The Pallbearer

Although I am watching this movie at this moment I am certain it is stable enough to comment on. The film is somewhat of a parody on relationships and relationship movies. The acting, scenes and writing are quite good. At some times this movie makes points, however it is mostly a silly movie to be enjoyed. More a movie to mellow on, it would be best to rent other films and use this film in between blockbusters. Pleasant would best describe this film with easy music and nice scenes and lots of scene changes it carries well. Somewhat nostalgic in feeling. A special mix here is the good fortune of Tom Thompson (David Schwimmer) that his actions are always amplified as altruistic. Be sure not to expect this to be the "everything, drivemecrazy" film because it is not, yet in this film everything plays off of Tom who as all fabled heroes may have his troubles when others realize his true actions. Some sexual content with very little violence.

Maybe you need low expectations to enjoy anything about this movie--I actually had very few at all except that I remember it being called a "dark comedy"at the time of its release. Well, dark comedies can be very well done and extremely funny, Doctor Strangelove and Harold and Maude come to mind. Unfortunately "The Pallbearer" doesn't deliver--there are some moments which are undeniably funny, though the eulogy mentioned in the tag line wasn't one of them. The plot is a little thin to hang a movie on, in fact it might have been better done as an episode of "Friends," about twenty minutes could have handled the whole thing.

There's an immense amount of filler here--long, excruciating shots of David Schwimmer and his goofy expression as he tries to pretend he knows the poor loser from high school, recently deceased, that he can't remember, but is asked to act as pallbearer for.

Everyone in this movie seems to be in one form of pain or another--Paltrow keeps repeating how she "has to leave," but really doesn't explain why, in fact part of the plot seems to be her inability to explain why. Those who like romantic comedies should stay away, for those who like just plain dark comedies might want to look elsewhere as well; question is whether a couple of funny moments in an otherwise dull bleak movie is worth the time.

"The Pallbearer", a schizophrenic cross-genre muddling of comedy, drama, and romance with idiosyncratic characters and a thin, marginally interesting story. Schwimmer is at the center of this slow moving, somewhat quirky flick about a young man who lives with his mother (Bosco anyone?) and courts a demure unassured girl (Paltrow) while having an affair with an older woman (Hershey). Most will find it difficult to get their head into this off-kilter story and its subtle tongue-in-cheek humor though it remains loyal to its purpose throughout...whatever that may be.

This is a romantic comedy about a young man who is thrown through a roller coaster when he is asked to be a pallbearer at the funeral of a high school classmate he doesn't remember, and, in the process, runs into his high school crush.

As with many romantic comedies, in this movie, people meet, date, fall in love, make love, break-up and try to go on with their lives. There is a lack of suspense and intrigue in this movie, but some character development and heartfelt moments. The mediocre acting, though, made this a not-so-funny flick. If you're a fan of romantic comedies, it won't hurt to look for others.

Grade D+

The tone of this film is really difficult to convey on paper. It manages to successfully capture the elusive appeal that David Schwimmer has from time to time; it's easy for his sad-sack personality to grow annoying and pathetic, but this script managed to walk that line. The scenes of embarrassment and shame never seem overdone or cheap, and serve the story well. I especially like the down-to-earth, realistic beauty that Gwyneth Paltrow always brings to a role; she never seems like a movie star playing a real person. Because of Schwimmer's brief tenure as a star with buzz, this was seen as a box office failure, but it was never the kind of movie likely to rake in huge bucks. For what it is, a small, thoughtful, offbeat romantic comedy, The Pallbearer is a winner.