Review of Pretty Persuasion (2005) by Cory B — 05 Dec 2008

I can say with great certainty that this is Evan Rachel Wood's best performance. Unfortunately, that performance is stuck in bad movie. The term 'bad movie,' though, is a little harsh. I liked a lot of things it tried to be, but there in lay it's problem; it tried to be way too many things at once, and couldn't focus on a single direction.

In some cases, it works to have multiple genres and themes, but not here. What we have is a Mean Girls wannabe that's actually a dreadful con game of vengence, revenge, and deceit that's actually a soapbox for tales about racism, sexism, feminism, and, golly, I could go on and on.

The latter makes me think, though. The film was extremely racist, sexist, etc., but it doesn't beat you over the head with the fact that it's bad. It tries to tackle a bigger agenda, but it's satirical feel and direction leads you to a point of not taking it seriously.

There's A LOT of choice lines that will stay with me, such as "Kathy, do you fuck dogs?," among others. James Woods is so over-the-top it's awesome, and Jaime King playing his wife is even funnier.

Jane Krakowski as the muckraking reporter is equally hilarious because she plays such a bimbo on 30 Rock; watching her be dramatic is just great... especially since she's playing a dyke. Ron Livingston is nothing to write home about as the victim, but Selma Blair plays his smoking-hot wife.

Wood's character Kimberley, Harnois' Brittany, and the Randa character create a sort of 'Big Lebowski' style dynamic, comparing them to The Dude, Walter, and Donny; it's a stretch, I know.

Wood plays vindictive so well, it makes me overlook most of the film's pitfalls. I'll say I really enjoyed it; I laughed out loud, I was shocked, and I 'got' the message. But, it was an extremely messy film.