Domestic Disturbance
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Movie Reviews of Domestic Disturbance
Movie Review: Awesome
Summary: 5 Stars
I Don't care what anybody says this movie rocks. i love this movie. I Recommend it for everyone.Movie Review: Will the Wicked Stepfather Win?
Summary: 4 Stars
It seems that lately John Travolta has gone to the extreme to rid himself of our memories of SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER. His role in DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE is no different. Travolta plays a father intent on saving his son from the evil stepfather; he's a rough and rugged boat builder trying to be someone's hero. His nemesis is Rick (Vince Vaughan) who is as two-faced as you can get - on the outside he's the town's Man of the Year and everyone likes him, but on the inside, he's a ruthless murderer and conman.
The storyline has been done before with different twists. Frank Morrison (Travolta) is having a hard time with the upcoming marriage of his ex-wife, Susan (played by Teri Polo). Their son, Danny, (played by Matt O'Leary) also is having issues but relies on his relationship with both parents to get through it. It's a nice platform on which to build the rest of the story.
A few months later, Danny finds out his mother is pregnant and his entire life turns upside down. He stows away in Rick's SUV to catch a ride to his father's house. Instead of going straight into town, Rick kills an old friend who has come to town to cause problems for him. This is where the storyline is a bit sketchy. Seems Ray Coleman is out of prison and has come back into Rick's life to get his share of the cash from some previous partnership. It's never really described as to how they got said money, only that Rick had a better lawyer than the other three. Huh? Gee, is he a bank robber? How about a drug runner? What could it be? We are given a vague answer at the end of the movie but never really any more than a tidbit of information.
Danny is threatened by Rick and then when that doesn't work, Rick threatens Danny's father. That does the trick and Danny changes his story and keeps his mouth shut about what he saw. By this time Frank knows something isn't right and begins his own sleuthing when the police won't help. An internet search hits on past identities and the entire story comes to light. You'd think the police would be smart enough to do a simple internet search, but not in this movie.
The plot is ok; the suspense is lacking. But there are some glaring errors that kept this movie from being 5 stars. First off, when Rick kills Ray Coleman in his Chevy Suburban, he stabs him. It's a stab wound that kills him almost instantly. Ok, so where's the blood? There was no blood at all on the leather seat and very little on Ray's clothing. In fact, Rick picks him up and drags him into a brick factory to torch the body. Ok, so where is the blood trail? Gee, guess the guy had no blood in him!
The next big error was that the body was cremated in the brick factory and there were no bone fragments or teeth when police searched the kiln? I found that a bit of a stretch. So if Danny hadn't witnessed this murder, it would have been the perfect crime, right? If so, then criminals would have disposed of bodies this way for years!
The saving grace with this movie is the chemistry between the actors. John Travolta and Vince Vaughn are perfect opponents. The sweetness of Teri Polo is the perfect balance to the wickedness of Vaughn's character. And Danny is a nice mix of teenage angst and lovable child.
Overall, this is an above average movie. It's predictable right down to the crash through the French doors and the ending fight scene between Travolta and Vaughn. Yes, predictable but still enjoyable!
Movie Review: Star-Struck Mystery Thriller!
Summary: 4 Stars
This is only a passable action thriller that works along the genre and succeeds more on the basis of star power than on any kind of logical or believable plot. John Travolta has so much screen charisma he can make even this somewhat disjointed script work as he threads his way through the mixed motives and misleading signals coming from his ex-wife, his pre-adolescent son, and his sons new step father, who the son claims he saw commit murder. Add into this mix the economic struggle and romantic troubles Travolta has diverting him (since he is a boat builder with more heart than business sense and a girl friend who has a lot of insecurity issues to deal with), and away we go into a muddled and mediocre plot line that only a star like Travolta can rescue us from.And rescue us he does, if only belatedly, for no one turns forceful and violent with more verve and purpose than a switched on Travolta, and he has moments of true movie magic and he starts to deliver on being the kind of worst nightmare he has promised the step father he could become if provoked. Of course, it takes a world class jerk to not recognize the trouble to come, and Vince Vaughn steps up to deliver the kind of raw, believable performance that makes the viewer yearn for the eventual come-uppance. Steve Buscemi is also appropriately devilish in his role as the ex-con friend of the step father. There are some twists and turns to the plot that are not especially convincing, but here the story is hardly the thing to watch. Instead, focus on Travolta and his portrayal of an otherwise gentle and compassionate man suddenly, finally giving in to his pent-up anger and growing rage.
Older viewers may be reminded of what I would call the Billy Jack syndrome, that is, a portrayal of a man all too capable and comfortable with violence who is desperately trying to keep himself on a short leash both for his own sanitys sake and for the benefit of others, until that fateful moment that someone triggers his anger and cuts the leash, and his will to resist just snaps. As with Billy Jack it happens again and again, but here it happens only meaningfully later in the film, when Travolta's character finally snaps. When it does finally happen the screen goes electric, and the last twenty minutes or so are great to experience. Travolta needs to do more of these kinds of thrillers, although hopefully he will have better material to work with in future projects. Heck, I still hope to see him do more movies like the incredible Phenomenon of a few years back. Enjoy!
Movie Review: The police can be sloppy at times
Summary: 4 Stars
A simple film, a thriller indeed. It works because the simple violence and menace is wrapped up in a complex and yet simple story about a divorced mother, the custody of a child, the remarrying of the mother and the brilliant newcomer who was accepted at once without any inquiry about who he was in this small community. The conflict between the father and the stepfather with the son in between seems natural and it even makes the police be sloppy about what it is supposed to do. There is of course no real suspense since we know who the criminal is and what the end is going to be. The punch line is directed at the police. The chief of police of this small community is just sorry though he voluntarily neglected simple facts and evidence. Amazing how in our modern societies you just need to say you are sorry to be excused even of your worst negligence and incompetence. That's the new version of the Peter's Principle. When you have reached your level of incompetence just say you're sorry and everything will be just okay and go smooth and you will not be considered as responsible for the few dead people along the road. Who cares about them as long as the social order is not disturbed or menaced.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines
Movie Review: Great movie!
Summary: 4 Stars
I thought this movie was very good. The acting talent of John Travolta really shined through in this film and it is good to see him in an emotional role for he does it so well. You just do not see enough of it. I also thought Vince Vaughan was fabulous. The looks in his eyes were cold and mean and he did such a good job of making you hate him. Matthew O'Leary did a good job, too especially since I do not recall having seen him in any other movies before. This movie is basically about a divorced couple that have a son that is always trying to bring the two back together by lieing and getting attention through school and what-not. Well, his mother marries Vince Vaughan and he turns out to be someone cold that is hiding an awful past, pretending to be someone he's not. Then, rather unexpectedly, one of his partners from his past appears and makes his life not-so-Brady-Bunch-like. The bond between the characters John Travolta and Matthew O'Leary portray is wonderful. Through the suspense and emotional distress, I think that is what impressed me the most. Father and son, completely bonded and understanding of one another. It was great. AND they even clicked on screen. I highly recommend this movie, the acting is great and the suspense is good.