Girl Walks Into a Bar (2011) User Reviews

Sometimes works, sometimes doesn't

[horrorshowmovie · 6/10 · 3 June 2011]

"Girl Walks Into a Bar" is made up of a bunch of connected scenes, each taking place in a different bar. These scenes are heavily dialog-driven (sometimes with internal dialog). Some of them work, some don't.

Most of the dialog is clever, well-written, and delivered by good actors. It's unrealistic and fast paced, with no time between a line and the response to that line. This is good entertainment, but if you get bored by dialog you'll get bored fast--there's no action here.

There's a sense throughout the movie that you're watching a long, fast paced joke. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but you start to wonder when the punchline is going to show up, which can be distracting.

Good movie overall, there's a lot of talent involved.

Walks into the bar with intrigue but then forgets the purpose

[napierslogs · 6/10 · 1 September 2012]

"Girl Walks Into a Bar" is, at once, both better and worse than it was marketed as: A witty comedy with a cast of strangers in inter-locking stories. It's the inter-locking stories part that gets disconcerting. That generally means we get too many loosely-related stories with too many characters that we barely get to know with meaningless plot lines that don't go anywhere. This movie isn't that, it's mostly better.

There are only two story lines, born from each other, with arguably two or three main characters. And the beginning totally gets us invested in them. Nick (Zachary Quinto) is sitting nervously at a bar and doesn't want anyone to join him because he's waiting for someone. Francine (Carla Gugino) is that someone; he just doesn't know that. Minutes later we suddenly have no one left to sympathize with when it is revealed that Nick is about to commit an unforgivable crime and Francine gives no concern to the lies she just said.

Henry (Aaron Tveit) walks into a bar and steals our attention back. He flirts with Francine and just for the fun of it, and steals her wallet. Our two story lines involve Nick on his mission of crime and the law enforcement on his tail while Francine is on the tail of Henry. Their night of adventure involves checking into a number of bars each with another person to meet. The cast list is quite the collection of talented, mostly recognizable names, but they have nothing to do. Sometimes they say things that are supposed to be clever but are not.

That's where the film is worse. The dialogue is not witty nor funny, and it should not be classified as a comedy. There were quite a few scenes which had actors saying crap that none of their characters should have said and which added no meaning or value to the film.

Then the movie ended with some kind of choreographed musical and dance number which didn't conclude anything. Almost unbeknownst to me, Nick's storyline was wrapped up in a previous scene (Josh Hartnett's only scene) but with one short, stupid phone call. Quinto can act, as can Hartnett, and a well written scene with confrontation was desperately needed. After the first two scenes, there was very little confrontation, and indeed revealed that you weren't watching much at all. "Girl Walks Into a Bar" seems visually interesting, with compelling lead characters, good acting and clever story lines but then doesn't really go anywhere.

Hoped for more but it was decent

[Floated2 · 5/10 · 8 January 2012]

Just by reading the synopsis and plot for the film, one could easily tell what it is about. It is pretty straight forward and really lacks mystery, suspense or any action. It is very dialogue driven and the dialogue was interesting and good for the most part. But of course, not everyone is a fan of these type of films so it would not please and satisfy everyone.

The opening scene with Carla Gugino and Zachary Quinto was well done and one of the best of the film. It started great and was filled with suspicion and a little awkwardness. Then it continued and get better. Carla is a cop in disguise and she approaches Zachary Quinto confronting him because of a "case" he wants her to accomplish.

A few good scenes and subplots in this film but some other stinkers. The main story focusing on Carla Gugino (Francine) trying to recapture her stolen wallet from a guy who hit on her at a bar (Aaron Tveit- Henry) was pretty solid. Also included Emmanuelle Chiriqui in the storyline along with Gil Bellows.

A pretty funny scene I thought was one which included Zachry Quinto and Kevin Zegers as robbers in which they rob a bar (which leads them to a nudist ping-pong club). Also features Rosario Dawson in the scene. Then later ties into Josh Hartnett's character as a detective who ends up falling for Rosario Dawson. The scene basically doesn't end as planned for them but I thought it was pretty interesting. Another good scene and a highlight of the film was a scene involving Danny Devito approaching Zachary Quinto about some "business plans", they later talk and the conversation was quite funny!

