A wasted opportunity, that falls way short of the mark!
I loved the premise...hated everything else.
I can't quite put my finger on it, but something just wasn't right. I believe this could of been a great film, if they'd kept the same plot, but just executed it differently. Mainly, I don't feel that it needed to be set in the 80's...it could of quite easily be set in the present day. I had to watch a training DVD for a job I started last year, so it's not like they stopped making them in the 80's. Also, they could of incorporated today's tech into the storyline to improve it a bit...mobile phones etc. And for a film supposedly 'following a cop on his duties for a year', it sure is boring (even for Middletown). He could of quite easily just have been a pen pusher from social services.
The good = The premise
The bad = The execution, the 80's aesthetic, the cast, the narrator, not a single likeable character, scenes dragged on for far too long, man claiming to be 30 looking nearer 50, girl claiming to be 16 looking nearer her mid-20's, the 'Stepford wife', the lead character's annoying 'C-3P0' voice, the lack of direction, the list goes on.
This could of been so much better if they'd made some simple adjustments to what they already had, for example: in the 'comedic' scenes (most of which fall flat), the lead says "AB"...but if he had said "ABC" instead, it would of been funnier. It's like they start to go somewhere with an idea, but only go halfway and stop...leaving the viewer unsatisfied and unfulfilled. They same applies to the 'action' scenes...characters do 'XY', but if they had done 'XYZ' instead, the scene would of been better. Some might say that would make the film too predictable, but I'd much rather watch a predictable film that I enjoy, than an unpredictable one that I don't.
Maybe I'm missing the whole point of the movie, but the purpose of leaving a review, is to let others know what 'MY EXPERIENCE' of the film was. That is what I've done.
Summary: Interesting idea, poorly executed. Just about watchable, wouldn't recommend.
