Rating: 
Summary: The Wealth of Nations.
Review: Great film.
Ted Griffin's script is far more powerfull than , say, 'The Usual Suspects'--A fun film with a fun plot twist--but that's a box office handicap. A powerfull story can be powerfully disturbing . . .
We can be frightened by the bigger than life bad guy 'Keesyer Sosa' in "Suspects" with complete detatchment. After all, what are the chances this crazed monster is going to blow up your house?
It's like watching Dracula. It's fun to be scared precisely because we don't believe in vampires.
But in 'The Best Laid Plans ' No boats explode, no running gun battles ensue and we are firmly in America, not Transylvania.
Where, to permit myself an understatement, sometimes there's a problem with money . . .
So if you were truly desperate, how far would you go to save your skin? Ask the woman you love to have sex with a patsy you can blackmail? Sell out a friend to The Allmighty Dollar?
(Wonderfully used by the writer in the metaphor of a rare bill worth a fortune)
I mean if your life was on the line with the mob at your heels and the clock was running out, the honorable thing for you to do would be . . ?
The hero falls short of heroics here---no wonder they couldn't get a name star to play the male lead--what would his fans think?
It's odd how citics are fond of cliche statements about film noir being a genre that 'exposes the dark underside of our culture'--but when a film truly does so with uncompromising brilliance, it's apparently time to back down and go on the scary ride at the amusement park instead. Or make yet another remake of Dracula.
Pity.
A stylish and suspenseful film.
A+ Film Noir.
Rating: 
Summary: Thrilling movie disturbed by huge story mistake
Review: I am close to granting »Best Laid Plans« starring mystically gorgeous Reese Witherspoon (a.o. »Cruel Intentions (Sexual Provocation)«) and in a big support act Josh Brolin (a.o. »Nightwatch«) four stars. 'Cause it is a thrilling movie. Pretty thrilling in fact - althrough the movie, I couldn't wait to see what would happen next (and it is extremely rare that I consider a movie to be really thrilling!).The story in »Best Laid Plans« is one of the rare ones where you never really know how things are gonna turn out next. Therefore, the movie could normally be recommended. BUT the ending is too feverish and American. And what is even worse: The whole premise for the situation that sparks off the very story of »Best Laid Plans« is one huge paradox! An embarrassing and enormous mistake which makes me skip the fourth star and even consider to take the third one away too. OK, the viewer cannot realize this paradox before the movie takes an unexpected turn towards the end - but the mistake is bad enogh. The thrill and the acting in »Best Laid Plans« however are worth watching.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Interesting
Review: I expected this movie to be a teen movie,but it wasn't.I was surprised at how much I liked the movie .What helped was it made you care for the characters + plus it had nice plot twists. The plot does seem familiar though, seems like a mixture of other movies like Indecent Proposal,Requiem of a Dream plus some that I can't quite put my finger on.Anyway it's defenitely worth watching.Especially if you like Reese Witherspoon.
Rating:
Summary: Low key movie
Review: I got this because it had Reese Witherspoon in it and she's one of my favorite actresses. She really doesn't have that much to do in this movie, but it's a nice film. It's kind of a crime drama type of thing, not really a thriller, but a few parts have action. It's interesting to say the least. I really like Alessandro Nicola in this.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh, that's where I've seen him!