Bad scenes were the pointless dance scenes, the scenes involving Amber Valleta & Robert Forster (little conversations), and a few scenes with an elderly couple. It was weird how they would drink a lot and barely look drunk, also how the bars seemed to be always open but the places looked empty yet shows were still going on.

The ending was okay, could have been better with more effort but overall it was alright. The film is okay but don't expect something too great, you'll be disappointed

Girl Walks Into The Night

[Chrysanthepop · 24 June 2011]

Sebastian Gutierrez's 'Girl Walks Into A Bar' may not be the cleverest or wittiest of its kind but I found it very colourful, amusing and atmospheric. It captures the essence of nightlife in the city quite well. The sets and/or lighting are pleasantly colourful. The settings and situations appear to be colour-coded. The score and cinematography are effective. That's the technical side.

Now to the writing, it's quite alright. There's a certain noire style to it. The characters are quirky. Some situations and dialogues feel a little forced and some jokes fall flat (especially in the Robert Forster track) but otherwise the dialogue is quite funny and delivered well.

The acting isn't bad either. Carla Gugino is excellent and Emmanuelle Chriqui is brilliant, especially in her opening sequence. Amber Valetta and Aaron Tveit are quite good too. Alexis Bledel and Danny Devito are great in their single scene. Zachary Quinto, Rosario Dawson and Josh Hartnett are adequate.

Overall, 'Girl Walks Into A Bar' is a funny atmospheric semi-noire film. Not a classic but enjoyable nonetheless.

A movie for the movie buff

[shide_85 · 6/10 · 27 April 2021]

Recommended for the moviebuff, if you're not it'll pass some time for you while watching solid performances from most of the cast.

Pretty sure this is a showcase: There are many threads to pull in where movies are referenced; one of the more clear is Sin City (2005), one of the less obvious ones are Happy Accidents (2000, a great low budget movie). The disparate storytales or chapters are woven together as in many other stories, I canno't really nail that overarching storyline down either though i probably should be able to. This seems allmost like the guild or parts of it coming together to celebrate cinema. The strong cast would suggest that could be the case. Either way, as a movie buff there is plenty to see here.

Too late at night to review movies tbh.

End notes: The ending dance has been seen - which has also been done, but i can't recall if it's A perfect world, 48 hours or some Dolly Parton movie which has it (or even if it's somewhere else), as has the stealing of the wallet (Sting 1973?).

A First and a success, also truth in advertisement (another first).

[JohnRayPeterson · 7/10 · 23 April 2011]

At the time of writing this review, the IMDb rating was 6.7 and I observed that 49% of the votes were for a rating of 8 and above, so it's fair to refer to this made for internet movie as a success. I do have problem with the use of the expression "Major Motion Picture" but I'll let that one slide in the interest of moving the review along. If you read some of my other reviews, you understand.

The trailers, or more aptly named previews, caught my attention so I decided to watch this movie; that was my third of three reasons for watching it. The cast was also another incentive; that was the second reason. The IMDb storyline of this movie is one of the best, in that it covers all I can think of (having now seen the flick) and does so with eloquence; that, as you surely have guessed, was my first reason.

Carla Gugino, who I've had the pleasure to watch recently, almost two months ago, in the movie "Every Day"(see my review for reference) plays Francine, an undercover cop with a knack for quips; from the beginning of the movie right till the end, they keep coming and she delivers them equally well from the first to the last. The writing is good and needed to be because the movie's budget was not spent on special effects nor staged location or props; I would like to describe the dialogue as a palatable fusion of Elmore Leonard and Ricky Gervais. Why would I choose to describe the dialogue in this way? It sounds cool and if you find a better way of complementing the author, write your own damn review.

I make a fuss about the dialogue because there are many witty and original lines in this well directed movie (writer/director combo); you will remember some of them for a very very long time. For instance, Francine is undercover as an assassin for hire and she concludes her summary of why women are better at her job then men by saying "Men don't have the ovaries for the job!". Joke aside, the argument itself as Gugino delivers it, would make for a winnable debate in serious venue; and that's another reason for my praise of the dialogue.

