Columbus Circle (2012)

Pretty Good

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

This is an incredibly original movie nothing like it before. I can relate to this as a person who enjoys his privacy and alone time.

There is a general rule of thumb that the more characters have to explain story elements, the less good the movie is. And this one certainly is in that category. The story had no real "snap" to it, but the characters kept things interesting enough to keep watching. It is a movie where no one is what they seem to be when we are first introduced to them.Selma Blair is simply Abigail. She lives in an expensive apartment at Columbus Circle in New York but never leaves and the shades are usually drawn to keep it dark inside. The man at the desk has never seen her even though he has been there several years. He communicates with her via notes under the door.It turns out she is heiress to a very large fortune, and tries to buy the apartment across the hall when it becomes vacant after the death of its elderly owner. But before she has a chance to a couple move in, Amy Smart as Lillian Hart and her boyfriend Jason Lee as Charles Stratford. They are a discomfort to Abigail right away, with their loud arguments, and she witnesses, via the peephole, Charles beating Lillian. So she does the neighborly thing, drags her into her own to comfort her.Giovanni Ribisi is Detective Frank Giardello who shows up to investigate the death of the elderly woman, he thinks it may not have been an accident when she fell from her upper floor to her death. Kevin Pollak is Klandermann, the man at the front desk. Beau Bridges is Abigail's doctor and old family friend Dr. Raymond Fontaine .It turns out that Abigail was not really her name, and almost everyone else was after her fortune. Many of the cast members were producers and/or writers for this movie. There is some good and some bad in that.SPOILERS: The couple that moved in were responsible for the elderly lady's death, as part of their ruse to get close to Abigail. The couple's fights were fakes, to gain access to her apartment, so they could install a spy bot on her computer to steal her banking password. They even killed Dr. Fontaine to keep him quiet. They planned to steal her millions and skip the country. But in a fake argument where the man was shot with blanks, Abigail "defended" Lillian, stabbing Charles to death. Later when Abigail discovered she had been duped she managed to transfer funds out of her account right as Lillian was at the bank to withdraw them, all that was left was $7.52. Her plan was foiled, her boyfriend was dead.

The story might be so predictable that it could actually hurt you, but the movie is still really entertaining. Maybe you have to have a little love (in you) for those kinds of thrillers, but the actors are giving their best with the material they have. Jason Lee might actually be the weak link here, but it's the character that doesn't seem to suit him. He tried something different, but I'm pretty sure most people will find him not convincing enough.You could read a bit of social critic in this I guess, if you wanted to, but I saw it more as an entertaining thriller than anything else. The ending might not be to everyone's taste (morally or otherwise), but I thought it was a nice fit.

Bravo to Kevin Pollack, who also co-wrote this refreshing mystery in the style of the Raymond Chandler stories of old. Selma Blair and Giovanni Ribisi (in my opinion one of the most underexposed and capable actors of recent years, re: The Other Sister, Boiler Room, Avatar, etc.) give plausible and perfectly tuned performances in this film. The supporting cast is exceptional. Jason Lee provides the audience with a new perspective on his already estimable talents, not falling back upon his comedic style. Pollack and Bridges, two actors whose abilities are well known, provide us with exceptional supporting characters, as do Jason Antoon and Amy Smart. Although the initial twenty minutes of the film are a bit slow, the action quickly picks up and the conclusion contains a refreshing twist. Cinematography and photography are excellent, and the film has a cohesive feel that provides the illusion of the first time, which is after all the point of acting. Rated PG-13 for language and violence, hats off to the director and writers for not falling into the "gratuitous sex scenes that so often accompany films of this nature. Collectible? Depends on your particular bent, but wouldn't rule it out. Watch it and decide for yourself.