The Leisure Class (2015)

That was an excellent one.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

I got angry when I saw the result of this latest Project Greenlight effort, "The Leisure Class". After all the anguish and hand wringing shown during the 8 episodes of this PG mini-series, we get a major flop. I expected something better for all the time I spent watching this series. I felt cheated. This season was more like Project Redlight, if you ask me.First, the plot is as thin as toilet paper. I had no idea what was going on and had to make up my own plot line to make sense of what I was seeing. It's like the "Prince and the Pauper" meets "4 Weddings and a Funeral". This story has been told a thousand times before and ten thousand times better by others. Why do it again? There is zero character set up or development. I thought I had missed the entire first reel of the movie when it began. I kept asking my wife "who's that?", "who is that woman supposed to be?" Who is that guy and why is he saying that?". All I kept thinking was "huh?". This lack of coherent story is Screen writing 101 stuff that a major studio, HBO, missed before shooting? That's your comedy, right there! Then, the camera work and lighting was amateurish and dull. Almost the entire film was shot in the same framing and camera angle. The camera rarely moved. The direction was so morose, I forgot it was supposed to be a comedy. Comedy of errors, yes, but funny? No! Not one scene had any comedic flare or even a hint of humor. Imagine Kim Jung Un directing a comedy. It was stop and say your line, stop and say your line, on and on...boring.So, I cannot say if the actors were good or bad because the dialog and lack of story would make even De Niro look bad. But why did Jason Mann feel he needed British-accented actors for the two main character roles? There was nothing in the story that demanded a Brit. It's just another easy, thoughtless way to say "a classy guy" because we have been conditioned to associate an English accent with high class and education. But in this case, it was meaningless. Again, HBO, you bought this? I'm not sure why HBO allowed Jason Mann to get his way with his script, his re-writes, his demand for shooting on 35mm film vs HD digital Cinema equipment. But, it all seems to be part of HBO's ham-fisted way of showing how "tough" it is to make a Hollywood movie. Well, being in the business, I know it is difficult to get the money to make a feature-length film. But, by the time the script is locked down, story-boarded, actors chosen and rehearsed, the crew is selected, your locations are selected and you have been given the "green light", shooting the movie is not tough. It may be laborious and stressful, but not hard. Working 2 jobs and raising kids is hard.I know it was a "low budget" movie, but I worked on a Roger Corman film at one point and that production had a quarter the money, adjusted for inflation, and much better results. $3 million dollars is big bucks to an Indie production, especially one as uncomplicated as "The Leisure Class". I mean, there were maybe 6 basic set ups and one location. That's an 8 day shoot, not 20! The car wreck scene should have been a 2nd unit deal, not tying up the main crew. Geesh! Jason Mann, the petulant, film-school dilettante and director/writer of this bomb,should think about a different career. Maybe he could become an annoying barista at a McDonald's? And HBO, maybe you can stop choosing inappropriate young directors just for the sake of that Reality TV, "goof on you" formula and get some real up and coming, talented directors to showcase. Then, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon should pay more attention to what's going on. It's your idea guys, your series. You were absent for most of this series and who likes absentee landlords?

No matter what others might say, I found this to be a very good film as it deals with relationships and how the truth ultimately comes out, in order to save the day.It is also a story of revelation and ultimate redemption. The film also sports an outstanding performance by Bruce Davison, as the senator who tries to live life among the elite, but when things start to come out, he reveals himself at the end as quite a character to boot. It is by far his best performance since him nominated performance in "Longtime Companion."The picture starts off quite comical with an off-the-wall brother suddenly appearing at his brother's engagement party. The latter is marrying into society and into a political family as well. He has hidden his true identity and has totally reinvented himself.The appearance of the brother begins to erode all that and with drunken evening pool parties, a near car crash and the ultimate revelations of the Davison (Sen.Ed) character, you know that the engagement shall not exactly bring forth marriage.The role of the women as rebellious, snobbish, intellectual and power-seeking are well revealed here.

This crappy movie was almost as annoying as the HBO docuwhinementary about the dysfunctional twits that made it. One cliché heaped upon another and not a single laugh burst forth, not even a chuckle, not even a harrumph and nary a snicker. Complete crap of which everyone involved should be completely ashamed for their participation. I'm betting this dog won't make it onto many a resume for cast and crew. The wannabe director that won the competition to do this farce needs to unlearn all that he thinks he knows and work in the real world for a while before attempting another project even if its an infomercial. That mouthy, arrogant drama queen that derived so much pleasure from causing everyone so much anxiety during the shooting has hopefully ruined her career with her unprofessional and unnecessary bitchiness. I expect a lot more than crap like this from HBO. If I could have given it a zero I would have.

For years I've watched Project Greenlight try to catch lightening in a bottle. Looking for that Rocky, or Goodwill Hunting they've kissed a lot of frogs. While this is far from a great film, it's certainly not a bad one. And for a first time writer/ director it's actually pretty good. I mean even Altman made Dr T and the Women, and this is certainly better than that. In the past 20 years I could count on one hand the smart satires given any sort of wide release. With Project Greenlight, a whole lot of people who have a lot of money and influence read this script, met the reluctant director, and greenlit the movie. So what can I compare this to, while it's really not a comedy, it really is pure satire. Only a few movies come to mind, but I'll choose one and say it compares favorably to The Object of Beauty. The 1991 Michael Lindsay-Hogg film staring John Malkovich, and Andie McDowell was billed as a "romantic comedy" even though there wasn't really anything funny about it. That story followed a couple running up credit accounts in Europe's most expensive hot spots while waiting for a risky business venture to pay off. Just like Leisure Class, the male lead was essentially a fraud, but hid in plain sight, and his seemingly hapless girlfriend just went along for the ride. That film won the coveted two-thumbs up from Siskel and Ebert, and the story did work a little better than this one, but not that much better. We don't attempt films like this anymore, it was brave, true to it's own nature, and very well shot, scored, and edited. All of this created a backdrop that allowed Bruce Davidson to show all his talents on the screen. If Woody Allen had been forced to pay all his actors scale, had a shooting schedule, and budget like this one, Crimes and Misdermeanors might not have been any better. Of course it's impossible not to consider the eight hours of backstory we all saw prior to this finished product. And I think it's appropriate for the viewer to consider it. This film on it's own was not especially entertaining, but it was a good piece of art from a first time director with a lot of talent, let's hope someone has the vision to let us see more of him.