Review: I probably would have given up on this movie if I hadn't been trying to figure out where I'd seen Alessandro Nivola (of "Face Off") before. The viewer is shown a part of the end of the movie and then we're dragged through a grimy, rather dull story to find out how the characters arrived at this end. The movie simply takes too long to get to the point. The story is not fast paced enough to keep your attention. The twist at the end, which unfortunately comes to late to save the movie, reminded me of an O'Henry story. The plot would probably make a better book or short story than a movie.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific story, good directing, mediocre acting
Review: I really enjoyed this film noir story about hopeless people taking desperate measures to try to wriggle out of the trouble wrought by their bad luck and foolish acts. Ted Griffin's screenplay is first rate with numerous unexpected plot twists and ironies. I defy anyone to outguess all the curves he throws. What is noticeable about the plot is that it was very realistic. The schemes were hair brained, but it was believable that the numbskull characters portrayed would cook up these kinds of cons. Mike Barker's direction was very good. He was visually daring and unconventional with liberal use of tight shots and extreme close-ups that were mostly effective. He was a little too enamored with these techniques though, and used them to excess. Such shots are good to emphasize certain emotions or to add impact, but Barker has the viewer in the actors' faces more often than your average teenage lovers. After a while the whole film has the feeling of watching characters with giant heads. Yet, this is a minor criticism for what was mostly a very good directorial effort. The weakest aspect of the film was the acting which was mediocre though not terrible. Alessandro Nivola gave a lifeless performance as the hapless Nick desperately scheming for a way out of his small town. He came across too wimpy and flaccid for the daring character who was planning this elaborate rip off. Reese Witherspoon was mostly window dressing in this film. Though she did a reasonable job with her character, the part did not have much meat to it as she was relegated to the role of sycophantic girl friend, a victim of her own weakness and bad judgment. Josh Brolin was the weak link. His interpretation of his character's emotion is mostly measured by how loud he yells at the camera. Since his character was in hot water through most of the film, he was mostly screaming his lines at the top of his lungs. His portrayal was like surgery performed with a chain saw. The best performance of the film goes to Rocky Carroll as the intimidating drug dealer who threatens to kill Nick for swiping his money. Carroll stole every scene he was in with high energy performances. Overall, I gave this film a 7/10. The acting was not compelling but it was not so dreadful that it detracted from a terrific story and a well crafted film by Barker.
Rating:
Summary: The Ending Will Shock You!
Review: I recently rented this movie, "Best Laid Plans" and fell in love with the fun loving relationship between the main character Nick played by Alessandro Nivola and his love interest on screen Reece Witherspoon. There on screen chemistry was GREAT! It kept me rooting for them during the entire movie. I wish there could have been more scenes between them.....but, I digress. When, I first started to watch this movie I thought I had the plot/storyline all figured out, but I was WRONG! The ending was a shock! Just for that reason alone it is worth renting and checking out for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous Style, But Not Much Underneath
Review: I thought this movie would be a great thriller. I've seen Reese Witherspoon in enough movies to know she's a great actress, and it sounded interesting enough from reading the jacket. BUT, I have to say that, overall, although the film was visually stunning more often than not (very stylized sets, nice color combinations, costume colors, interesting shots, etc, etc), and the two main characters Nick (Alessandro Nivola) and Lissa (Reese Witherspoon) were likable, the film isn't much to write home about. My main complaint is that there wasn't enough plot to go around, and that when the chips finally fall, you're wondering why there weren't more of them! I also wonder why the writer (or director/editor), who ended up with a decent budget, nice sets, great actors, etc, didn't do more to flesh it out, or add a couple more twists/characters/background info. I think this quite easily could have been made into a great film. However, as it stands, its a stylish jaunt into film-making which, although not precisely shallow, per se, leaves a lot to be desired. Interestingly, after watching the deleted scenes and learning a bit more about the script and the changes that were made to the story/scenes, the film seemed richer and more complex, (better!) than I'd first thought. I think the DVD's deleted scenes really would have added enough to make this luke-warm film, not great, but maybe "good enough." The best thematic elements which explain the "why's" and "why-nots" of this film, inexplicably seemed to end up on the cutting room floor. Bottom Line: "Watch it before you buy it."
Rating:
Summary: twist after twist..
Review: I'd love to give this film 3.5 stars, but it won't let me. This is the kind of film you watch with your close friends. Well, you can bring your significant other, just make sure that they are trustworthy enough to stay hushed during the entire presentation. Why? Simply because everyone is going to guess what will happen next! This isn't the best movie I've seen, but if you want to see a very crazy plot, and some creative twists and turns, this is for you. If you're a Twilight Zone, X-Files, or Hitchcock fan, this is probably something you'd enjoy. Reese Witherspoon shouldn't wear so much mascara. Au Revoir.
Rating:
Summary: The Desire to Leave...
Review: In the town of xxx it seems like nothing ever changes and Nick desires to get out of xxx. When Nick's father dies he thinks he will be able to leave with the help of the inheritance that his father has left for him. However, on the way to the funeral Nick meets Lissa. Nick and Lissa become lovers and after some problems with the inheritance it seems like Nick cannot leave xxx. This in turn leads to some fishy business that snowballs and the story takes some interesting turns that build up a dynamic plot. Best Laid Plans is a contemporary film-noir that offers a suspenseful plot with intriguing sub plots. This leads the audience through a deceitful story that is built on a terrific script, which at the end seems to plunge due to some awkward moments in the film. Overall, this film provides a tolerable cinematic experience.
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