Review of The Merry Gentleman (2008) by Ingvil R — 01 May 2009

I've been a Michael Keaton fan since Night Shift ("I'm an idea man!"), so I figured I'd give him a shot with his directorial debut. I've come away with mixed feelings, leaning positive.

Kelly Macdonald--who was terrific in the original U.K. "State of Play"--gives a real nice performance here, blending fear, sadness, kindness, and hope. Keaton's own performance is overly subdued.

I was impressed with unknown Tom Bastounes as the pesky police investigator. There's a nice air of loneliness to the film, and Keaton uses the setting--an unnamed grey, run-down, holiday-season Midwestern midsize city--to enhance that mood.

But the positives are undermined by a sloppy script and filmmaking that sometimes looks a little cheap. It's a solid effort, though, and I'll give them another point for having a police detective wear a not-referred-to yarmulke.