Changeling was Kind of Lame.

As a part time bartender, I spend a lot of time talking about new movies with my regulars, and Changeling was a movie that was being mentioned frequently. After a couple people had said that they liked it, I toyed with the idea of going to see the movie myself, (it takes a lot for me to go to the theatre because they are always so cold) but made my decision when my mother, who sees about one movie every two years, said that she would like to see it too.

We went to a matinee and sat amongst the elderly folk. I have a tendency to gage whether or not I'll like a film according to the type of people in the audience, and evidence has shown that I have similar tastes to those of the average seventy-two year old, so the prospects looked good. The quality of the previews that precede the film also often determines how I will enjoy a movie. For instance, if the previews are highlighting the latest Vin Diesel movie (or Beverley Hills Chihuahua) I can reasonably surmise that I've wasted nine dollars. The previews, however, looked good. (Particularly, the preview for Earth, a film coming out in the spring.)

Now comfortable and brimming with high expectations, I sat back and watched the film. It started out okay, but there were a couple of things I couldn't get past. First of all, Angelina's wig was so terrible it was distracting, I just wanted to rip it off her head. Couldn't she have bobbed her hair for the movie? Actors make far greater "physical sacrifices" these days than cutting their hair and there's no excuse for a bad wig in a big budget film. Second, I just can't imagine a modest, single-mother running around during the day (in the late twenties no less) with the bright red lipstick and distracting eye makeup they painted her face in. Angelina's character had a job at the telephone company but she wasn't a "working girl."

Many of the people I had spoken to about the movie had said, "When you're watching the movie just remember that it's a TRUE story. It makes it all the more powerful." Well, the film DID get pretty intense at times, but for the most part I was continually struck by the cheesiness of the dialogue. I found myself predicting much of it-it was that cliche. And there were a few instances in which characters would make lame assertions, or obvious statements, while speaking to themselves. Obviously, writers employ this tactic in order to allow the audience a glimpse of the character's state of mind, but these weren't glimpses into the state of mind, they were just glib one-liners.

My final criticism is that the film was just too long. There were several instances in which I felt the movie could and should end, yet it kept on going, perpetually teasing the audience. Will the son return? Will he return now? Will he ....? Oh, screw it.