Keep Your Distance

I was fortunate to catch this at a sneak preview in Los Angeles and was very nicely surprised. Pollard has created a sure-footed send-up of modern romance and what happens when devotion goes over the edge. Camera-work and settings around Kentucky were beautiful, creating a different spin from the constant romance-in-a-big-town-between-overeducated-professionals genre we all know too well.

Story splits its time between David (Gil Bellows of "Ally McBeal" & "Shawshank Redemption"), a popular (and married) local radio talk-show host and Melody (Jennifer Westfeldt of "Kissing Jessica Stein"), an attractive pharmaceutical saleswoman traveling through town to see her boyfriend, Sean (Christian Kane, "Angel" & "Friday Night Lights"). David meets Melody by chance after she humiliates Sean by turning down his very public marriage proposal. As a friendship develops between the two, we learn than Sean's not going to give up so easily on Melody and that David's perfect life as upstanding pillar of the community may not be what it seems...

Pollard deftly moves between romance, satire and unfolding mystery without ever letting his story run low on gas. The storyline is tight and the dialog is witty, funny and crisp. Realistic characters have to work around their warts, which creates a very funny commentary on marriage, dating and romantic obsession. Jennifer Westfeldt is particularly good at making a lot out of her neurotic beauty Melody, and she does look good here. Very nice use of multiple subplots and supporting characters (including "Mike Hammer" Stacy Keach and Elizabeth Pena of "Jacob's Ladder"). The story will keep you guessing until the last shot.

Good solid entertainment- keep an eye out for director Pollard in the future. 8/10

Although I still think that Pollard's first movie (Nice Guys Sleep Alone) takes the cake in my book, Keep Your Distance was a thrilling mystery, that will keep anyone who likes trying to crack codes and solve mysteries on their toes. Pollard did a great job of integrating the city of Louisville (from the well-known skyscrapers seen in the skyline to the best ice cream place in town) into his movie - anyone who loves Louisville should definitely see this movie. Acting was well done, cinematography was visibly improved from Nice Guys, and, all in all, it's definitely a film worth seeing. The unexpected twists in the story kept coming, and the way the film unraveled itself towards the end made everything come together comprehensively.

Was very impressed with this indie film that looked and felt like such a "big budget" effort. Gil Bellows is fabulous as the lead. He plays a man with a charmed life whose world gets rocked by an anonymous interloper. The veneer cracks for several of the leading characters, who seem to lead charmed lives as well. The beautiful socialite wife. The trust fund baby and his powerful father. The plot is clever. A mystery meticulously crafted to keep you engaged to the end. Loved the music, too. Bravo to Stu Pollard's second big film effort. I liked "Nice Guys Sleep Alone" but "Keep Your Distance" catapults Pollard into a different league for film-making.

This film was a very pleasant surprise. I must say that I went in expecting much less than I got. It's quick-paced and fairly short, so it barely feels like you've spent any time in the theater at all. Nice, quick little thrill ride. And, the ending! Wow. Who would've ever guessed that... Well, you should definitely see it for yourself. It's wonderful how you walk away from this one rethinking how much you trust everyone! Friends, family, coworkers, everyday acquaintances. You may never look at your loved ones the same way again. I was up at the RIIFF in Providence and happened to catch this there. The acting, the music, the cinematography, the fitting bits of humor - all near perfect. I highly recommend checking it out if you have the chance. If nothing else, hopefully the DVD will be along soon enough!

I have a strong suspicion that many of the glowing reviews for this film come from shills. If not, then I'm baffled. As my friend said, "There went ninety minutes that I'll never get back."

The best part of the film is the title sequence, which was very slick and set the right suspenseful mood. After that, things went quickly downhill. The acting is workmanlike, the script is full of clumsy dialogue, and the direction is riddled with embarrassing clichés. (For instance, during the final showdown, which of course takes place in a dark house during a thunderstorm, we are treated to a flash of lightning suddenly revealing the silhouette of someone on the doorstep -- twice!)

"Keep Your Distance" tries to be a character-driven suspense film, but the problem is that the characters are insubstantial and unlikable and there is no suspense. I knew who the culprit was from the beginning, simply due to Ebert's "law of economy of characters," but I didn't know why. At the end of the film, I still didn't know why. The clues that we are given, when they are finally deciphered by the characters, turn out to be mostly irrelevant.