Rx

Nothing is more tiresome than wasting ninety minutes viewing a predictably vacuous hipster road flick. One finds it annoying having to come up with ten lines of text to critique this silly piece of fluff. RX is a low-rent Maria Full of Grace. This unimaginative film seems as though it was computer-programmed to appeal to a demographic weaned on stylish music videos and suburban dreams of transgression. The movie has a predictable look, a predictable sound track, a predictable bunch of characters and a predictable plot-line. Utterly forgettable, this product has a half-life of six months and is destined for the dustbin of the spent diversions of the global youth culture.

I'm not sure what "Rx" stands for, but in New Zealand, the film is released as "Simple Lies" which is an appropriate title, as lies are plentiful in this slick thriller in which three early-20 year-olds venture to Mexico with various intentions, mainly which involve getting drugs to take back to the States and sell for a profit.

Eric Balfour stars as Andrew, who has come into financial issues, and plans to buy drugs in Mexico to take back to the States and sell, which is unknown to his girlfriend, Melissa, played by Lauren German, who goes to Mexico with him, along with their friend Jonny (Colin Hanks) who knows the two drug dealers they are going to meet, while Melissa thinks they are going to Mexico just for a big party.

Without giving too much away, something goes horribly wrong on the way back to the States, so before they reach the border, they turn back into Mexico, where they return to the drug dealers, Pepe (Alan Tudyk) and Raul (Ori Pfeffer), which puts strain on the relationship between Andrew and Melissa. Our protagonists are forced to fight for their lives, resulting in a dramatic and tragic ending.

I say dramatic and tragic, because even though what Andrew does is morally wrong, he is still a very good person, as he does what he does for what he thinks are the right reasons. Balfour does a great job of conveying Andrew's plight, German and Hanks are both good in their roles, but Balfour is without a doubt the star of the film. The characters of the drug dealers Pepe and Raul are so incredibly annoying that I was practically cheering when they got their cometh-upeth. Overall, a very decent thriller which showcases Balfour's talents well.

This movie is an adventure, but not really a fun one. Most of the time it can be quite depressing, at least when the friends aren't on the run toward or away from something. There is humor, most of it provided by Pepe and his obviously gay friend (Pepe also seems gay but it's not as obvious). The friend seems German but the only name in the cast list that would seem to fit is Raul. Anyway, he's tough and strong despite his feminine behavior. These two would seem to be the most obvious reason to watch.

I know Colin Hanks from two TV roles: an uptight cop with a rebellious partner, and a fairly normal husband and father with a quirky wife, parents and siblings. Here, he has long hair and is somewhat reckless, but he is slightly more logical than his friend. It took me a while to recognize him (in his other roles he looks and talks just like his father), but he definitely shows signs of his father's talent here.

Lauren German also shows talent. Her character is the voice of reason but can't seem to get through to the others. She cares about them but the terrible situations they get themselves into upset her a lot. Still, she does her best to remain strong.

I'm not familiar with Eric Balfour but he does a good job as well. Andrew is one dangerous character and he's lucky to have Melissa.

I want to single out a cute little girl trying to raise money at the U. S.-Mexico border as well.

There was so much cursing sometimes I couldn't tell what was going on for all the interruptions in the sound, which of course were accompanied by obscured faces when it happened. But with the drug references we already knew this was not fit for family viewing. There is occasional violence as well.

There was music for just about every taste. I liked a lot of the Spanish language music and judging from the number of times I saw the word Mariachi in the credits, that must have been the style. Some of the other music I didn't care for.

If you like desert scenery with some green, there's plenty of that. I prefer lots more trees myself.

If you like adventure and can stand not to laugh too much, this might be for you.

Although headlined by a talented cast and set in the backdrop of the beautiful Mexican countryside, this film falls short of its goal. Although the director obviously holds high hopes of his film becoming a dark, gritty, drug-smuggling drama, he is too quick to protect a reputation he does not yet have, and instead "Rx" becomes a mediocre, unfeeling, eye-rolling soap opera. From the opening frames of our main characters dancing and laughing together on a ridge overlooking a sunrise to the rolling titles, this film is filled with one let down after another. Just when you think things are getting interesting, you are forced to sigh, roll your eyes, and check the timer on your DVD player to see when this agony will be over. The only redeemable quality within this film is the performance that comes from Mr.Eric Balfour, whose portrayal of Andrew, the kid who's smuggling drugs from Mexico to try an help out his parents, is emotional, believable, and quite frankly, the only thing that keeps this film afloat, at least until its disappointing and abrupt ending. All in all, "Rx" is made up of an unprovocative script fulfilled with unimaginative directing and unoriginal acting. Not a complete waste of time, I enjoyed it. But not an Oscar contender by any means.

I know the big struggles independent filmmakers often have trying to make movies, so I don't want to come across as a grouch concerning this movie. But quite frankly, I just don't think this movie succeeds. The main problem with the movie is the script. For starters, it is badly paced - the first half of the movie is really padded out, so much so that viewers will quickly become impatient by the movie's seeming reluctance to throw in some kind of conflict. The second half of the movie is a little more successful, with big problems coming up for the protagonists and a few scenes of (mild) suspense. But ultimately, this half of the movie does not succeed because of another problem with the screenplay - the protagonists are annoying. They fail to generate even a little bit of sympathy from the audience, being stupid and law-breakers. I will admit that the movie even during its first (slow) half is not boring, and it looks good for what was a rock bottom budget. But ultimately, there seems to be no point to this movie. It isn't insightful, it isn't really all that entertaining, and it's only slightly more engaging than watching a blank wall for 85 minutes.