Don McKay

"Don McKay" is marketed as an edgy thriller, that's probably because they had no idea how to categorize it.

The movie begins as a cross between a romantic drama, a character study, and a dark thriller. Don McKay, played brilliantly by Thomas Haden Church, returns to his hometown by a letter from his high school girlfriend, Sunny (Elisabeth Shue). That's the romantic drama aspect. But we quickly learn that there's something not quite right about Sunny, there's something not quite right with most people in the town, and McKay has dark secrets to his past. We are always on the lookout for creepy turns and shadows around every corner. Those are the dark thriller aspects.

It seems as if it's going to be a character study, but its really not about McKay himself. It's ultimately plot-driven and the mysterious problems that McKay gets himself into. I was riveted throughout.

I actually highly recommend "Don McKay" because it's cleverly written to throw its audience off-guard, it's completely original, and these film-makers know what they are doing. And no matter what genre you decide it is by the end, it won't be what you thought it was at the beginning.

I thought the movie "Don McKay" was something entirely different than it actually was. Maybe because I had just briefly glanced over the description on the back, so I had formed a wrong impression.

Well, this movie was somewhat of a rather slow, painful process to get through. The start of the movie was promising, introducing the character in a nice way and slowly building up to something promising. And as the viewer you knew something was amiss. Then the movie suddenly started to get confusing. I am sure the makers of the movie thought their story was a good and exciting one, but the end product turned out as a confusing mess.

Throughout the movie, you sit there and gawk at the half-hearted acting performances and the dull dialogues. You never really buy into believing in what is portrayed on the screen, as the whole picture just doesn't work together in any way. However, I have to say one thing, Thomas Haden Church did a wonderful performance of portraying the gray and boring character of Don McKay. I thought he worked quite well in this role.

The characters in the movie were well enough fleshed out. Very nice and screwed up characters, that had potential, but failed to shine through because of the acting was below mediocre.

The one good thing about the movie, was when Don revealed the ultimate truth towards the ending. Now that was a nice surprising twist to an otherwise confusing and halting story. I liked that part, it worked quite well. The rest of the movie, well not so much.

I had thought this to be somewhat more of a thriller, but ended up with a lukewarm story that took forever to be told. Definitely not a movie I recommend that you pick up, unless you are bored, fanatically fan of any of the actors/actresses, or if you just have nothing better to do. There are lots of other movies out there with far more entertainment value.

Thomas Haden Church stars as the soft-spoken and slow-moving (but not necessarily slow-witted) titular character in this surprisingly entertaining black comedy.

Why do I say surprising? Oh, because it faded quickly into oblivion and has such a low score here at IMDb. And I admit that I at first had trouble getting into the film's weird (and I don't think always intentionally so) rhythm. Like a lot of black comedies, it takes time to establish its tone and cue you in on what you should and shouldn't be finding funny. Unfortunately, Church isn't up to the task of being our confident guide. His attempts to play Don McKay, a janitor who's summoned back to his hometown by a dying ex-girlfriend, as a shuffling and seemingly dim bulb come across instead as stiff and baffled. But the film is saved by playful performances by Elisabeth Shue, as this sordid crime film's femme fatale, and especially Melissa Leo, as a suspicious nurse who channels Judith Anderson from Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca." It's up to these two, who are clearly having a ball with their roles, to get the film and us firmly into the black comedy spirit, and once they do so, the film plays as a quirky and entertaining bit of fun.

Grade: B

I went to see "Don McKay" with some friends last night; it wasn't really on my movie radar because there hasn't been a big ad campaign, but it was thoroughly entertaining! I didn't really know what to expect; it appeared to be a thriller and although I would categorize it as that, I was surprised at how funny it was.

Seriously, the whole audience seemed to be caught up in the plot - the pace and the twists and turns leave you a little breathless at times, but belly-laughing as well. I'm actually considering seeing it again since it's one of those movies that you might want to re-watch and "look for clues."

Thomas Haden Church is perfect as Don the lonely janitor leading a solitary mundane life, pining for his lost love. He has an expressive face that is compelling as he is in turns beguiled, curious, confused, frustrated, and desperate.

Elisabeth Shue as Sunny is a complete wackadoo, I don't know how else to put it… she is manipulative to the extreme and it's entertaining to see her in action, turning on the charm and wrapping Don around her finger. She takes full advantage of Don's vulnerability; it seems at times Don is vaguely aware of being played, but is enjoying the attention of this sexy creature so much that he willingly goes along for the ride.

Melissa Leo appears as Sunny's uptight and prim caregiver. If you've seen her in other films, just the sight gag of her character is amusing enough, but I daresay that she delivers some of the best lines in the film.

There are several character actors whom I recognized as "that guy! I love him - he was so great in…" who fill out the cast. They may not be household names, but you've seen them countless times before. I especially liked Keith David as Otis but they all delivered solid performances.

I don't want to give too much of the plot away, but suffice it to say that there is a lot of double-crossing going on. Although the viewer may be wondering what the hell is going on in the middle, everything becomes clear by the final act.

I love Elizabeth Shue but what happened in this movie???? The acting was ordinary and whilst I understand it is a comedy or black comedy as some have suggested, it never really hits the spot. She seems very wooden in the movie and I was disappointed in her performance. I expected so much more. The plot is weak and never really gets there in my opinion. I had a few little laughs here and there although nothing side splitting. The woman who plays Shue's "housekeeper" or whatever she is supposed to be looks very familiar, however her name is not familiar to me. The old guy who plays the taxi driver is a great "character" actor and he is probably the best of the lineup.