| ONE |
 1998
-
USA
Director:
Tony Barbieri - Reviewed by Linda
Jason Cairns, who looks like a 20-something Christopher Walken) is an ex-con. He has just gotten out of prison (after doing time for an alluded-to mercy killing of his grandfather), so to get on his feet, his moves in with his best friend from high school, Nick (Kane Picoy). Nick is a washed-up former minor league baseball player who blew his chance at greatness by having a temper on field. Now he works for the city as a garbage man, while living in his parents' basement. Nick is bitter about his situation, but too apathetic to do anything about it. He is all talk and no action. Charlie comes along, having hit rock bottom, and quietly starts to build a new life. He takes part-time work hauling garbage with Nick, but signs up for classes at the local junior college. He starts to date a nice social worker whom he served his community hours with, and he eventually gets his own place. Nick gets angrily defensive, as he sees his friend accomplishing exactly what he says he would, but he himself is in such a rut, that even his family has basically given up on him. In the meantime, there is a very little-developed background threat that some of Charlie's ex-prison cohorts are looking for him. The friendship is well-played, with the casualness and unspoken communication between two people that have grown up together. Particularly realistic (in a squirmy way) are the scenes of Nick's father harassing him about pulling his life together, trying to get him to swallow his pride and start back in baseball on a farm team. Haven't we all heard a parent verbally kicking our ass in this way, where we can only mumble in response? But, the pace is so casual, and the people so... normal... that I felt I would be just as entertained by watching a couple of bored guy-friends hang out and mumble at each other for two hours. A dramatic payoff at the end of One came too late for me to make it a worthwhile way to spend my time. |
|
Agree? Disagree? Go to the Forum! | Back to Current Releases |
|
Home
| Currently Playing | For
Rent | Video Obsession ©2000 Moviepie e-mail us |
One
is an extremely well-acted film, I'll give it that. Plus, the dialogue is
completely believable and natural, especially the scenes between a parent and
his adult son. The cinematography is even noticeably good. I mean, there is
really not anything wrong with this film... except that nothing really
happens.