Release Date
April 4, 2008 (Limited)
DVD Release Date
July 15, 2008 (Buy on Amazon)
Director
Writer
Studio
Running Time
92 minutes
MPAA Rating
Rated R for language, some drug use and sex-related material
A doormat if ever there was one. A man reduced to a mere accessory to his family by working a dead end job at his father-in law's bank and arguing about his overindulgent love for chocolate with his wife Jess (Elizabeth Banks) who is loathe to explain her "friendship" with the local news anchorman (Timothy Olyphant). But Bill's fate begins to change when he becomes mentor to a self-assured boy (Logan Lerman) who engineers Bill's... Full synopsis »
MOVIE REVIEW
Review by Robert Bell (C)
Western culture would have us believe that happiness is easy to attain. If one adheres to the rules and guidelines set forth by our pasty-white, capitalist forefathers than we too can have the white picket fence and long-weekend cottage commute. Formative educations systems instil these values on our youth, rewarding and encouraging assimilation and singular belief systems. Intelligence is defined by one's ability to respond with the most socially acceptable answer. Any defiance or questioning of dominant ideologies and their structure, no matter how logical, is deterred and punished. This encourages a hegemonic ideal, which is then established in the production line of children. They can then go into the world and do what is expected of them; taking pride in their post-secondary educations and 9-5 income generating professions. Goals then become driven by money and status, in order to have the best "things" and be coveted by complete strangers. There is no time to question how this regimented lifestyle came to be, or whether it's even sane (or wanted), as success waits for no one. Should questions of passion or desire or happiness come into play, there are always reality-altering anti-depressants and other chemical substances. The illusion of freedom exists within this structure, allowing people to feel uniquely important or that their success lies in their personal choices and ethics. Occasionally however, there are individuals who look outside of their cages and wonder how they got trapped in the first place. Full movie review »
Western culture would have us believe that happiness is easy to attain. If one adheres to the rules and guidelines set forth by our pasty-white, capitalist forefathers than we too can have the white picket fence and long-weekend cottage commute. Formative educations systems instil these values on our youth, rewarding and encouraging assimilation and singular belief systems. Intelligence is defined by one's ability to respond with the most socially acceptable answer. Any defiance or questioning of dominant ideologies and their structure, no matter how logical, is deterred and punished. This encourages a hegemonic ideal, which is then established in the production line of children. They can then go into the world and do what is expected of them; taking pride in their post-secondary educations and 9-5 income generating professions. Goals then become driven by money and status, in order to have the best "things" and be coveted by complete strangers. There is no time to question how this regimented lifestyle came to be, or whether it's even sane (or wanted), as success waits for no one. Should questions of passion or desire or happiness come into play, there are always reality-altering anti-depressants and other chemical substances. The illusion of freedom exists within this structure, allowing people to feel uniquely important or that their success lies in their personal choices and ethics. Occasionally however, there are individuals who look outside of their cages and wonder how they got trapped in the first place. Full movie review »