The key claim about the movie is that it was made for the internet. I doubt this refers to any technical innovation; it must mean that the marketing plan from the start was to release it via internet as oppose to the other two methods, DVD-Blue ray and theatrical-cinema releases. In a movie market place dominated by cable or any telecommunication delivery of movies, being the first to go the way of internet was a milestone many saw coming soon. At the risk of sounding very cliché, 'the future is now'.

Thankfully, the first of its kind was not a rag, just a tag. Sorry but I could not resist the easy pun.

this is not a movie

[s_imdb-18-540293 · 3/10 · 25 June 2011]

Characters drink like one whiskey per minute (I'm not exaggerating), and nobody gets drunk. Bars are always completely empty but there's always some show on. The main story is nice but it's 10 minutes long. Lots of weird characters, but hey, who cares? What's the point of all this. You can look at Emmanuelle Chriqui, maybe you can get to the end without feeling you have wasted 1 hours 19 minutes. The silly western dance dury the end titles is the best part of the movie. Nice atmosphere and images overall, but I would have preferred watching a movie. I don't know what to say again but I have to continue writing IMDb says. Like writing things using more words makes something better... This policy of IMDb reminds me of this movie, it would have been good if it was a 20 minutes short film.

Satisying ensemble film focuses on character confrontation & interaction

[LARSONRD · 7/10 · 19 November 2012]

A compelling and agreeable multi-story ensemble dramedy from writer/director Sebastián Gutiérrez, who has made several of these anthology format films. I'm particularly fond of these kinds of ensemble films and while there remain some acceptably unresolved loose ends by the time GIRL WALKS INTO A BAR is over, it's a very intriguing and entertaining movie. While its storyline is pretty thin, I felt it maintained interest through an effective Tarantino-esque intersection of characters and plenty of engaging dialog and an abundance of stimulating eye candy. Its focus is on character confrontation and interaction rather than the unveiling of the beginning, middle, and ending of a storyline, although it's a few of its story lines converge and resolve intriguingly. One segment shifts into voice-over narration by one of the characters; another segment suddenly shifts into another character's internal monologue, but I felt Gutiérrez handled these transitions effectively and they never seemed jarring; going with the flow of the film and its occasional style transitions, there is much to be absorbed out of this movie. For an independent film, Gutiérrez has attracted a notable A-list cast, including Carla Gugino (she happens to by Gutiérrez's wife, and has starred in about a dozen of his films), Danny Devito, Rosario Dawson, Josh Hartnett, Robert Forster, and Zachary Quinto, whose diverse stories intertwine and pass in the night as the characters interact between ten different L.A. bars during the course of one evening. Singer/songwriter Grant Lee Phillips supplies a folk-rock based soundtrack and has a brief role as a bar singer, performing a likeably cynical song written with Gutiérrez, called "Only Bad Can Come," that fits nicely into the mixture of story lines being conveyed. The film was the first feature film to be made specifically for internet distribution, although fortunately it's made its way onto DVD for non-streaming watchability.

For free, it's definitely worth a watch.

[LaBuonaVita38 · 4/10 · 12 March 2011]

Don't get me wrong--the film is free--so I wasn't expecting anything special, going into it. And while the film kept my attention, throughout its' entirety, it lacked a story that truly felt pleasing, and did not leave me, as a member of the audience, to feel as if his time spent watching the film, was justified. Was it original? It wasn't cliché-ridden, but come on, the whole thing took place in bars, and each scene consisted of the same formula: Drinking. Talking. Characters have an issue with one another. Characters take a liking to each other. They have a reason to leave, and go to another bar. It's repetitious--like those old video games, where in each level, you always had to find a key, or special item, to move forward. Overall, I am not sure what they were trying to achieve, in terms of the actual story. The story was convoluted, and lacked good structure, and blatant character motivation. Even when they got what they supposedly wanted, they just moved on to the next thing, and didn't seem to care. And the same goes for when certain characters did not achieve their goals/desires. I wouldn't watch this film again, as it just feels a bit more like a cheap internet gimmick, than an actual motion picture. I would rather spend my time doing something better--like writing a GOOD screenplay--were I to know the film would end up being so pointless, and the story would be on the verge of being non-existent. As for the acting, it was average- yet the cinematography varied from amateurish/average at certain points. I am just not sure what the whole point of this movie was. Maybe they were just screwing around 95% of the time, and spent the rest rushing to get the production over with. Who knows? And to be honest, I just don't care anymore. This movie's title seems to give something away though, in regards to its' story. The whole thing is like one big punchline, that ends abruptly before you hear the end, causing you to feel confused--and leaves you with a sour taste in your mouth.

