MovieChat Forums > The Contract (2007) Discussion > I have to be honest . . .

I have to be honest . . .

posted 17 years ago by runforthesun
15 replies | jump to latest

I'm just not 100% sure where all the bitterness comes from on these boards toward this movie.

Just as some background, I love an intelligent, well-made movie with crisp, excellent dialogue. I lean toward classic movies, like Ride The High Country, The Quiet Man, The Godfather, The Third Man, The Searchers - movies like that. I deeply appreciate movies that entertain me and engage my mind. I'm very much looking forward to seeing Michael Clayton.

But - I also enjoy a movie like this one where you can kick back, shut off the brain for a little while, and just have a good time. When I watched it, it had been a long day, and I felt like putting my brain on test pattern for a bit and letting a movie take me for a goofy, fun ride, and you know what? This movie did the trick.

So, the bottom line is, everyone is entitled to their tastes and opinion, and definitely every movie isn't gonna entertain every person, but a part of me feels a little bit bad for someone who not only can't just sit back and enjoy a bit of mindless entertainment like this, but who feels as though they've been betrayed by the movie gods for having gone along for the ride. I understand that some of the dialogue wasn't golden and some of the actions by the characters didn't make sense. I really just didn't care, it was fun anyway. I appreciated this one for what it was. My heart goes out to the people who feel like flinging themselves off a cliff because they watched it. I had good time with it, and that's what movies are for.

[–] billycan 17 years ago

Well said!!

[–] xSinistradx 17 years ago

Not everyone wants to switch their brain off and put on a test pattern. Some of us actually miss the braincells lost, and feel that complaining about what killed them is an adequate send-off.

Adios, braincells. I shall miss thee!

[–] runforthesun 17 years ago

A valid valid point, xSinistradx.

Your perspective on this definitely has merit.

As for me, though, I still maintain that complaining about "braincells lost" from taking in a movie like this is somewhat akin to complaining that going into a carnival funhouse didn't provide the intellectual stimulation you were hoping for.

[–] xSinistradx 17 years ago

A very valid, valid point, runforthesun.

However I believe this all comes down to expectations. A Carnival Funhouse is not a place I would expect to find intellectual stimulation. Therefore, while waiting in line, holding my sweetie's hand and munching on cotton candy, I'm telling my brain to come back in 20 minutes 'cause I'm about to have brainless, giddy fun.

However, when I rent an "intellectual thriller" with Morgan Freeman and John Cusack, I have higher expectations, and find myself in the company of my brain who's looking at me with stern disapproval as I try to clumsily explain how a vertical jolt in a helicopter would cause a sniper to laterally hit a secondary target right in the middle of their chest. My brain then puts a hand on my shoulder, closes it's eyes and calls me a four letter word.

[–] runforthesun 17 years ago

Now, see - this is where we can respectfully disagree, and see where the other person is coming from.

I can well understand you being disappointed, thinking that something with Freeman and Cusack would be above par. My eyebrow arched a bit when I saw them on the dvd box in the rental store, because my gut reaction was, I never heard of this movie before, it didn't get anything resembling wide release in the theaters, therefore, it can't be another "Day of the Jackal." I kind of thought it had to be a little dumb to begin with. So I went in with automatically lowered expectations. BUT - I'm not putting you down, I can well see where these guys may have lead you to believe you were getting something of a higher caliber than you wound up getting.

But I gotta be frank - personally, I just plain ol' don't expect too much from the movies these days. The movies have kinda yanked me once too many times expectation-wise, so I'm mostly going in to ANY movie for a little mindless fun. I seem to be taking somewhat of a hit for my "turn the brain off" comment, but ca mahnnnnnnnnnnn, you guys know what I meant.

[–] leka9 17 years ago

I don't know about the others but I can only say where MY bitterness comes from:

When you put together actors like Morgan Freeman and John Cusack (personally, a big fan of both) and a solid director like Bruce Beresford, you better deliver because people (read: I) will have high expectations!

