20131227: Comedy Review--TiMER

TiMER

1. Fundamentals, reception.
1. American live action feature length film, 2009, rated R, 99 minutes, comedy, indie, SciFi
2. IMDB: 6.5/10.0 from 7,053 audience ratings.
3. Rotten Tomatoes: 58% on the meter; 65% liked it from 3,051 audience ratings.
4. Netflix: 3.6/5.0 from 1,065,523 audience ratings.
5. Written and directed by: Jac Schaeffer.
6. Starring: Emma Caulfield as Oona O'Leary, Muse Watson as Rick O'Leary, JoBeth Williams as Marion Depaul, Michelle Borth as Steph DePaul, Hayden McFarland as Jesse Depaul, Tom Irwin as Paul DePaul, John Patrick Amedori as Mikey Evers, Scott Holroyd as Brian, Kali Rocha as Matchmaker Patty, Sandra Marquez as Luz Morales, Desmond Harrington as Dan.


2. Setup and Plot
1. This romantic comedy is set in the near future where technology has advanced considerably.  Nothing unexpected there.  Supposedly an implant can be attached to a person's body that will count down to the time when the wearer meets their true love.


2. Oona O'Leary is approaching thirty, and her timer has not started its countdown yet.  Social convention suggests that couples get together if their counters mark each other.  What can Oona do in this situation?


3. In the opening, Oona and Brian meet with Matchmaker Patty after several dates.  Brian is from Oklahoma, and has never had a timer.  Brian's implant starts showing between two and three years to go.  Oona's timer does not start.  She's been down this road before.  The couple breaks up immediately.  As Oona leaves, Matchmaker Patty describes her as a repeat customer.


4. The film has a number of amusing commercials plugging the product.  While daydreaming in the checkout line at a store, Oona tunes back in to hear Mikey (checkout person, by day, otherwise a musician) talking to her.  Oona's interest is piqued.  Oona and half-sister Steph DePaul visit mother Marion DePaul (remarried) for half-brother Jesse's timer install ceremony.  They meet the new housekeeper Luz, who speaks next to no English.  Jesse gets a target date immediately: in three days plus change.  Oona in non-plussed.  Steph meets Dan at her first job at the retirement home.


5. Marion advises Oona and Steph how lucky they are.  Thanks to the timers, they will miss out on divorce, unrequited love, missed opportunities (not meeting the right one), and STDs.  Further, they were so lucky that she broke up with Oona's father and found Paul, and that Paul broke up with Steph's mother.  Being happy about two breakups is a bit much, and the overall picture is ridiculously rosy.  Do the timers ever fail?  Also, how could Marion be so incredibly verbally abusive to her natural daughter?  I'm surprised Oona did not hit her upside the head.


6. By this point, about 40 minutes in, the film is almost done exposing ideas.  Will Oona get anywhere with Mikey?  Will Dan be Steph's match?  Will the families accept Jesse and his partner?  Will the film illuminate possible variations?  Will we meet Oona's father?  Will he have any wisdom to impart?


3. Conclusions
1. The direction was boring, not illuminating or funny, as was the screenplay that the director wrote.  I liked Emma Caulfield much better in her 85 episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 
2. One line summary: Blending of science fiction, romantic comedy, and ongoing dysfunction.
3. Three stars of five.


4. Scores
1. Cinematography: 10/10 No problems.


2. Sound: 10/10 No problems.


3. Acting: 6/10 Emma Caulfield, JoBeth Williams, Tom Irwin, Desmond Harrington, and Muse Watson were fine.  The other actors were next to forgettable.  I don't remember seeing their work before, and I hope to never see them again.


4. Screenplay: 4/10 A nice 20 minute short stretched to 99.  There were zero belly laughs, zero chuckles, zero wry smiles. The film fails as a comedy.  Where was the romance?  One's significant other is chosen for you by factors you cannot control. What are the non-matches supposed to do?  The setup is just an excuse for further discrimination against the unlucky.  The film fails in the romantic department.  SciFi?  It did have one idea.  Unfortunately, it was a ridiculous one.