Tanya’s Verdict: Sh**-and-a-half*
Rated: PG-13
Starring: a pretty man
Plot: Two brothers (Richard Gere; Steve Coogan) and their wives (Rebecca Hall; Laura Linney) meet for an upscale dinner in order to discuss how to handle a crime their respective sons committed.
Tanya’s Verdict: The book this movie is based on is great. This may not be immediately apparent from the movie – but trust me – it’s true. The story within the book is tense and catchy and unfolds at the perfect pace. Not so with the movie.
The story within the movie is slow – way too slow. Annoyingly slow. It’s convoluted and difficult to piece together. While the flashbacks within the book add a richness of detail to the characters as well as the plot – within the movie the flashbacks are another confusing element to add to the hodgepodge happening on screen.
Plus, to make matters worse – the music is jarring and distracting, the acting is stilted (which surprised me because the cast is good) and the plot is disjointed.
Skip the movie but definitely read the book.
*Four score descriptions: Sh**; Okay; Good; Great