MovieChat Forums > Go (1999) Discussion > 7.3? Really?

7.3? Really?

posted 16 years ago by arise_chicken
43 replies | jump to latest

I don't post on here very often, but I just saw Go, and was so shocked by it's rating that I felt compelled to say something.

So, what is it that people enjoy about this movie? The all-around bad acting? The ridiculous writing? The completely unbelievable and under-developed characters and the totally unrealistic choices they make? Or is it the general silliness of the overall plot?

I only decided to watch this movie because I thought Sarah Polley was amazing in The Secret Life of Words - however, she played basically the same kind of character in Go, so maybe she's just one-note. The rest of the cast was just awful. I had no sympathy or empathy for any of the characters, as they were all two-dimensional caricatures with no hint of back-story given, and no reason to care what happens to them. And, with the exception of one or two people, the acting was pretty awful. Simon was an odd example of this - the actor really is British, so why did his accent sound like a mish-mashed parody of all English accents? Plus, he's an utterly crap actor.

The part I disliked the most was the entire "Simon" vignette. First of all, all four of those guys are terrible actors, their characters are completely unrealistic and boring, and most of the action was completely unbelievable. I mean, stealing a car? Shooting a guy? Really? Besides all of that, what's with the strip club bouncer and his dad? What are they, mafiosos? I understand the concept of suspension of disbelief, but come on. This is too much.

I also have to mention the kids on the fake ecstasy; maybe if they had never done X and had no idea what to expect, then their minds could make some placebo effects occur... but if they had any experience whatsoever, they would know they had been ripped off. But that's a minor detail.

Speaking of drugs, the representation of drug culture in this movie is some the worst and most unrealistic I have ever seen. Having indulged a few times myself, the only thing I could respect was the visual blurriness/lagging and the sweating of the kid that ate two pills. That was fairly believable.

I'm not a complete movie snob. I do enjoy some light-hearted, brainless entertainment from time to time. But the fact that this movie was attempting to dress itself up as a serious drug/crime movie - albeit with a (supposedly) comedic slant - made me resent it.

To me, this movie seemed like a teenagers MTV-ized vision of the drug world he has never experienced first-hand.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] arise_chicken 16 years ago

Actually, I think Always Sunny is one of the best shows on tv right now, certainly one of my favorites. And I'm a huge fan of dark humor. But I didn't see Go as a dark comedy; just boring, unbelievable, and badly put together. If you want to see good black comedy, watch Dr. Strangelove.

[–] skiop 15 years ago

I'm actually a bit scared to watch Dr. Strangelove, a movie made by the same director and in the same decade as 2001: A Space Odyssey, without a doubt the most boring movie ever made.

[–] fst5000 15 years ago

haha, i love 2001! although i love the book even more. its really great to see the different tastes of people on imdb :D

btt: i didnt like go that much neither, but all in all i gave it a 6/10.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] HumanFundRecipient 16 years ago

I didn't see GO very serious at all when I first time I saw it. I mean, having to go back to the theater where I saw it to retrieve my keys because I laughed so hard...

A lot of the movies from the spring of 99 (ten years ago!) weren't worth seeing. GO was one I saw a second time.

No, I do not include The Matrix.

I'm open! There's just nothing in there!

[–] thejuggernautlives 16 years ago

"It's called a dark comedy. And you're not supposed to have sympathy or emphathy for the characters, they were all selfish or borderline sociopaths."

Very good point. I am always stunned at how often a lot of people aren't able to understand that some movies are meant to be made this way. I think that dark comedy is one genre that simply eludes most people by definition. It seems to be in it's nature to not be understood. Anyway, I gave it an 8. Solid acting, clever writing. My only real issue was the pointlessness of the Fichtner story.

"No, I do not include The Matrix."

You don't include it as one that was bad and not worth seeing? Or the other way?

[–] HumanFundRecipient 16 years ago

I did see The Matrix in 99, and while it wasn't a great movie, you couldn't walk out of that without saying WOW! over the special effects. I had in mind Never Been Kissed, 10 Things I Hate About You, The Mummy, and some big-budget space movie.

I'm open! There's just nothing in there!

[–] menacingways 16 years ago

go is a fun movie, i saw it for the first time in 01. i thought it was such an enjoyable movie, it had likable characters, not to be taken seriously, good dialogue, good music. a lot of people say it's fake and contrived...but it really isn't, that's how it was in the 90's the drugs were running extremely rampant like freight trains, especially the XTC. when it came out in 99 i was a sophmore in high school, there are really people like that in the drug culture that i knew who were very much like the sociopathic *beep*-up characters in "go". it's a wonderful film and one of the best that came out in 99 along with fight club, the matrix, and lock stock and two smoking barrels, american beauty, and south park bigger, longer, and uncut. there are memories to be cherished with such good cinema.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] karyandrew 16 years ago

this movie really is a horrible caricature of drug culture.

stealing ferraris and shooting people!? police entrapment on a two or four hundred dollar deal orchestrated by a few ordinary loser kids!? it is VERY OBVIOUS whether or not ecstasy is real.

as far as the effects of ecstasy, the writers completely missed.

i found none of the characters or their dialog believable. this would all be OK if the movie didn't take itself and the main character so seriously.

P.S. think about the dealer's hairdo in its context.

[–] HumanFundRecipient 16 years ago

Funny, I thought this was a comedy, though it dealt with serious things. And which main character were you talking about? Because there were three different interconnecting stories.

I'm open! There's just nothing in there!

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] jenniferles1000 16 years ago

I gave it a 7 i liked it but i think it would have been better if it stuck to the original story and not gone to vegas etc it was an excellent first segment byt the other 2 got a little unbelievable and never got back on track. good movie though.

[–] soco-81 15 years ago

I have a blast when I watch it.

*****

[–] knowgostick 15 years ago

I don't think this movie takes itself seriously at all.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] mathmaniac 15 years ago

I just saw this movie and enjoyed it very much. It was a comedy. It kept my interest, surprised me, made me laugh (the cops selling Amway to the gay guys!) and there wasn't a false-sounding line of dialogue in the movie. I wasn't surprised at all to see it rated above 7. Most good movies are.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] RaptureRider 15 years ago

I like this movie purely because it's entertaining. It has an interesting storyline, great soundtrack, a superb cast, great style and direction and i love how it all intertwines together.

Just a really good movie.

WELL SINEAD O' REBELLION

[–] findanddestroyatlantis 15 years ago

It's a fun movie. Cool cast, funny dialouge even good production design. It's not high art, but it's an enjoyable movie. I gave it an 8.

[–] skiop 15 years ago

You got me. I mean, it's OK, but not one of the most entertaining movies I've ever seen and it only has one funny part: where the high guy thinks the cat is talking to him.

[–] Dangerousguy 15 years ago

This is a good movie. Come home from work, sit back, relax and start watching this movie....you would simply be amazed. It definitely deserves more.

I gave it a 7 after the first watch.
Made it 8 after the second.........watched it again and ended up with 9.

Wouldn't give a 10 though...'coz it is good but not a classic.