Gerry

Rating:
Summary: how in touch are you with emotion?
Review: I'm trying to think about how I word the the review for this film. First off, let's say that this film isn't for everyone. No question there, it's just too experimental. I look at a film like this and think anything from "how did this get made?" to "wow, that's just beautiful" to even getting slightly teary-eyed. I ask the first question not because of any poor qualities about the film, but rather, because of just how different it is. Don't worry, there's no spoilers in this, I'll just give you my thoughts.

Gerry is a film that is about everything and nothing. It makes no point and yet is able to invoke emotion.

For a 103 minutes, I felt like I was on the trip with these boys. I'll give you the plot, two guys both named "Gerry" go on a hiking trip. They go off the beaten path and get lost. That's pretty much it. How does it end? I'm just not going to say because frankly you don't need to know. To me, that's of some importance in the story. But what IS important is that I went through a range of emotions watching this film. Initially, I sat there adjusting to how the film was being presented. A bright blue screen....and then it opens with the score which is just beautiful (I'm a sucker for piano) and no credits, which frankly is perfect for a film like this. Why do you need them? This film isn't about "saying" anything, it's about emotions. It's a test of one's patience I think when you see scene after scene that run for over 5 minutes each with no dialogue. Your mind can start to wonder, regardless of how absoultely beautiful the cinematography is courtesy of Harry Savides. When Van Sant, Damon, and Affleck (Casey) sat down to wrote this, they did it write, they didn't worry too much about the dialogue. I mean, the longest conversation that takes place is about a lady who screws up on Wheel of Fortune. So when you mind wonders, where does it go? Do you stay with the film or do you think about what you're going to have to cook for dinner when you get home?

For me, I stuck with it. Why? Maybe I have more patience...who knows, but seriously, I thought, how often am I going to see a movie that departs this much from the norm, or other independents for that matter. I wanted it to really suck me in.

I'm pretty sure it did.

But again, I don't think most can stick with it. Look, many scenes don't even have the characters in it. It's just scenery, and nothing else. Bear in mind, the deserts of Argentina and Nevada are certainly breathtaking to look at, but you can lose interest quick. I'm serious when I say it really takes a test of your patience. There are times when nothing will be happening. You just need to be patient and it let walk over you. For me, it really does add to what I think this movie is trying to do.

Put you right in there with those boys.

After a while, I started to get nervous, as if I really didn't know whether or not we would come out alive. It's a trying film because it really does wear on you if you really let it. It was like I almost knew what they were going through. Getting, thirsty, slowing down, fatigue, just listening to everything that was going on around me. The wind, the crunch of stones as you step on them, it just all adds up to becoming a very emotional ride.

To be honest, a film like this should always stay in a limited release. There's just a select few people who will really enjoy it. Or, there will be a few amount of people who have to be in the right mood to watch something like that. What mood is that?

A mood where frankly you just need an escape.

Rating:
Summary: AN ORIGINAL FILM
Review: After deciding to take a detour from a hiking trail during an afternoon hike to avoid tourists, Gerry and Gerry (Matt Damon and Casey Affleck) eventually realize that they are lost -- hopelessly lost and alone. As they venture further the scenary greatly changes signifying to the viewer that they are indeed far from their initial departure point. Without water or other essential survival supplies, Gerry and Gerry begin a journey investigating the bonds of friendship and loneliness as they stumble through the wilderness looking for refuge. Filmed in the beautiful barren and arid landscape of Argentina, I couldn't help feeling awed by the brilliant cinematography of GERRY and the often haunting somber music.

Be warned, this film is not for everyone, as evidenced by the varied reviews thus far. The dialogue is limited; instead, there are long sequences of the camera following the two walking endlessly with the crunching of gravel and stones beneath their feet. When dialogue does occur it is often comical chit-chat between two pals. These aspects did not deter me from greatly enjoying GERRY. I believe this film offers a breath of fresh air in contrast to other movies currently playing. It is original in its concept, and really made me feel fortunate to be safely seated in my theatre chair instead of walking around lost in the middle of the desert. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Is this a hoax?
Review: I suffered through Gerry along with about 1,000 others at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. Heads bobbed, people groaned and shifted uneasily, there was some snoring audible; but Gus, Matt, Casey, and big brother Ben were there in the audience...so nobody left.

The film has many well done parts, the cinematography is great, the dialogue very funny. The problem is that every shot is 4-10 times longer than it should be. This is similar to a technique used in the French film "Humanite" (1999); though the uncomfortably long shots mostly feature landscapes, rather than faces, in this celluloid sleeping pill.

Personally, I question the filmmakers' motives. Are they looking to see how far they can go into the absurdly pretentious and boring, before someone stands up an screams "Stop in the name of all things holy!!!"? Given the festival buzz, I know that the reaction will be polarized, with some already hailing it as genius. But come on, we watched a sunset in real time with no diologue and little action. I can't believe that even the biggest fans weren't fighting fighting to stay awake.

There is one clue as to the possibility of this being a big joke on the audience..in the film they refer to a screw-up as "a gerry."

