kassaar Review of Don't Come Knocking

Don't Come Knocking (2005)

mediocre and forgettable in spite of the talent pooled

[5/10 · 29 October 2005]

Main story premise is never developed in an interesting way. Main character Howard's motivation to leave B-movie and see his mother all of a sudden remains a mystery throughout the picture, as does virtually all of his behavior. This quickly becomes tedious to watch. The search for him by Mr Sutter never gives the story any tension, does not engage the audience, and only serves to give the picture an ending. The Sutter character is not fleshed out and his comic moments (as when ordering in the diner) fall flat and seem out of place. Dialogue overall is tepid, never sparkles, not a single line can be remembered. Two speeches stand out a little: Doreen's (finally) giving Howard the lowdown on his behavior and Sky's speech at the very end, but it is all too little. Ending (Howard back to his B-picture and his kids happily singing in his car) suggests some sort of resolution but does not fit to what went before at all and consequently feels tacked on. Wender's love for Americana results in some beautiful shots of scenery but this has been done before and after all this is not a documentary. Best performance is by Lange, weakest by Mann, but he is given the most common-place dialog and behavior of all characters. I pity in particular the actress who played Earl's girlfriend: she was given such a cliché character (air-headed groupie) and yet she makes the best of it and is the only one to exude any warmth. This film really disappointed me in light of all the talent involved.