Review of Hits (2014) by Beth S — 11 Jun 2015

I really don't like saying that something could have been a lot worse, but I have found that phrase to be particularly applicable to this film. Throughout the film I found myself waiting in nervous anticipation for somebody to drop a nauseatingly stupid one-liner, for Dave to pull an "Assault on Wall Street", or for the director to cram some blowhard cultural "lesson" down my throat. But none of that happened. I admit that I was a bit surprised.

It is quite obvious that Hits has its flaws. Plenty of them. It takes a too broad perspective that, although allowing the audience to meet more characters, prevents full, well-rounded character development and often pulls attention away from the plot. There were plenty of opportunities to go deeper or ask tougher questions which were not taken advantage of. Some of the scenes are a bit silly and quite unnecessary, and there is of course the blatant yet hackneyed underlying political messages which unless carefully executed (clumsy, in this case) are sure to cause some uncomfortable conversations after the movie, once again playing that old broken record of "you're a really inconsiderate jerk" and demanding that apologies be sent via text message late into the night after your significant other slams the door in your face. Yeah, it could be one of those.

But there are some good things. I found myself chuckling, even laughing, on several occasions. The characters, although mostly underdeveloped, are believable and every single one of them reminded me of someone I know. The plot is not uniquely interesting or original, but it is more complex than a trashy satirical cultural meltdown flick (see "Assault on Wall Street", although omit the part about satire. If only the film industry was so fortunate). At worst, it's decent entertainment with a little bite.

Not too awfully bad for a directorial debut, not particularly engaging or unique, I was a bit uncertain about whether I actually liked it or not. Mr. Eminem junior (just watch the darn movie if you don't know what I'm talking about. And by movie, I mean 8 Mile [just kidding]) really got under my skin. He reminded me of me too much, but he was also too stupid. I almost felt sorry for the poor loser. But aren't I supposed to be relating to the main characters like Dave and Katelyn? The broad perspective strikes again!

I didn't mean to give it three stars but I hit a pot hole while I was writing this in the car and my hand slipped, gliding along the screen of my Galaxy to the end of the third star. Poetic justice? Probably not.