A funny & fast paced comedy that is brilliantly written and is very fun to watch. I liked it. I say B.

[cosmo_tiger · 7/10 · 7 June 2012]

"Sometimes we find ourselves in an unbearable situation and our options dry up and we resort to drastic measures. It's called survival." A dentist (Quinto) wants to have his wife killed. When the assassin (Gugino) shows up all she want's is the money. Nick says it will take a two hours to get it and he will be back. Nothing is ever that easy though. Even though it may not sound like it this is a comedy, and a pretty funny one at that. The dialog is great and the fast paced line delivery really makes it enjoyable and fun to watch. I laughed quite a bit in this and the story moves from bar to bar in a way that makes sense and is very entertaining. The cast in this is pretty impressive and everyone really pulls off their part well. There really isn't much to this movie and it's not all that of an original idea but the way it's presented makes it seem fresh. I really enjoyed this more then I expected and this makes for a good watch. Overall, a funny and entertaining movie that is well worth checking out. I give it a B.

That's why you can't trust words.

[radhrh · 3/10 · 18 December 2012]

It starts out with a decent enough premise, A girl ( Carla Gugino, predominantly shot in soft focus despite the low lights ) walks into a bar to meet a guy. The guy is a dentist ( Zachary Quinto, probably the only character in the whole movie I had any time for ), the girl is an assassin ( but turns out she is a cop, Yawn ) the dentist wants the assassin to kill his wife, but first he has to go get the 50% deposit from another guy ( Mr DeVito, must have been hard up ) who is a crook and in another bar. While she is waiting, the assassin/cop manages to have her purse snatched by a smooth talking pick pocket ( Aaron Tveit ) who quickly scarpers. Thus ensues a wild goose chase through the bars of LA as assassin/cop chases pick pocket and client chases his money. On the way we meet a bunch of "wacky" characters and situations such as a nudist ping pong bar. All sound good? Well, it isn't. It isn't half as clever as it thinks it is and isn't funny at all, which is kind of a drawback for a comedy. It full of verbose voice overs, the one from the stripper ( who never actually strips, BTW ) is particularly dumb. Add to this some truly excruciating dialog like "I've been dreaming that I can't sleep. I wake up exhausted every morning." FFS!! The trouble is, it probably all looked so good on the page but on the screen looks like a urine soaked mattress. But, hey, that's why you can't trust words, eh?

Utterly Charming

[jmurph3 · 8/10 · 17 January 2013]

I feel like those who have given this film such bad reviews either expected too much going into it or just couldn't let themselves go for the brief slice that this movie was. This is not a deep or complex movie, despite weaving together almost seamlessly multiple arcs, and it's not meant to be some heavy, meaningful piece (as least in my opinion). The point of any movie is to entertain, and I certainly was. I put this on with the intent to read a book while watching; by five minutes in I had abandoned the book completely. It's a quiet, unassuming comedy featuring some excellent performances. Simply charming.

A great soundtrack let's down what is mostly an enjoyable ensemble comedy.

[JimmyCollins · 6/10 · 13 October 2011]

So this movie is free, which is kinda strange, it's cool but I do hope that it doesn't become a common thing because I personally think a movie like this would be better enjoyed in a big screen. Anyway it is still a pretty decent movie, it boasts an amazing cast including the always awesome Rosario Dawson and the effortlessly cool Carla Gugino, the fact that this movie is free and it has such an amazing cast is very impressive.

