Movies

I thought this was a great movie. The script and the cast are very strong. I personally think a sign of a good movie is that it takes me somewhere I've never been, shows me characters I've never seen before, in situations I don't ever expect to be in, and lets me totally understand what they are experiencing. Regarding the comment from RitchCS in Ft. Lauderdale that the film is only showing on the Sundance Channel, it is playing this week in Chicago at Facets Multimedia so it may in other "art house" theaters around the country. Catch it if you can!

"The Slaughter Rule" is an interesting, moving study of male relationships, with the movie portraying how the limits of male bonding are tested through past and natural emotion. Ryan Gosling is deep and effective as a teenage jock who's life has seen it's rocky roads, and then he meets a quiet, mystifying older man who wants to recruit him for a six man football team. What Gosling doesn't know is about the Man's past, which turns out to test their growing relationship. It's an often slow but alluring tale, absorbing you in to the story of characters that are both familiar and alien, and ending up with an odd but truthful ending that pulls out all the raw, closeted emotions that the two men have for each other, and it's home-movie-style video shoot and beautiful country scenery brings it to life.

Here's what's good about "The Slaughter Rule:"--Ryan Gosling, Clea Duvall, and David Morse all give great performances. Gosling is, as always, pretty darn outstanding. The locales are often breathtaking.Here's what's bad about "The Slaughter Rule:"--Everything else. The script is horribly muddled. And while I can certainly appreciate a non-"feel good" movie, this movie is just boring. Great performances can't make-up for a movie with a stupid premise and a script that is filled with throw-away lines that often don't even make it sense. Just getting through the first hour became a chore.I stuck with it because of Gosling, but eventually I did myself a favor and changed the channel. Spoilers on here relayed the ending to me. I didn't miss much. Do yourself a favor--if you want a good Gosling flick, check out "The Believer."My score: 2 out of 10.