Review of The Air I Breathe (2007) by Hugo S — 03 Nov 2009

THE AIR I BREATHE (2008).

Dir. Jieho Lee.

Cast. Brendan Fraser, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Andy GarciaAn ancient Chinese proverb breaks life down into what is supposed to be the ultimate four strongest emotions. Happiness. Pleasure. Sorrow. Love. So the film is separated in four short films, if you will, with characters all at some point playing small parts, or bigger, in someone else's story.Forest Whitaker is Happiness. A business man who went to school all his life to finally have a job that supposedly makes him happy, but it doesnt. For some reasons, he decides to take risks and bet money on a horse, that is really going to win, according to some of his colleagues. The horse doesnt and he find himself owing a lot of money to Fingers, a bad guy. That will bring him to rob a bank, he'll finally feel alive and will make him happy.There are three more stories like that, involving Brendan Fraser as Pleasure, A man working for Fingers who happens to be able to see in the short future. Sarah Michelle Gellar is Sorrow, a Britney-style pop star who has been bought by, guess who, Fingers. Last, and least, we have Kevin Bacon as Love. A doctor who tries to do all he can when his best friend's wife is about to die, he is in love with her.The Air I breathe had so much potential but it was all wasted cause of a lack of talent in the writing. Its only 90 minutes long, there is no time to develop any of the characters or make the audience care for their quests. There are also some ridiculous things, like when in the fourth part, Kevin Bacon has to find someone with a rare blood type that doesnt even exists in real life.The directing is bt too stylish without spending time with the emotions of the characters. Its weird how a film about emotions never manages to make the audience feel anything on that level.The acting is alright, even though there seems to be some miscasting and some tired performances. A good idea badly handled and executed but its not terrible, its pretentious though and it stays on the average level all the way. Could have been better.