Review of Manic (2001) by Teddy V — 05 Sep 2012

I really hate to bash this movie, because it seems to be a genuine attempt to document or comment on the issues facing modern adolescents, though it was made more than ten years ago. I just can't get past the fact that all of these actors have done so much more in other films, even Zooey Deschanel, who let's admit isn't all that great a performer.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and especially Don Cheadle are however, and while they probably did as much as they could with what they had to work with, it still doesn't make for a really great film. Finally, of all the shaky-cam pseudo-documentary still movies I've seen, this one takes the prize for most annoyingly shaky, to the nth degree.

Seriously it's like the cinematographer was horking rails of coke between triple espressos during each take. It was almost enough to get me to throw in the towel within the first twenty minutes or so, but the story was just enough to keep me interested.

(Don't even get me started on the fact that the film essentially takes place in a quasi-mental institution and the main character's roommate is Native American. Anyone else see the derivation?).