The storyline is fun and easy to watch, the intertwining story lines follow in from each other seamlessly and the dialogue is quite witty at times, (is it true that Mexican men love cunnilingus?). The only thing that let's this movie down is the lack of any type of soundtrack, music adds so much to a film and it would have been great to hear some cool indie tunes throughout this movie, but I suppose the budget has to be considered in cases like this.

I think that the writer director could do something really great if given the right budget and, I'm sure in the future we will see some cool things from this guy. Lets just hope he is able to attract as excellent a cast as what he has in this movie. So yeah if you're looking for an easy watch with a few laughs, great characters and excellent dialogue then check this out.

Kind of like 200 Cigarettes minus the 80's setting. Fun times. :)

dry forced dialogue

[stevec322 · 3/10 · 13 March 2011]

This movie lacks heart and character development. The dialogue can be witty, unique, and clever at times but, it does not work as a whole. The cast is great. Unfortunately the viewer never gets a chance to discover who the characters are. The way some of the dialogue is delivered I wonder if the actors even understand who their characters are.

This movie wanders through the dessert for 79 minutes leaving the viewer to wonder why. Many of the scenes can stand on their own, but when strung together they just don't add up.

Big thumbs up for "free view on youtube". I think the writer/director shows promise.

'A lot of guys don't have the ovaries for this job.' Detective Francine Driver

[TxMike · 3 April 2013]

Everything about this movie is smart, the cast, the story, the witty dialog. The IMDb rating is woefully low for this fine, entertaining comedy.

Set over one night in about 10 different bars in the L.A. area, in the opening scene Carla Gugino as Francine Driver walks into a bar and sits at the table of Zachary Quinto ('Spock' in the new Star Trek movie) as Nick. He nervously tries to shoo her away, it is apparent he is anxious and waiting for someone. It turns out he is waiting for her, but he didn't expect it to be her. He is a mild-mannered dentist, who has decided he wants his wife whacked, and he has hired her to do the job for $20,000.

The problem is Driver is a detective working undercover to nab him, and that provides the springboard for the rest of the movie.

The almost 90-minute movie is a series of vignettes, each in a different bar, with a different set of characters. But the common thread is Francine Driver, and in the end we see connections that we had little reason to suspect.

For a small movie it has an all-star cast. Not only is Carla Gugino lovely, she is also a great actress and her role carries the whole movie. But it also stars such diverse accomplished actors as Gil Bellows, who is Driver's ex-husband, Alexis Bledel, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Rosario Dawson, Danny DeVito, Robert Forster, Josh Hartnett as the detective working with Driver.

One of the better movies I have seen in a while, on Netflix streaming movies.

the best part of the movie was at the end

[painkillr · 6/10 · 20 October 2012]

this movie is small in many ways, the scope is to romanticize the movie by setting it mostly in bars. none of the characters develop in any way, and it seems like the producers have not spent any time in either bars or strip clubs. it was like how an 8th grader might imagine the nightlife of adults

having said that, the actor playing Henry is very charming, alexis bledel is her excruciatingly adorable self even when delivering some fairly awful lines, robert forster nailed his character, amber valletta is so beautiful it hurts even while dressed as a lesbian, and carla gugino's sensuality strides over the whole production

oddly the best part of the movie is the very modest little dance number at the end during the credits. the 3 actors dance with such charm and sincerity that you find yourself wishing you lead a life that served up gorgeous little moments of humanity like this.

but even that is sort of a flaw because it made you realize how much of a waste of time and talent and potential the preceding 90 minutes were

oh also emmanuelle chriqui in a very skimpy outfit gave this movie 2 extra stars

Agreeable suspense comedy

[cekadah · 6/10 · 29 December 2013]

This is a quirky sort of comedy suspense story with twist and turns in plot. Easy to watch and be entertained by.

The story starts with one mission for Kim and ends with her accomplishing something altogether different. At the end she is happy.

This is not a movie to make you think. It's about a girl on a mission and what happens in pursuit of her 'changing' goal.

