Standing Still isn't an offensive movie. That is, it doesn't quite reach the level of Hollywood factory cynicism that a movie like, say, Rumor Has It, does (for future reference, Richard Roeper must be on the take and on drugs to say of RHI: "It's really funny, true stuff." Jesus.) No, it's not quite that soulless and pointless, but then again it approaches it. To get a feel for this movie, imagine someone who's read good things about the Big Chill and decides that making an ensemble reunion flick is a good idea, but this time let's make everyone much younger (and let's not bother fleshing out any of the characters, oh and by the way, can we squeeze in some bi-curious hot girl-on-girl action too?). The problem with this, for me anyway, is that if you're going to show youngsters in their early 30's you can't expect me to suspend my disbelief so that i just accept that they're able to afford a huge mansion and lavish chartered jet rides to Vegas for bachelor parties. Nevermind that these characters are barely given two dimensions, much less anything more than one scene of dialogue each in which to pad their why-should-i-care backstories.
Hey, I know that sounds harsh. I rented this movie solely because it stars uber-cutie Amy Adams, who played such an endearing little freak in Drop Dead Gorgeous nearly a decade ago (okay, slight exaggeration, it came out in 1999), and she performs well under the circumstances, but I was left longing for Junebug. In a show like Entourage, we see morons who've lucked into extravagant circumstances and enjoy fantasizing about how we might live such a ridiculously charmed life; in Standing Still we're supposed to believe that a barely-post-pubescent-looking Colin Hanks is a Hollywood agent. Jon Abrahams, who fit the part of a young nouveau riche dude in Boiler Room seven years ago looks, if anything, younger in this movie. All in all, while we're supposed to believe that these are old friends getting together 5 years after college for a wedding, I couldn't shake the feeling that they all looked like high school kids partying at their parents' house while they're out of town, ala weird science or risky business. American Pie 2 did a better job of authentically capturing pre-wedding jitters, and that's saying something.
This movie didn't suck, I guess, but I can't recommend it.
But hey, after linking to Ebert's review of Junebug I checked to see what he had to say about the train wreck that is RHI. Oh for crying out loud: "But it's a good gimmick. And "Rumor Has It" works for good reasons, including sound construction and the presence of Kevin Costner..." ugh, to quote a bland but nonetheless two thousand percent better movie than RHI, I just threw up in my mouth. I guess you really can't trust anyone.
