Review of Arlington Road (1999) by Stephen M — 09 Mar 2008

This is a bit like a cross between "The 'Burbs" and "The Parallax View", only not as good as either. There's the kernel of a decent movie here, but "Arlington Road" is completely ruined by ham-fisted, over-emphatic direction, predictability and coincidental plotting.

The cleverness of the ending is cancelled out by its reliance on the uncertain manipulation of a patsy, a problem which "The Parallax View" tackled much more credibly. Also, Jeff Bridges' unhealthy interest in Tim Robbins is sparked by events so trivial that his character seems totally irrational, and it's difficult to sympathise with him.

I'm generally a big fan of Jeff Bridges, but he plays every scene here on the verge of emotional collapse, and becomes unintentionally hilarious after a while.