Deception Review
Posted by James McGee on 04.30.2008
Like "Skinemax," but without the originality.
Hugh Jackman—Wyatt Bose
Ewan McGregor—Jonathan McQuarry
Michelle Williams—S
Lisa Gay Hamilton—Detective Russo
Natasha Henstridge—Wall Street Analyst
Directed by Marcel Langenegger
Written by Mark Bomback
Runtime: 108 minutes
Rated R for sexual content, language, brief violence and some drug use
I hate having my time wasted at the movies. I would rather see something so awful it makes me want to pull an Oedipus and gouge out my own eyes than a movie that just makes me go “meh.” I absolutely loathed Nim’s Island, but at least it was fun to rip it apart in a review. This week, I have nothing to work with in Deception, a flick that seems ripped straight off Cinemax. Something you might land on late at night, watch ten minutes of, and then move on to something else. Unfortunately, I was honor-bound to sit through the whole thing, and it left me feeling…apathetic.
Shy, corporate accountant Jonathan McQuarry befriends Wyatt Bose, a suave, up-and-coming lawyer. Bose inadvertently introduces his new buddy to “The List,” a mysterious club where strangers meet anonymously for a torrid roll in the hay. Jonathan revels in this newfound adventure until breaking Pervert Rule #1: Don’t Fall in Love. Shortly thereafter, he breaks Rule #2: Don’t Become Implemented in a Possible Murder. The plot thickens as Jonathan tries to discover the fate of his lady-love, learns there’s more to Wyatt than meets the eye (I’m sure there’s a “Decepticon” joke in there somewhere), and finds himself the victim of…wait for it…deception!
I really want to tear Deception a new one just for wasting my time, but the sad reality is that this movie is so painfully mediocre, there’s nothing to get excited about, either positively or negatively. There are twists and turns that may have you guessing between a couple of possible outcomes, but the story is predictable and unoriginal overall, which probably explains why the sexual element is so “integral.” Like something you’d find on late-night cable, the flimsy, uninspired plot isn’t enough to carry the weight on its own, so the gratuitous boobs are needed to flesh (no pun intended ) things out. The plot could just as easily have centered on a clandestine bridge club—there’s just nothing original or particularly engaging here at all.
Sometimes, strong performances can make up for a mediocre story, but Deception comes up short here as well. Hugh Jackman plays the suave, slimy con-man well, proving that he has some range beyond the rough-n-rugged Wolverine. Still, his role is relatively small, so he doesn’t come close to saving this one. Ewan McGregor is a fine actor, but he just doesn’t have much to work with here. Plus, he constantly struggles to maintain his American accent, which is pretty distracting. He should take a cue from Anthony Hopkins and just stick with his natural accent, logic be damned. And Michelle Williams is a pretty face, but in terms of her acting ability, she hasn’t progressed past her barely competent roots on Dawson’s Creek all those years ago. Like the rest of the film, there’s very little to like about the performances, but nothing to get overly upset about, either. The whole thing is mediocrity personified.
The 411: Deception could have had the decency to thoroughly suck. That way, I could have really let the venom flow. But, alas, no such luck. When the best thing you can say about a flick is that there aren’t too many plot holes, and no real loose ends, it’s a pretty sad state of affairs. When the worst you can say is the characters are shallow, the pacing is awkward, and the whole thing is just uninteresting, there’s not much fun to be had.
I actually liked this movie.
Unoriginal? Yes.
Predictable? Yes.
Awkwardly paced? Yes.
Yet still managed to keep me entertained...I don't know why...but it did.
Posted By: Zach (Guest) on April 30, 2008 at 04:27 PM
