SYNOPSIS:
Ben
Kalmen had a thriving career, a beautiful family and a luxury
apartment in the heart of Manhattan but the same irresistible
charm that got him to the top is also the cause of his downfall.
He desperately attempts to regain his status the only way
he knows how: through a woman. But when his wandering eye
turns to the wrong woman he looks to his family and longtime
friend Jimmy Merino to help him get back on his feet again;
only this time, he's got nothing to lose.
MOVIE REVIEW:
It probably happens to different people at different stages of life – but the feeling of desolating devastation is the same. For this reviewer, he is feeling it right now because he has been in existence for almost one third of a century, and he wonders what he needs to do next to feel worthy of his life. And that is why he empathizes with the protagonist of this 2009 American film which never made it to local screens, although he proves to be a real jerk that should be shot to death.
The personality put in the spotlight of this film is Ben Kalmen, a once successful car dealer who has seen it all. Having cheated his wife and borrowed money from his daughter, he goes on living the life of a charmer, accompanying his current girlfriend’s daughter to her college interview. There, he meets an impressionable undergraduate, he meets his old college friend, and he also beds girls he shouldn’t be having relationships with. How will all these come into place as the aging man tries to make peace with his life?
It is not easy to empathize with Ben Kalmen, being the creep that he is. But you sense his cry for help and belonging, all thanks to director writer Brian Koppelman’s script. Co directing this engaging film is David Levien, and what you get is a moving story about a man who seems confident on the outside, but is at a complete loss when it comes to life directions.
Michael Douglas (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) seems to be perfect candidate to play Ben Kalmen. The 66 year old actor is suave and charming in his own right, and although the character is a slimy old man, Douglas manages to have viewers see the characters’ pain and anguish as he plods aimlessly in life.
Douglas’ impressive performance is complemented by an equally impressive cast of supporting characters. Playing his current girlfriend is Mary Louise Parker, who effortlessly pulls off the portrayal of a protective mother. Susan Sarandon (Peacock) plays Ben Kalmen’s wife with the right amount of gravity and compassion – look out for the touching last scene where she takes in the defeated man. Danny DeVito (When in Rome) plays Ben Kalmen’s long time friend, while Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) plays the susceptible college student.
The 90 minute film does not offer any solutions how to deal with the looming unhappiness and vulnerability faced by urbanites in today’s society, but it does propose a provoking question: How do we deal with an inglorious past and move on from where we are now? And what do we make of the directionless pasture that seems threateningly bleak which lies ahead of us in this thing called life?
SPECIAL FEATURES:
This Code 3 DVD contains a Trailer.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The movie's visual transfer is fine, and is presented in its English audio track.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING:
Review by John Li
Posted on 22 December 2010
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