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Category:    Home > Reviews > Comedy > Drama > Marriage > Relationships > Exploitation > Brief Interviews With Hideous Men (2009/IFC Films/MPI DVD)

Brief Interviews With Hideous Men (2009/IFC Films/MPI DVD)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: B-     Extras: C     Film: C

 

 

When films try to take on the topic of relationships, so much can go wrong, especially if you don’t know where to end the comedy and begin the serious self-reflection.  Actor John Krasinski decided to write and direct Brief Interviews With Hideous Men (2009, from David Foster Wallace’s writings) and it is amazing how much of an anti-male film this male made.

 

Each interview subject spews a different complete stereotype of men’s negative attitudes towards life and women, then does zero to examine any of them, even with a good cast that includes Timothy Hutton, Chris Messina, Max Minghella, Dominic Cooper, Bobby Cannavale, Christopher Meloni, Josh Charles and Frankie Faison.  Then the dialogue has the dual problems of sounding too much like it is written and everyone (especially when some kind of brilliant revelation that is not is revealed) talking at and not too each other.  This leaves the women trivialized, which only compounds the many problems here.

 

Krasinski thought maybe he was doing Glengarry Glen Ross, but that is not a style that works at all with this material, but there is still some talent involved and ambition to the project.  Too bad it fails.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image is shocking originated in real anamorphic 35mm Panavision, but this is still a soft presentation and color can also be limited more than it should.  The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix has some surround activity including the music score, but this is still more dialogue-based as you would expect from the title.  Extras include a TV Spot, Trailer, Behind The Scenes piece and interview with Krasinski.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo


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