This film screened at the Wisconsin Film Festival in Madison, and I was among the unfortunate victims who had to endure it.
Let me start with the few positives.
1) Katherine Heigl. She did a great job with what was an awful script.
2) The subject matter was timely; however, is this new to us? Does the average American not know that pharmaceutical monsters are the bad guys? Ever hear of a little film called "The Fugitive"? Now for the negatives...
1) The editing. Wow. Seriously? I have never in my life even noticed editing, but I couldn't stop being drawn to how horrific it was. At one point I laughed out loud (not because the film was funny, trust me) at the ridiculousness of the boardroom scene. There was a woman that they kept cutting to, standing in...where? the back? really? where was she? Another scene had such rapid-fire cuts that I got a little dizzy. There's no way to fully describe how pisspoor the editing was. This should be a lesson to filmmakers everywhere to never let your producer be your editor.
2) The cinematography. Wow. Seriously? This hurts to even have to think back upon. Amateur lighting and camera-work...and I am being kind. I have seen bad films..I have seen some really really bad films, but along with the editing, I have never really noticed technical things like lighting until I saw how bad it can be. It actually made me embarrassed for Katherine Heigl.
3) The audio. Wow. Seriously? Granted, I will give the filmmaker a slight break here since she apologized for the audio after the film (note: I didn't get an apology for the editing or cinematography), but wouldn't you have all of that in order BEFORE you screen it? Yeesh.
4) The actors. Aside from Ms. Heigl, the cast blew. No handle on character, no believable relationships. There was no chemistry whatsoever between Heigl and the leading guy. His performance was very flat..I wondered what she saw in him in the first place.
5) Story line. What was the deal with her father? Did that have some relevance? And the roommate...what was that all about? These sub-plots were missing the "plot" part. Way more sub than plot. The basics of the story were fine, although I wondered why Heigl can't have that job and have a boyfriend? huh.
6) Production Design. It seemed like a lot of the film was shot with a 'this is good enough' attitude with no attention to details. The walls were blank and bare. I sure hope I'm wrong, but...was there a ceiling missing in one of the office shots? This film made me angry that I wasted precious hours of my life. The production value was so poor that at times I couldn't even concentrate on the story. As a first-time filmmaker, Slattery-Moschkau should feel ripped off by her d.p. and production staff. If this film gets distribution, it will give hope to plenty of 10-year old children in America. My 9-year-old daughter could make a better film.
Let me start with the few positives.
1) Katherine Heigl. She did a great job with what was an awful script.
2) The subject matter was timely; however, is this new to us? Does the average American not know that pharmaceutical monsters are the bad guys? Ever hear of a little film called "The Fugitive"? Now for the negatives...
1) The editing. Wow. Seriously? I have never in my life even noticed editing, but I couldn't stop being drawn to how horrific it was. At one point I laughed out loud (not because the film was funny, trust me) at the ridiculousness of the boardroom scene. There was a woman that they kept cutting to, standing in...where? the back? really? where was she? Another scene had such rapid-fire cuts that I got a little dizzy. There's no way to fully describe how pisspoor the editing was. This should be a lesson to filmmakers everywhere to never let your producer be your editor.
2) The cinematography. Wow. Seriously? This hurts to even have to think back upon. Amateur lighting and camera-work...and I am being kind. I have seen bad films..I have seen some really really bad films, but along with the editing, I have never really noticed technical things like lighting until I saw how bad it can be. It actually made me embarrassed for Katherine Heigl.
3) The audio. Wow. Seriously? Granted, I will give the filmmaker a slight break here since she apologized for the audio after the film (note: I didn't get an apology for the editing or cinematography), but wouldn't you have all of that in order BEFORE you screen it? Yeesh.
4) The actors. Aside from Ms. Heigl, the cast blew. No handle on character, no believable relationships. There was no chemistry whatsoever between Heigl and the leading guy. His performance was very flat..I wondered what she saw in him in the first place.
5) Story line. What was the deal with her father? Did that have some relevance? And the roommate...what was that all about? These sub-plots were missing the "plot" part. Way more sub than plot. The basics of the story were fine, although I wondered why Heigl can't have that job and have a boyfriend? huh.
6) Production Design. It seemed like a lot of the film was shot with a 'this is good enough' attitude with no attention to details. The walls were blank and bare. I sure hope I'm wrong, but...was there a ceiling missing in one of the office shots? This film made me angry that I wasted precious hours of my life. The production value was so poor that at times I couldn't even concentrate on the story. As a first-time filmmaker, Slattery-Moschkau should feel ripped off by her d.p. and production staff. If this film gets distribution, it will give hope to plenty of 10-year old children in America. My 9-year-old daughter could make a better film.