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Starring |
Mark Polish
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Winona Ryder
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Hilary Duff
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Chevy Chase
,
Josh Holloway
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Directed By |
Mark Polish
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Audio
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Dolby Digital 5.1
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Visuals
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2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
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Running Time |
89 mins
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UK Release Date |
January 30, 2012
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Genre |
Drama, Comedy
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Our Rating |
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User Rating |
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It's not often that a star-filled, lower budget film comes along, does most things correctly, yet somehow manages to get ruined by poor production values. Sure, it can happen with blockbusters – silly use of 3D or some sloppy CGI can snap a viewer out of the action and prove a massive distraction. But with smaller or indie films, it's generally the case that they're a lot less visually challenging and, as long as you're capturing the action, you won't balls up the aesthetics of the piece. In short, the production values should/could be ignorable if you've done everything right.
Sadly, that's not the case with Stay Cool. Shot on digital using a lossy video file format, the whole thing looks like it's been filmed with a high street video camera. While that realistic look may work for a lot of movies, here it certainly doesn't. We're dealing with corny dialogue, overly constructed shots and cartoonish characters - all of which contrast sharply with the under-produced visuals, leaving a cheesy, awkward-looking movie that you just cannot subscribe to.
Stay Cool sees writer/director Mark Polish playing a successful author who returns to his old high school to deliver the graduation speech. Seeing as he was a social outcast during his days as a pupil, he naturally takes the opportunity to catch up with old friends and try to get together with the girl he chumped it with 20 years previously – exorcising a heap of childhood demons in the process.
The sad thing is that the whole thing would probably be at least a little palatable and poignant if the aesthetics were integrated properly. As it stands though, Sean Astin's performance as Henry's cartoonishly gay best friend, Big Girl (who drives a pimped out Mini that actually has some sort of bra), Chevy Chase's phoned-in role as the school's ridiculously dippy principal and Mark Polish's sickly dialogue all stick out like a sore thumb and it's practically impossible to switch off to.
If that wasn't bad enough, even the DVD cover manages to lie its arse off as they've made it look like it's a teen chick flick featuring Hilary Duff in the lead. With a complete lack of bonus booty adding insult to injury, this is a disc that you need to steer clear of.
Overall Verdict: A would-be middle-of-the-road film rendered unbearable by crappy editing and a bad film format choice. Shame.
Special Features:
None
Reviewer: Jordan Brown
