streabbog

How did Adrien Brody win best actor when he couldn't even convincingly "fake play" the piano? Every time he sat down at the piano, I rolled my eyes and felt so embarrassed for him: here goes again the utterly ridiculous head sways and the faulty positioning of the hands on the keyboard! The scene in which he plays for the Nazi guy was the most hilarious: The Nazi is supposed to be "inspired" and "touched" by his playing, but because Brody looks so awful, all one can think about is how truly awful it must have sounded while filming; there was no suspension of disbelief. Brody has been awarded for FAILING--that's totally unfair! If you want a truly inspiring and believable performance, then watch "Shine". Geoffrey Rush does a spectacular job at pseudo-playing the piano--he won't make you cringe or laugh in embarrassment.

Perhaps it doesn't seem like such a big deal to a lot of people, but I was completely turned off by how *badly* the actor faked at playing the piano. It's like he never ever saw someone playing the piano in his life! The film became pure comedy for me when watching the scenes with his piano teacher. It wasn't as bad as Adrien Brody's fake playing, but it was still noticeable enough to make me question what the director was thinking. Is it so hard to find an actor who can actually *play* the piano? I'm just thankful the main character wasn't a violinist or cellist (can you imagine how horrible that would be...it would be pinky fingers going in all directions...) Gosh darnit, you actors! If you're going to fake-play an instrument, be believable!

I would have given this film a "10" if all the scenes with Miranda July were cut out. I hope this doesn't become a pattern for her like Woody Allen (I would enjoy his films if he weren't in any of them!) The scene in which Ms. July is riding in a car with a passenger and they're trying to save a little girl's "pet" (it's near the beginning of the movie). That scene is the worst! July's acting is so stilted and the dialog in that scene is cloying (every scene that she is in is execrable...) Thank god the other parts redeemed the rest of the film: the unique score, the storyline that connects the diverse characters, the unselfconscious acting... Overrall the film is both hilarious and poignant.