Cleopatra's Second Husband

usually a movie that starts bad stays bad in a monotonically descending pattern. This bad movie started to seem to get better before going into a steep dive. The acting, save for the male antagonist, was awful. The plot was essentially a set up for the final main scene, which is probably good as performance art, but it was wasted in this movie. Not sure why this movie was made.

jon reiss gained some notoriety when he directed nine inch nail's controversial 'happiness is slavery' video. as a nin fan, i managed to track down a copy of that film back in the mid 90s. it struck me, and much of the imagery really hit a nerve. i made a note of reiss' name, and noticed when his videos would hit mtv. he always had an eye for powerful, visceral imagery.

when i saw his name on this film, i eagerly checked it out. reiss brings that same eye, plus a very solid understanding of human relationships, to bear on this, his non documentary feature debut. this film really hits the mark in a lot of ways, telling an unusual, if altogether human story, about completely real and deeply developed characters. its the kind of film critics are always clamoring for, but that we rarely see. it takes a rare talent, and a brave soul, to sail these uncharted waters. thank goodness reiss had the courage to take the ride. we have one exceptional film from that experience.

keep an eye out for jon reiss. he has a unique POV, and one that many people would connect with if they make the effort to seek him out.

"Cleo's Second Husband" is an amateurish attempt at psychodrama with more to fault than to praise. The plot is hacked, the story monotonous, the acting poor, the execution second rate, etc. Not worth the time unless maybe your a relative of one of the actors. PU! (D)

Don't let the modicum of modest praise this movie received fool you. If you simply check the outside of the box you'll see the caliber of people who enjoyed this film; trust me, it's not company that you want to keep. This film is hindered by several flaws: a lack of interesting script, poor cinematography, dreadfully underdeveloped and ultimately hateful characters, uninteresting plot, poor pacing, and a miserable score. If none of these features are important to you then Cleopatra's Second Husband might be appealing; however, if you have any respect whatsoever for the UCLA film school (where director Jon Reiss earned, somehow, his MFA), I would strongly suggest that you skip this one.

I recently saw this movie and I actually watched it because I've always liked Boyd Kestner. I was terribly disappointed. The movie is just one of the worst I've ever seen. I think this is the script Boyd should have buried under the coffee grounds in the garbage and left it there. It is just strange and bizarre.