TIFF Movie Review: Passion Play (2010)
It's only bad because it is so dumb
The cast includes Mickey Rourke, Megan Fox, Rhys Ifans, Bill Murray and Kelly Lynch. For more information on this film including pictures, trailers and a detailed synopsis choose from the following menu.
Review
"Passion Play" is a Image Entertainment release, directed by Mitch Glazer and is rated R for language, some sexuality/nudity, violence and brief drug use. The running time is 1 hour 31 minutes.
Written and directed by Mitch Glazer (The Recruit screenwriter) in his directorial debut, the film centers on Nate Poole (Mickey Rourke) a trumpet player that survives a desert execution when a group of ninjas (or were they cowboys dressed in jujitsu garb?) take out his captor. From here he stumbles across a carnival where he discovers Lily (Megan Fox), the carnival's resident Bird Woman. The catch here is she really does have wings. To be honest, how that's a catch I'm not so sure, but Nate falls almost instantly in love with Lily and vice versa. He then coerces her to leave with him, much to the chagrin of her employer (Rhys Ifans).
While on the road Nate gets the idea to manage Lily and make the big bucks. He also figures he'll cut in local gangster Happy Shannon (Bill Murray) considering he's the one that tried to have him killed after Nate slept with his wife. From there things go bad and play out in a maniacal kind of way, but the film is not at all as fun as its description.
As far as the performances go they're all just fine. Adequate is probably the best description, but certainly nothing you'll be writing home about. But the problem here isn't the acting, it's the stupid and pointless story.
Loaded with downright stupid situations and terrible green screen work, there is nothing entertaining about this film, although I did get a good laugh at a trigger happy Bill Murray whose Happy isn't one to mince words.
Passion Play is described as having the "fantasy of a fairy tale," but all I saw was a 90 minute mess. The number of walkouts during my screening were too many to count and while I didn't hate the film I was still anticipating the minute I could leave.
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The casting news article said you had a scheduling conflict. What changed?
This sounds like an absolute trainwreck…which means I kinda have to watch it now. So there are ninjas, a barely adequate Megan Fox, a probably sleep-induced performance by Rourke and Bill Murray's in it?
Sign me up!
I'm not disappointed in the Megan Fox, Mickey Rourke, the studio or even the writer/director, just Bill Murray.
Come on Bill.
Is this going straight to dvd or what??
Is it wrong that this review made me want to see the film?
No… in fact it made me want to see the movie more as well… Mainly for the curiosity factor…
Too bad, I though it could be good. But now I still want to see it actually. XD
So, wait for it, wait for it, and, that's 15 minutes of fame come and gone, good bye Megan Fox! Bye, it looked promising at the start, but oh well, that's life, bye, don't let the door knob hit you on the way out!
Megan Fox is said to be 'adequate'. She isn't done yet.
why would you say that. she did what she was asked to do .her performance was great and she looks great. bad scripts and editing are not her fault.even mickey and bill recieved so,so reviews. they were the stars and her. why do you single her out for a bad film.jonah nex,josh brolin star,but she ruined film? jennefers body,megan star ,grossed above budget. almost 40 mil for a 14 mil film. so where did she fail?body had a r rating so many could not get in to see it.just havent found right part yet for her. actualy gonna be hard, because of her beauty.
Firstly, Jennifer's Body pulled in 31 million, not nearly 40 million, and it had 16 million budget. That's a box-office flop.
Secondly, why would I say that? Cause I don't like Megan Fox, that's why. She is a bad actor who appears in bad films, her only "redeeming" quality being her good looks, however considering there are a hundred actors who are good looking AND good actors out there, I consider it a safe bet to say nobody will suffer is she finally leaves Hollywood.
Maybe she wont go away, but the way things are going she appears to be nothing more than a fad actor who's 15 minutes have passed, what with her recent series of bad films that flopped, and getting herself being fired from Transformers. We can only hope at least.
Funny thing is, Hollywood is a fickle thing.
Someone can be on a downward turn for a while and then it all turns around and vice versa. They don't even have to have talent for it happen.
Will Fox vanish, or is she just going through a rough patch?
Time will tell.
Brad; what movie have you experienced the most walkouts?
DEAR GOD what does Megan have to do for some effing respect, huh? You people are ALWAYS dissing her, get a life!
If you're still pissed at her for the Michael Bay thing, WHO CARES? That old goat deserved it! He RUINED her reputation and now no one gives her a chance!
I don't think they are dissing Megan Fox for the "Michael Bay thing". I think they have no "effing respect" for her because she simply can't act.
the director and crew say she is heaven to work with,unlike some who say shes a bitch. brolin,roarke,malkovich and murry,and glazer,lynch,said she did great.in hex and play. because the scripts were bad is no fault of hers.shes doing what shes told, and from what i hear,very well. listen to the interviews, all pro fox. so she needs more aging, so did angie and most of the rest. a role will come her way and be suited for her beauty and age. damn shes only 24. angie still makes bombs but nobody says anything about that. give her some time,and she will do great. its hard to find a film to fit her beauty, and age. cant play a mom of 3,nor a kid. tough battle. by the way are aniston and hiegle trying to see who can make the most bad movies in a year….wtf every other week a film with either one of them
That's not what even this very review says, is it? You can argue she's not very good or whatever, but to say she "simply can't act" has become just a stupid hyperbole since Jennifer's Body and Passion Play. The real reason for the disproportionate amount of criticism is bias and closed-mindedness.