Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Sorry, Wrong Number

Author(s): Masnoraffis Masdil
Location: Singapore

"Sorry, Wrong Number"

Directed by Alexander Payne
Written by Alexander Payne
Original Score by Rolfe Kent

Principal Cast:

Will Smith (Michael Smith)
Vince Vaughn (James White)
Paul Giamatti (Parker Reynolds)
Zoe Saldana (Julia Jones)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (Bobby Green)
Michael Clarke Duncan (Joseph Black)
Bob Gunton (Abraham Rogers)

Tagline: “That wrong number might just be the lucky ticket to your dreams...”

Synopsis: Alexander Payne's "Sorry, Wrong Number" is a well directed thrill ride with flashes of comedy thrown in. The film is about two unemployed youth who are struggling in the big bad world of Florida searching for a job. Michael (Will Smith) is looking forward to a job in a bank, in which his late father used to work. James (Vince Vaughn) too is struggling to manage with the complications of life. His mother is in an old age home who thinks that her son is a successful businessman. Both Michael and James become tenants in Parker Reynold's (Paul Giamatti) house, a drunkard who has a kind heart.

Michael has lot of debts to pay. He has to compete for the bank job with Julia Jones (Zoe Saldana), whose father also met a similar fate. Both are at each other's throat, and not ready to give up, but Michael decides to back out when he comes to know Julia's problems.

Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Bobby Green, a lovable and innocent guy, who has lent $1,000 to James and needs it desperately to marry off his sister. He comes to town looking for James to get his money back.

There is another interesting twist in the story. A dreaded gangster Joseph Black (Michael Clarke Duncan) kidnaps the grand child of a big industrialist (Bob Gunton) and calls up the trio for ransom by mistake. The trio is then trapped in a rough situation, and they struggle to decide whether they should attempt to save the kid, or try to profit from the situation, which they eventually decide on. Trouble ensues, as the gang's greed takes control of them, leading them into the mouth of danger. What do they do? Watch the movie to know that.

What the press would say:

Alexander Payne has churned up another great movie with full of comic moments here. A first class story, fine acting and well crafted dialogs make a rare combined appearance in this comedy.The plot of the film is very slick, and though the whole movie hangs on the basis of a coincidental wrong number, Alexander Payne, with his directorial skill, handles the plot very well.

Will Smith has turned in a very mature performance, and surprises with his good delivery, and Vince Vaughn supports well with the his casanova character who prefers to laze about than actually doing real work. But the one actor who really impresses is Paul Giamatti. He is hilarious in the comic scenes, which, surprisingly, don't hinder the movie's speed. The three of them share excellent chemistry as they pit each other off with their funny antics and equally funny dialogue.

Of the supporting cast, Zoe Saldana gives ample support as the love interest of Will Smith. Their scenes together are well acted and the scenes where they sabotaged each other to get the same job is a riot. Philip Seymour Hoffman shows his comic side here superbly as he has shown before in a few other movies. The sweet and innocent character with his funny accent is show-stealing. You just wish there were more scenes of him because the crowd loves him. Michael Clarke Duncan gives a commendable performance as the badguy though he doesn't really any have outstanding scenes.

This movie is a refreshing one and hopefully it will garner good acclaim in the coming awards season!

For Your Consideration

Best Picture
Best Director: Alexander Payne
Best Screenplay: Alexander Payne
Best Original Score: Rolfe Kent
Best Actor: Will Smith
Best Actor: Vince Vaughn
Best Supporting Actor: Paul Giamatti
Best Supporting Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Best Supporting Actress: Zoe Saldana
Best Film Editing: Kevin Tent
Best Art Direction: Clay A. Griffith
Best Cinematography: John Toll
Best Costume Design: Betsy Heimann

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