Imperfections

I'm a huge film buff and have seen many crime/heist films in my day, however, one that stands out the most is a new movie I watched called Imperfections. It's a comedy/crime thriller that is sure to keep you at the edge of your seat the whole time! The story line is centered around a struggling actress named Cassidy who is at her wits end when it comes to getting a job. It isn't until her mom, Val, comes home from a date one night with a job opportunity at a diamond importer business in Chicago that she decides to get herself back on track. However, while at this new job she meets the owners son, Alex, who shares his get rich quick scheme with her in order to help pay off some debt, which sends the movie in an exciting new direction. I think that the directors did a great job making each character as realistic as possible, and the cinematography was excellent. My favorite aspect of the film has to be the comedic relief that pops up unexpectedly from scene to scene, to give the audience a break from the thrilling narrative. All in all, I loved this movie and highly recommend keeping it on your radar!

"Imperfections" is a black comedy of sorts that stars Virginia Kull as Cassidy, a down on her luck actress who can't seem to make her dreams come true or balance her life out at all. After getting laid off she decides to crash with her mother, Val, played by Marilu Henner. Cassidy's mother gives her a business card for a small jewelry shop that's hiring. Cassidy decides to go and is immediately hired by the shop's manager, Barry, played by Ed Begley Jr., and his son Alex, played by Ashton Holmes. Cassidy's job is to carry a small package of diamonds to her destination and hand over the diamonds, nothing illegal. It turns out Alex is in a bit of trouble when he's in debt and owes this guy some money. So Alex and Cassidy come up with a scheme to screw the insurance company into giving them money by staging a fake robbery with Cassidy having fake diamonds on her, but it's not that simple...

Now I saw this film at the 52nd International Film Festival this year, plus it was shot in Chicago as well. Sadly to say this is my least favorite film of the festival, not saying it's bad, but it could've been better than what it was.

I'll start with the positives, the acting is overall good, there's semi interesting characters, the story is overall entertaining, and the cinematography is as good as it's going to be. Other than that I can't really say much for the film.

Now the negatives. This film is okay, it's an okay film and it's okay for a film to be that, but I can't help but feel the film could've been better. I personally did not care for any of the characters except for the character of Ray, Cassidy's former boyfriend in the movie played by Zach McGowan. McGowan gave the best performance out of the entire film and he was by far the most interesting and entertaining character of the film. A lot of the jokes in the film fell flat, the film didn't have any clever jokes except for a couple and some slapstick humor as well. The first half of the film felt like the director was trying to find his footing, and the story seemed very unclear of where it was going. A lot of scenes in the film felt like they were cut when there was clearly more to the scene/some choppy editing. And I can't forget the microphone that kept appearing on the top of the screen which was very distracting and obvious, good job editor.

The film really picked up for me at around the halfway mark, but at that exact same time I felt like the film switched genres. The film originally started off as a comedy about a down on her luck actress, and then turned into a detective mystery, drama comedy film. Now the film has some pretty tense scenes which were very well done and I enjoyed very much, and there were some pretty laugh out loud scenes as well, but there were so few of those scenes that the film just felt flat. Many scenes felt like they went on for a little too long or just had no real importance except to get a chuckle from the audience.

Overall "Imperfections" is a pretty average film that I can go on forever about how it could've worked better, but I'll just take it for what it is. "Imperfections" is a cute comedy that just felt a little flat for me, and I wish it could've been executed better on so many levels.

After reading all the reviews that thought this was a funny movie I start wondering if there's something wrong with my sense of humor as I didn't laugh once, not even a small grin. And I normally smile and laugh a lot in life, so maybe I didn't get the humor in Imperfections. To me it was just a boring movie, one that I will forget everything about it by tomorrow. Even the crime part feels bland and the twist towards the end is so obvious that I can't imagine anybody being surprised by it. The acting is average, perfect for a tv-movie, and that's how Imperfections looks like, a tv-movie.

From the great cinematography and tracking shots, to the amazing use of color and lighting, to the writing Imperfections is a great drama with some comedy and romance giving it something everyone will love. Imperfections is set in the city of Chicago that follows a struggling actress named Cassidy. Similar to the feel of the TV show Shameless, in order of her to continue to follow her dreams she comes across a business deal that isn't quiet legal. In making the decision to go along with this deal, she has to grown up and makes hard decisions that affect people other than her, including the ones she loves. This film captures the defining moment is a struggling millennials life that resonates with the current problems that millennials are facing. Besides the great cinematography, lighting, and music used throughout the film, Imperfections managed to attain a great and well-rounded cast. It has actors such as Zach McGowan who is well known from his work in The 100, Shameless, Black Sails, and Agents of SHIELD, Ed Begley Jr from Veronica Mars, Virginia Kull from Broadwalk Empire and HBO's Big Little Lies, and Marilu Henner from Taxi and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. This 'dramady ' with a touch of romance is all-around a great movie that I recommend to anyone looking for a good drama that makes you laugh.

Looking for an exciting heist comedy? Imperfections is the film for you. Channeling The Big Lebowski, David Singer's film is full of offbeat characters diving into a world of crime they aren't exactly sure of how to be in. Virginia Kull (Boardwalk Empire)'s Cassidy is a struggling actress who takes a job working at a diamond store. When her and her boss' son (Revenge's Ashton Holmes) decide to fake a robbery and take the insurance money, things get out of hand. Cassidy finds herself falling back in love with her ex-boyfriend and would be patsy, Ray (a scene-stealing Zach McGowan of Shameless), tangled up with real criminals and handling her mother's relationship with her boss (a delightful pairing of Taxi's Marilu Henner and St. Elsewhere's Ed Begley Jr.). The plot twists and turns as they lie and flirt with each other and the result is a very entertaining crime-caper that leaves you guessing until the end. Fantastic performances really bring to life a script full of witty banter and dry humor. Some inspired camera work, including a couple of great tracking shots, compliments the acting nicely and keeps the film moving. Imperfections plot is well-paced and takes time to introduces complexities to the characters that really pay off. Ed Begley Jr.'s character had a lot of layers to him that I found interesting, but won't reveal to avoid spoiling anything. This is a very well-crafted and fun heist film that packs a little bit of everything. Imperfections is worth the watch.