Review of Wicker Park (2004) by Clintus M — 12 Nov 2014

The character Alex states, "Love makes you do crazy things, insane things..." and that statement in a way summarizes this tale of love and obsession. Set in a cold, snowy Chicago winter, Wicker Park is about the lying and deception at the heart of obsessive relationships. It's about the lengths the characters will go to in order to pursue love at first sight. This film is hard to follow at times; the viewer has to wait patiently for explanations, and whether the payoff is worth it is debatable. I enjoyed the film for the most part, though it's not without flaws.

Josh Hartnett's character is completely smitten, obsessed with Diane Kruger's character, which I understand-I've loved her since the first time I saw her. Hartnett is competent at playing awkwardly shy yet tenacious, but I would have liked to have seen an actor more capable of emotional depth. Matthew Lillard, too is miscast. He plays Hartnett's goofy friend, and he's a better actor than Hartnett but he wasn't right for this. Rose Byrne's Alex is the most interesting character, and she's the most convincing actor. Appropriately she wears a mask during her Shakespeare performance within this film, just as she figuratively wears a mask-perfect symbolism.

The movie culminates in an insane coincidence-fest at a restaurant, and the ending is corny as well. It is Hitchcockian, this series of coincidences about desperation and obsession. To borrow a line from one of the characters, it's both creepy and hot. Although I'm not a sucker for love stories, I couldn't turn it off, so I give Wicker Park a qualified recommendation.