Rating:
Summary: awe inspiring
Review: i was awe struck at the landscapes and how the characters moved freely within such a large space. i am not familiar with the real incident that happened in 99 but with this story i got the feel of being lost and the horror that may come with that.
Matt Damon's character seemed edgy enough to survive. when he told Gerry, "Don't cry!" i knew that he would survive. the ending was a perfect departure - to just leave Gerry dead in the desert. i went because i read that they improvised most of the script. the film sticks with me even 2 days later.

Rating:
Summary: Ripped from the headlines?
Review: I really enjoyed this movie, but I am curious as to whether anyone here has read comparisons between this and the Raffi Kodikian desert incident back in '99 (warning, the connection is a spoiler). Or have the filmmakers have acknowledged that story as their inspiration? I'll never forget that case because a main player was Sheriff "Chunky" Click, which is a great name...they shoulda worked him into the movie! Anyway, see this in theatres, the simple message is well worth your time.

Rating:
Summary: Visually stunning...but very drawn out.
Review: This film would make the producers of National Geographic proud. It is a lonely and beautiful view of the desert we are given hear but the dialogue and purpose of this movie is vague and sparse. Alot of hopeless wandering in a big empty landscape devoid of anything.

Rating:
Summary: Not for Everyone -- But...
Review: Frustration. To me the goal of art is to delve into a human emotion or feeling, to make the viewer of the art feel what the creator of the art is trying to visualize. Unfortunately for this film, frustration is the emotion and feeling that is being portrayed. The frustration of being lost in the desert, the frustration of being a run-of-the-mill person. The two Gerrys know each other so well, you can't really tell what their relationship is, which adds to your confusion, but ah.... is this intended as well? Two sides of the same psyche? They barely even have to talk to each other. But the one scene where one Gerry is stuck on a rock, and they try to figure out how he's going to get down is the whole point of the film. Very memorable.

Through watching it, I found myself fidgeting, fastforwarding, losing interest, pausing... I felt like I was lost in the desert... oh! All sorts of rants went through my mind, "Oh would you two just have sex with each other already;" "Oh I don't care if you get out alive;" "Well what the heck did you leave the path for anyway!"

Existential, situational, experiential. If that's not your cup of tea, stay away. But if you like a thinking game and like to share the feelings of the characters in the film, have at it.

Oh and yeah, the desert is almost as beautiful as Matt Damon.

Rating:
Summary: Much better than I'd heard
Review: Honestly, the criticism of this movie has been so exaggerated. Before seeing "Gerry," I'd heard that the movie contained only two or three bits of sparse dialogue, that it was suffocatingly slow, and even that it contained a sunset shot "in real time." All of this is false. Someone else even suggested that the whole film was a practical joke, and that Van Sant, Affleck, and Damon were laughing all the way to the bank. Yes, because this movie is SO commercial. I'm sure it was a HUGE moneymaker for all of them. (That was sarcasm, in case you couldn't tell.) As you've heard, this film is about two young men who get lost in the desert, and the movie does a good job of approximating what that would feel like. There is quite a bit of dialogue, although a lot of it is idle chatter or strategizing about how they're going to find their way back to the highway. Some of it, however, is pretty funny. The acting is great, the scenery is so beautiful and beautifully shot it's like a moving painting, and the end of the movie is haunting. I was still thinking about it the next day. No, this isn't wall-to-wall action or hilarity; don't go into it expecting that. Go into it expecting an interesting experimental film, and you won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: The Idea Is Good Only on Paper: If You Do That, Results Are
Review: Sleep-inducing. That's 'Gerry,' and I know, some of you like the film still. But even so, you must admit that you had to try hard to keep your eyes open. At least, the landscapes are beautiful, but that's not enough for you to be keep awake.

What you see is simple: two unnamed guys -- Matt Damon and Casey Affleck -- stray from the marked path somewhere in the wilderness, and wonder the deserted land for three days. And ... and nothing more. Surprisingly, according to one interview with Gus Van Sant, this film is loosely based on truth.

'Gerry' refuses the traditional rules of films based on our accepted concepts about characters, stories, etc. So, you should know that to criticize the film according to these ideas is pointless. Yes, I know very well. But....

Can you really sit through this for more than 100 minutes? Ask yourself. Be honest. Please, tell me. And I watched it in theatre. Yes, I confess, I slept during these long, continous scenes that show you two guys walking on and on and on ... and is that worth our money? OK, let's not talk about money. That's commercialism.

THE problem is, Gus Van Sant denies traditional way of filmmaking -- that's fine in itself -- but does not show something new, something that can take the place of the good old traditions. We need something, or anything, in the place of conventional ideas storytelling. Instead, what we see is, two men wondering on and on, trapped in the land of nowhere. Existential? Maybe, but think about that they made (part of) the film on location in Argentina! Is that worth that trouble?

Using the clout he got with 'Good Will Hunting,' Gus Van Sant made a silly remake (or copy) of 'Psycho.' And he made this, with Matt Damon (why not use some unknown actors. then?). With all respect to him, he should have learned that some kind of idea is valid only on paper.

Rating:
Summary: A Real Snorer
Review: Certainly not visually specatular unless one has a very large screen TV. 103 minutes of boredom. A waste of time - what was this - a joke? I said to my wife that I wanted to turn it off after about 30 minutes but she wanted to keep watching. Ebert said that about half of the people walked out when he saw it. I didn't get it. I would give this no starts if that was possible. One of the worst movies that I ever saw.