I would absolutely agree with you if this was some made-for-TV movie with Luis Gosset Jr. and Billy Zane that you watch on some Friday night that something made you spend in front of TV. But it wasn't, and everyone has a right to say how badly this movie sucked. It has a 5.9 rating which I think is too freaking much so I gave it 1 in hope to lower it.

You had a good time watching it even though you have a good taste in movies - good for you, you must be special.

------------------------------------------
You'd have to be crazy to take them Crazy Pills!

[–] runforthesun 17 years ago

I am special, sort of.

[–] dustinthewind25 17 years ago

Well, I hope this has been a valuable life lesson for you, leka9.

Sometimes your movie friends Cusack, Freeman, and Beresford can let you down.

You had a sucky time watching it even though you had high expectations.

Aw, too bad for you, you're still probably special though.

[–] mylundon 17 years ago

Some people, me included, never like to shut my brain off.
I also feel most people's brain's are shut off most of the time.
I can't abide by the principle of shutting my brain off. I found the statement disturbing.

Action is the enemy of thought

[–] thetallcool1 17 years ago

It's called SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF. It's kind of like watching "Sahara" or "National Treasure" or "The Astronaut Farmer". You don't have to shut your brain off, just know going into it that there will be virtually nothing in this movie that is believable. NOTHING. And don't forget that, above all else, IT IS JUST A MOVIE. Enjoy it for what it is, and nothing more. No grand statements, no political metaphors, just escapist entertainment. Sure, it may not be as good as "Driving Miss Daisy", or "Identity", but really, what is? And what was believable about "Identity"? Not a lot, but it was still an awesome flick. Let it go, if you didn't like it, don't like it. If the actors and director disappointed you because you expected more from them, so be it. Every actor and director has to do a bad film every now and then, it makes their mediocre films look that much better in comparison. How else do you think we ended up with "Ishtar", "Ghost Rider", etc.? If you really want to watch bad movies and gripe about them, watch everything that Uwe Boll has done. Every single one of his movies is unwatchably bad, the kind of bad that makes you want to hit him in the nose with a rolled up newspaper, and rub his face in it; "bad director! Bad movie! Look at what you did! BAD!" Always know going into it, that it will be bad, and you will never again be disappointed by his films.

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here, this is the War Room!"

[–] mylundon 17 years ago

I of course go with suspension of disbelief.
I did that with the die hard trilogy.
But now with a film like Live Free of Die Hard, the suspension of disbelief has stretched into suspension of logic.
thats the problem.

Action is the enemy of thought

[–] thetallcool1 17 years ago

Yeah, ya know, I never watched "Live Free Or Die Hard", just because it looked like it was a total waste of time, I figured I'd let someone else blow their money on it, and let me know about it later. And, they all said it was stupid, and that they felt dumber after having watched it. That one fits in with the Uwe Boll movies, and I say that without ever having watched it. The first "Die Hard", great, the second, passable, the third, baaaaaad, and the fourth, who really wanted a fourth one anyway? Besides Bruce Willis? Anyone at all?

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here, this is the War Room!"

[–] anuk78 17 years ago

I think people look into movies toooooo much. I hate people who cant enjoy a movie. I personally thought it was a great movie.

"Out.For.A.Walk...Bitch."~Spike

[–] katiep76 17 years ago

Don't get me wrong- I love a good no brainer/suspension disbelieve/popcorn movie! Witness my collection including Die Hard, Spidermans, Highlander and, of course, Con Air. Like these, this movie has a good initial story, fanastic actors and a well respected action director. Yet what brings it down is it's awful production values and a truly terrible script!! Better movies have been made on half the money thrown at this one! Being a huge Cusack fan, I know this from the likes of Max and Grosse Point Blank! Those are GREAT movies made on small budgets! Remember- no cash has to = sharp script/best filming you can manage. And if you have to have night scenes, DO THEM AT NIGHT!!!!!!!

[–] rxr06 12 years ago

I'm a big fan of Morgan Freeman.
Like always, he can, all by himself, save a bad movie.
Only this movie doesn't want to be saved! All the time I had a "déja vu" sensation. Like a SOAP opera; you watch one and you know all the others.
I watch the entire movie because I hate not to finsh what I started. But it was hard. Real hard to resist.