Review of Duck (2005) by Josh G — 27 Jul 2008

Philip Baker Hall has made a career out of playing men who are rough on the outside, but falling apart on the inside. With Duck, he's still playing that character... but the rest of the world thinks he's cracking on the outside, too.

It's a sweet, kind of sentimentally sad story. Arthur, following the death of his wife and son, finds himself alone. The park where he spent his youth with his family is going to be torn down to make room for -- what else? -- a strip mall. Before Arthur can off himself, though, he runs across a lost duckling. The duck has lost its family, Arthur has lost his family: they are destined to be together.

Sounds great, doesn't it? It really ought to have been. Philip Baker Hall for the drama, the duck for the laughs. It's the perfect buddy movie.

Unfortunately, Duck is hampered severely by not having any clear destination, and by the terrible dialogue. Arthur does decide that he wants to go to the beach; a lot of the movie involves his travelling and the colorful(?) characters he meets along the way. These characters get to know Arthur for about twenty minutes, and are apparently so transformed by his smooth-talking that they become the best of friends. If I were a suicidal French Stewart, it would be difficult for me to argue against Hall's point that living a good life, as opposed to suicide, will really show the bastards. It's such a unique perspective!

I'm sorry for the sarcasm. What I mean to say is that these characters that show up are inconsequential, their problems resolved with trite "wisdom", and the pay-off of all of it is... well, there isn't really any.

Philip Baker Hall has proven in the past to be a brilliant actor (Secret Honor). While he does manage to make a few scenes here spark, a lot of the movie feels very false and lifeless. The script is the main problem, but Hall -- in a very rare leading role -- is mostly just coasting through the film.

Duck has a great soundtrack, some beautiful cinematography, and a talented lead actor. It's amazing, then, that it still manages to be such a waste of time. The movie is mostly disappointing.