Review of Tape (2001) by Elaine M — 26 Feb 2009

Home movie style drama set in real time, in one room, with only three characters, and all they do is talk. Considering his history, I would think that if anyone could pull off and make interesting such a dull premise, it would be Richard Linklater, who has never needed any more than a script to make a first class film.

However, the fact that Linklater is the director and had nothing to do with the scripting whatsoever, is glaringly obvious right from the start. He got three big FILM stars to take on THEATRE roles, and that doesn't work at all in this film.

They were going for an unsettlingly realistic style, but it ends up seeming like a wannabe Hollywood 'Indie for adults' made with cheap-ass filming equipment. Thurman, Hawke, and R S Leonard are all very good actors, but they just couldn't deliver much at all here.

If you're going to adapt a play into a film, you have to actually adapt it, not just film it, and this was just like watching a play on screen. It's not terrible by any means, and the idea is kind of fun- I mean how often do you get to hear a conversation that goes "I did rape you!" "No you didn't!" "Yes I did!" "No you didn't!" Overall though, it's a weak piece from Linklater (definite proof that he should only direct his own films), and the ending is really lame.

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