Wes's Grade: CWell-acted but tedious crime drama "Every Secret Thing" has trouble keeping interest
The well-acted but stale new crime drama "Every Secret Thing" is a disappointment, considering its stellar pedigree and those involved with the production. The slow-moving film has a few compelling moments and a breakout new actress but it feels a too much like "Gone Baby Gone." Detective Nancy Porter (Elizabeth Banks) is still haunted by her failure to save a missing baby. Eight years later, another child goes missing in the same town just days after Ronnie and Alice (Dakota Fanning and newcomer Danielle Macdonald), the two girls convicted of the earlier crime are released. Porter and her partner (Nate Park) race against time to stop another crime but unearth even more secrets from Alice's mother (Diane Lane) that has them questioning everything. Directed by Academy Award nominee Amy Berg (of the documentary "Deliver Us From Evil"), written by Nicole Holofcener ("Enough Said") based on Laura Lippman's novel of the same and produced by Oscar-winner Frances McDormand (in her feature producing debut), "Every Secret Thing" is modestly compelling with a strong female presence but is ultimately a downbeat, uneven movie that has trouble keeping its audience fully engaged, especially with some underwritten characters that have little to do (Fanning and Banks' characters in particular aren't well-drawn). The movie shows promise with an interesting premise, but is drearily slow in execution, especially that tedious second act which hampers the film's emotional impact, especially when some of its secrets finally come to light. "Every Secret Thing" works better as a character-driven drama than a whodunit, and on that note it benefits from a decent cast, with the movie's best performance coming from newcomer Macdonald, in a breakout, smart turn and the most memorable line: "no one ever believes the fat girl, especially you" she says when interrogated about the new crime. "Every Secret Thing," with the exception of Macdonald's affecting turn, is a bit of a letdown in the end and lacks mystery if you've been paying attention, or staying awake.
No comments:
Post a Comment