Lite entertainment for an easy evening of TV watching ... that's about all it is. But its well done and I enjoyed the steely personality of Kim.

Just don't analyze the story - it's for laughs only!!

What was the point?

[rawiri42 · 2/10 · 27 April 2012]

As someone else has already said, this isn't a professional movie! It was more like a home-movie tour to show where not to go in LA at night. And we all know how much fun it is watching eighty minutes of someone else's home movies don't we? (Actually, that is probably the only good thing about this - it is shorter than your average film - which lets you get back to more fun things like reading Greek mythology a bit sooner!

If you have absolutely nothing to do for an hour-and-a-half (which would include cleaning the drains or polishing the family silver), then I guess this might be better than watching the grass grow - just!

One has to wonder why would anyone even think about going to the expense (which would probably feed thousands of Sudanese for a year) of shooting this!

Bar hopping in L.A.

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 11 July 2012]

The classic start of many a joke serves as an able introduction for this film, conceived and directed by Sebastian Gutierrez. Shot in different bars in the Los Angeles area, the film has a whimsical feeling as characters move in and out of the different vignettes that tell a story in an original fashion. Red is the color that predominates the decoration in most of these bars.

Carla Gugino, who has worked with the director before, is Emit, basically the main character in the story. She a former police woman who shows up at the start of the film to talk to a despondent dentist who wants to have his wife killed. The agreed price is not exactly what the men had in mind, but he promises to get it. In the bar Emit meets a young man who proceeds to steal her wallet and her tape recorder.

What follows is Emit's voyage through about a dozen bars trying to get her belongings, but in the process, she discovers a few quirky characters with bizarre stories of their own. There is a hilarious sequence involving a nude ping pong club where the dentist's wife has been going to see the man she has fallen for. The film ends with Emit and some new made friends dancing.

The cast is excellent. Carla Gugino excels as Emit. Veteran Robert Forster shows up as a man who has been released that day from prison. Emmanuel Chriqui is a pole dancer in a stripper bar. Danny Devito has a small part as a criminal who will lend the dentist the money. Rosario Dawson, Josh Harnett, Amber Valetta, Zachary Quinto and the rest of the supporting players do a good job for Mr. Gutierrez.

A Not So Clever Story and a Far Too Often Misnomer Title

[Ed-Shullivan · 4/10 · 11 March 2014]

I was really looking forward to watching this movie as the cast was in my opinion just filled with many of those near "A" star type actors that just really never get the credit that they so long deserve. One of my favourite under rated actors is Robert Forster and he did not disappoint me in his role as a guy named Dodge. Dodge first appears half way in to the film and he is the father of a son and a daughter. His son is a grifter named Henry played by Aaron Tveit, and his daughter is a stripper named Teresa played by Emmanuelle Chriqui. It would appear that Henry has learned his trade as a Grifter, from his dad Dodge, and his sister Teresa is not too fond of how their daddy has earned his living.

Carla Gugino is the main star of the film and the only constant character throughout the film. She plays a private eye named Francine Driver who is working undercover as a purported hit lady who is hired by a dentist named Nick played by Zachary Quinto to kill his wife. Unfortunately for Francine after successfully capturing on tape a clear confession by Nick the dentist to kill his wife, Francine runs in to the handsome young grifter named Henry played by Aaron Tveit who picks her purse. Henry steals Francine's wallet and the video recording of the dentist's confession that he wants his wife murdered and is willing to pay $20K for the (phony) hit lady to complete the job.

So the story line does sound interesting doesn't it? Unfortunately as Francine is seen travelling from bar to bar in search of the grifter Henry who stole her tape recording we are subjected to far too much irrelevant rhetoric from a cast of characters that just went on about nothing. This is where I felt the movie had lost me, and although adding bona fide actors like Rosario Dawson and Gil Bellows should have made the film more intriguing, I felt the film went flat.

