The most frustrating thing about "Mockingbird" is how good the first twenty minutes are.
Three video cameras, all in identical bright red boxes with big white bows, are delivered to three different homes. The people who get them, a young woman starting college, a married couple, and a twenty-something loser with a can-do attitude, all assume they've won a contest. There's really no evidence to support this, but honestly, who wouldn't find a way to rationalize keeping an expensive gift left on their doorstep? Each camera also comes with a set of cryptic cards that instruct the recipients to "Keep Filming".
So far, so good. Writer/Director Bryan Bertino does an excellent job of showing us, in a very short time, who these people are and how they live. The dialog is natural and believable and the acting is first rate. We get to know these four people and begin to care what happens to them. Up to this point, it looks like Bertino has found an inventive way to put a fresh spin on the tired found-footage horror movie genre.
Then the plot kicks in and everything goes to hell. Warning: spoilers ahead.
It turns out the cameras can't be turned off. Phone calls start and additional presents arrive. More cryptic cards show up. Phone lines are cut, lights go out, threats are made and pets are killed. And along the way, the characters we've come to like become incredibly stupid.
Of course, you have to expect people in suspense movies to do dumb things. After all, if they didn't there would be no suspense. But the folks in "Mockingbird" don't just do dumb things, they become completely incompetent. For example, the husband character has a gun. As the terrorizing starts, he gets it out of a lock box and loads it. Good man; now he's armed. A moment later, someone begins pounding on his front door. Does he shoot blindly through the door, hoping to kill or wound whoever's on the other side? That would be rash, but not totally uncalled for. Does he shout, "Hey, I've got a gun, back the hell off!"? That would make sense. But no. Apparently forgetting he's got a gun in his hand, the husband stares horrified at the door for a second or two before turning and running away.
And so goes the next forty minutes. In fact, things get so ridiculous so fast that you stop paying attention to what's happening and start wondering about incidental details. Exactly how many people are involved in all this? Where did they get all their props? And who got stuck with the job of inflating all those balloons.
Speaking of balloons, there is one character who stays interesting from beginning to end. It's the loser with the can-do attitude. He has a very funny running monologue that almost (almost ) saves the movie. What he does and what happens to him would have made a great story in itself.
Especially since, by the end of "Mockingbird", you couldn't care less about anyone else.
Three video cameras, all in identical bright red boxes with big white bows, are delivered to three different homes. The people who get them, a young woman starting college, a married couple, and a twenty-something loser with a can-do attitude, all assume they've won a contest. There's really no evidence to support this, but honestly, who wouldn't find a way to rationalize keeping an expensive gift left on their doorstep? Each camera also comes with a set of cryptic cards that instruct the recipients to "Keep Filming".
So far, so good. Writer/Director Bryan Bertino does an excellent job of showing us, in a very short time, who these people are and how they live. The dialog is natural and believable and the acting is first rate. We get to know these four people and begin to care what happens to them. Up to this point, it looks like Bertino has found an inventive way to put a fresh spin on the tired found-footage horror movie genre.
Then the plot kicks in and everything goes to hell. Warning: spoilers ahead.
It turns out the cameras can't be turned off. Phone calls start and additional presents arrive. More cryptic cards show up. Phone lines are cut, lights go out, threats are made and pets are killed. And along the way, the characters we've come to like become incredibly stupid.
Of course, you have to expect people in suspense movies to do dumb things. After all, if they didn't there would be no suspense. But the folks in "Mockingbird" don't just do dumb things, they become completely incompetent. For example, the husband character has a gun. As the terrorizing starts, he gets it out of a lock box and loads it. Good man; now he's armed. A moment later, someone begins pounding on his front door. Does he shoot blindly through the door, hoping to kill or wound whoever's on the other side? That would be rash, but not totally uncalled for. Does he shout, "Hey, I've got a gun, back the hell off!"? That would make sense. But no. Apparently forgetting he's got a gun in his hand, the husband stares horrified at the door for a second or two before turning and running away.
And so goes the next forty minutes. In fact, things get so ridiculous so fast that you stop paying attention to what's happening and start wondering about incidental details. Exactly how many people are involved in all this? Where did they get all their props? And who got stuck with the job of inflating all those balloons.
Speaking of balloons, there is one character who stays interesting from beginning to end. It's the loser with the can-do attitude. He has a very funny running monologue that almost (almost ) saves the movie. What he does and what happens to him would have made a great story in itself.
Especially since, by the end of "Mockingbird", you couldn't care less about anyone else.