Stone (2010)

Another view instant film tonight, paired with ice cream from one of our favorite spots that is only open in the summer.  Tonights film was 2010's Stone with Edward Norton, Robert De Niro and Milla Jovovich.

Well, two films in a week with Edward Norton!  He acted well in this film again, but nothing I have seen him do tops my last review on him for Leaves of Grass.

Stone is a pretty messed up movie.  All three of the main characters play weird characters, none of whom I think I would want to know in real life.  De Niro is a parol eligibility officer, Norton is the main focus of him as a prison inmate having served 8 of 10 years, and Jovovich is Norton's wife on the outside.  The story follows how the three of them interact with eachother, with the main focus on De Niro's life.

Nothing about this film really struck me as a home run.  I thought that the script was pretty plain, and a few times during I found myself quite bored and waiting for something to happen.  There were a few high points where a lot of tension was built and you did not know what was going to happen next, but too few and far between to help with the low spots.

I felt that filming was pretty bland as well.  I thought that filming, lighting and colors were all to dull, even though I am guessing it was done that way on purpose to highlight the situations and actions of the characters.  Everything in the film seemed to have a brown filter over it.  Acting was alright, but nothing really award worthy.  I would say my favorite part of the whole package was the package itself.  The cover art and description is what drew me in and sparked my interest, leaving me quite unsatisfied at the end.

Jovivoch's repeated boob flashes was un needed in my opinion as well.  I would guess it was in there to help emphasize that she was a sexoholic, but I do think it could have been done in other ways with the same results.  The film felt as if it skimped on the character and relationship development of everyone except De Niro's character.  Much more could have been done in this area and made the film way better than it ended up.

All in all a pretty generic drama film.  I am giving Stone a 2 star rating.  I do feel a bit harsh with that, but then again there was nothing really good about it that sticks out.  If you are a big drama fan, and you are short of films on the list or need something last minute, add it to your instant queue and it may be worth checking out.  Ciao for now and see you for the next review!