I was hoping for more of an entertaining story as the entire film takes place in a series of bars with characters that somehow intertwine. When you have stars such as Danny DeVito, Josh Hartnett, Xander Berkeley, Zachary Quinto, Carla Gugino, Gil Bellows, and Rosario Dawson, a viewer just expects more from the movie. As an example, I cannot say enough about the fine film Dinner Rush which starred Danny Aiello, and also took place entirely in a restaurant bar. Now Dinner Rush was just an awesome film which I am sure to watch again. As for A Girl Walks In To A Bar, the title is a misnomer, since the girl in question Francine Driver, walks in to a number of bars and I walked out of the film being very much short changed. I gave it a 4 out of 10 rating and that is based on two strong performances by Robert Forster and Carla Gugino, otherwise my rating would have been lower.

Hope for aspiring filmmakers, but nothing more

[azupanda · 3/10 · 7 June 2011]

Plot: Francine Driver (Carla Gugino) is an undercover cop whom, posing as an assassin meets with a potential client, Nick (Zachary Quinto), in a Los Angeles bar late one night. After mild ambivalence, Nick confesses to her that he wishes his wife dead. She agrees to the arrangement if she is met with twenty thousand dollars. Nick admits he does not have the money on him currently, but promises by the end of the night he will. After his eventual departure, Francine is acquainted with a young man, Henry (Aaron Tveit), whom after certain particular charms, steals her wallet, leaving her there in the bar alone as he leaves unnoticed. Francine's wallet contains the recorded evidence that will incriminate Nick and put him behind bars.

It is then that Francine's night truly begins as she attempts to hunt down Henry and locate her missing wallet. Her search takes her through a series of local bars in Los Angeles and not one is without an introduced character whom in some fashion, as part of the ensemble cast, is connected to another character throughout—aforementioned or no. Each character as well has their own, unique, story to tell and of course, life in which they live.

Part of a Whole: While it cannot be argued that Francine is essentially the film's catalyst guised as a major character, she does in all actuality, share almost equivalent time on screen with the rest of the cast (Danny DeVito, Josh Hartnett, Zachary Quinto, Aaron Tveit, Rosario Dawson, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Robert Forster, etcetera). As Francine's night unfolds the viewer discovers the life of each individual is linked to that of another and not one is any more or less relevant than the other.

However, not each character is entirely interesting. In fact, each is nearly forgettable. The performances themselves however are well-rounded, though again, nothing too spectacular. Gugino and Quinto hold the most notoriety here.

Pen and no Sword: Writer and director Sebastian Gutierrez has a script here that is void of any real climatics or action in any degree. Instead the film is progressed through exchanges of dialogue encompassing a colorful variety of topics. These passings are often sharp, quick, full of wit, and allegedly carry some purpose or message.

While the lines are delivered with expertly dry candor, the point of these encounters isn't quite explained with any real clarity. There are exceptions in which such story-telling is acceptable, and most often successful, but here these characters are faulted, one by one, from their enigmatic origins. Nor is it with any great care that these characters either individually or together develop. So separate from compassion is the viewer that he or she is merely a spectator to the lives of these individuals rather than a partaking guest.

That said, the dialogue is as fun as one might expect from a film so heavily cast in it. There are as well, sequences which are as memorable as they are well-directed. Again, this is perhaps, alone, ten to twenty minutes of this hour and twenty minute feature.

Hope for the Little Guy – A Picture in 7D: It is immediately apparent that the film is shot on a SLR camera and this is undoubtedly the most admirable, if not hopeful, aspect of the film itself. Shot for the purpose of free distribution via internet streaming service, YouTube, the use of Canon's 7D SLR camera is a light for all aspiring filmmakers no matter the level of education received or field of preference.

Girl Walks Into A Bar has an abundance of Hollywood names attached to its likeness all standing under the lovely iridescence of bar-light, affront a piece of equipment any hard working artist can so willingly afford. One's own fantasy of shooting a feature film with the prominent actors of Hollywood, on say one's very own T2i, appears all the more livable.

The cinematography is an agreeable mix of color and perspective angles. It as well displays with triumphant circulation the power of SLR cameras and too their endless capability.

One Sentence Summary: Shot on Canon's 7D over the course of an eleven day period, the sharp witted Girl Walks Into A Bar is by no standards consistent with an amateur production and while it certainly gives hope to young, penniless, filmmakers, it does suffer from lack of a purposeful identity.

