Movie Review:Time Out

Story: French director Laurent Cantet (Human Resources) delivers a challenging film for an American audience. This is most definitely not a Hollywood product. The premise is a middle class family man (married with three children) who gets fired from his job and fails to tell his family. He not only seems to thrive, but becomes animated and enlivened from the lies he tells from his days on the road in his new nonexistent job. The tension from the film comes from within the viewer's head...for virtually nothing really happens on the screen. This film is an interesting take on the creative approach that can happen when one is unemployed. Quel interesting...oh those French!

Acting: Aurelien Recoing as Vincent reminded me of Kevin Spacey on steroids. He was believable and powerful. He was practically in every scene. The rest of the cast was great as well.

Critters: None

Food: You'd think there would have been good food (it is a French film) - but alas, there was nothing but junk food, some champagne and cola.

Visual Art: Unmemorable landscapes.

Blatant Product Placement: Coca Cola

Soundtrack: A little creepy.

Opening Titles: None.

Theater Audience: Four men (perhaps pretending to be at work) and me (who was not pretending to be at work).

Quirky Meter: 3

Predictability Level: I did not really know where this film was going and enjoyed being lead all over the place from my American (un-French) point of view.

Oscar Worthy: Perhaps.

Nit Picking: It ran about 15 minutes too long. Maybe French time is different.

Big Screen or Rental: Rental would be fine but you would miss out on perhaps meeting Ethan Hawke in the movie theater, like I did today.

Length: 2hours 10 minutes.

LOBO HOWLS: 7