film I have seen this year. It has a few strengths and many good moments. But with all the positive attributes and two strong leads, I hoped for more. I wanted to invest emotion in the film, yet I never felt it deserved it. I cannot encourage others to visit “The Place Beyond the Pines.”
Box Office results
Domestic gross: $21,403,519
Foreign gross: $14,082,089
Production budget: $15 million
Opening weekend: $279,457
NOTE: Information from Boxofficemojo.com
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