Fantastically quirky and witty

[marioskolonias · 9/10 · 22 December 2011]

"Girl Walks Into A Bar" is exceptionally well written, with every little story linked harmoniously with each other. Another reviewer mentioned the excessive use of stereotypes. If there is something you can stereotype, it's strip club regulars.

Despite all the anonymity the film tried to cover itself with, it will get the attention it rightfully deserves, because it's not, as most movies of the same caliber, funny for the sake of fun. This is real comedy, and while it may not make you laugh uncontrollably, you will find a certain kind of humour that has not been attempted in a long time. Sometimes the writing is so funny, there is no actual need for dialogue.

This is not, strictly speaking, a comedy. There are a few dramatic aspects to it, as well. I give this a 9/10, although I think it deserves something closer to 8.5. Certainly one of the best films of 2011, simply for being... simple!

Essentialy a long string of stereotypes

[petrovass · 1/10 · 19 April 2011]

This is not a movie that is artistic, witty, or clever. Essentialy, what we have here, is a toned down, chicken soup for the young adult female soul version of American psycho type narrative. I really dislike how they stereotype left and right about men. It is really cold, and shows a lack of sensitivity to the feminine side of man, which is, and should always be, part of art, just as the masculine side of woman is as well. I really feel that this movie could have been great, but falls short, in an effort to cash in on advertising revenue. The same thing the movie critisizes it uses to get views. Insane? Not according to the producers, who obviously wrote this short nothing in a few weeks.

Sorry, but this gets an official alien 300 thumbs down.

Do your self a favor, and just rent Total Recal.

Ramblings and hypocritical self-inflicted censorship

[voyou-703-655350 · 3/10 · 7 June 2013]

A series of vignettes that, for the most part, don't converge. Fair enough. We are here essentially to enjoy fast-paced dialogues, with a dancing or singing scene here and there. Unfortunately, a lot of the dialogue just feels like a filler, i.e., it's irrelevant, uninteresting, unsatisfying. Plus, it never is funny. All of this despite solid performances from a few actors with great screen presence.

About my rating, this movie loses 3 or 4 stars in just one minute, when the director pretends to amuse us with a scene full of naked people, only to fill the screen with floating black rectangles. Well, either you show or you don't show, mr. director. Now I'm aware of both your demagogy and spinelessness; an half-assed con artist you are. Being used to the censorship of various countries, I wastes additional time checking if I was insulted by some local laws, or by you. What I found doesn't make you look good, Mr Gutierrez, not good at all. You can keep losing face, but without me, because from now I doubt I'll ever watch anything you make.

Girl walks in bar, should have walked out

[djderka · 4/10 · 8 July 2013]

Girl Walks Into a Bar seems like it wants to be Crash, but in a bar and deals with inter-connective stories about bar denizens who walk in and imbibe their favorite drink.

However, this movie tries to be clever with some so-so banter, but ultimately falls flat as a beer that has been sitting on a 'set designed' bar for two days.

If you want a 'bar' movie, try Albino Alligator, which is far superior and a lot more interesting. Or even Palmetto.

It seems the director decided to make an 'quippy intelligent dialog' movie so as to score some very hot babes that were thinking, 'hey no action so this must be a cool movie"...NOT. Well.."I'll just show off some skin".

There were some interesting dialog lines, but I forgot what they were, but I did snicker tho at the line. Certainly nothing up to the quality of "You do know how to whistle don't you? You just put your lips together and blow". But then Gutierrez is no Julius Epstein or Billy Wilder.

It is worth watching for the chick factor. But if you ain't Ionesco or Wilder or even Tarantino better be careful what you are writing without action and thin plots of 'connectivity'. Rosario Dawson is totally hot in this flick.

Wait...Bulletin..this could have been a satire or parody of bar movies. Then, well, it still didn't work. If you want parodies check out the Scary Movie series and Airplane I and II.

If is free though, on Retro TV or HBO, you might check it out. I enjoyed parts of the movie.