Serenity
As reported by Dollyforme
The very lovely Anne Hathaway stars in this, well, awful movie. “Serenity” Distributed by Aviron Pictures, 106 Minutes, Rated R, Released January 25, 2019:
Recording artist Huey Lewis once sang with pop music accuracy that while “cool is the rule, sometimes bad is bad.”
However, I have no complaints about the cast to be sure. A sundried Matthew McConaughey plays Baker Dill (uh huh), a deep water fishing boat captain on a fictitious place called Plymouth Island. Although it is never pinpointed, it is portrayed to be somewhere in the Caribbean although it was filmed in Mauritius which is on the other side of the world. Dill’s first mate is Duke (Djimon Hounsou). Their potentially lucrative business of taking high rollers out for some big fish fishing is regularly sidetracked by Dill’s obsession with catching the Moby Dick of tuna he has named Justice (brother!).
Money is always an issue with Dill but he can usually borrow what he needs from Constance (Diane Lane) after satisfying her sexual urges. Constance doesn’t seem to have any other calling. She is either in the sack with Dill or sitting in her open window overlooking the bay.
One day Dill is confronted by a beautiful woman from his past. Karen (Anne Hathaway in blonde) and Dill were once romantically entangled, but then he went to war. When he came back, she had married Frank Zariakas (Jason Clarke) who appears to have mobster ties and is worth millions. Frank is brutal, obscene and a drunk. He brutalizes Karen and according to her, their son. She wants out, but divorce or leaving Frank isn’t an option. Karen offers Dill $10 million to take Frank out on the boat fishing. Plying him with drink, she suggest Dill just toss him overboard for shark bait. So will he or won’t he.
The movie is hampered with some of the lamest dialog who will ever hear. Hathaway plays it for all it’s worth. I’m not sure how the actors were able to keep a straight face. Boasting good production values and some lovely photography by Jess Hall, “Serenity” has a good thing going for about the first hour--a steamy, noirish little thriller, sort of a hybrid of “The Postman Always Rings Twice” and “Jaws,” with a dose of “Casablanca” tossed in.
But about halfway into the proceedings, the movie takes a turn toward the metaphysical, with obscure symbolism and red herrings which might impress Ingmar Bergman but never quite resonates with the rest of us. At that point, “Serenity” becomes fatally pretentious, and goes to hell...literally. Despite all the hints and clues, there’s really not a whole lot going on here. And if you can figure out the ending, you win a cigar.
Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway labor mightily to breathe life into roles Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell could’ve played in their sleep during the late 1940s and early 1950s. McConaughey’s customary twinkle is replaced with a gloomy scowl and obsessive demeanor, coupled with a sort of enforced dissipation to augment his character’s constant intake of cigarettes and rum. His onscreen indulgences are at odds with the healthy glow and buff physical appearance he displays during his occasional nude scenes.
Anne Hathaway tries hard but never quite disguises her customary chirpy and upbeat persona enough to persuasively pull off a sultry femme fatale role, no matter how deeply she pitches her voice or how many sidelong glances she throws in McConaughey’s direction. Hathaway’s a good actress, but despite her Veronica Lake wig and a strenuously seductive manner she ends up resembling a little girl trying on her mom’s high heel shoes. In a picture which requires Lauren Bacall, Hathaway delivers Jessica Rabbit.
“Serenity” is a film that pretends to be deep but is actually deceptively shallow, although it’s fairly entertaining during the first hour, when it sticks to sultry sexuality and illicit longing. The supporting actors help a little, but not quite enough to breathe some life into the clumsy script or prevail over the heavy-handed direction, both of which are contributed by the British filmmaker Stephen Knight, who also produced the picture.
Diane Lane delivers the movie’s best performance, as McConaughey’s main cheerleader, emotional support system and occasional lover. Lane’s role was once meant for Uma Thurman, who wisely dropped out of the picture prior to filming. Jason Clarke is solid as always as Hathaway’s boorish husband, but doesn’t have much to do besides sit around and be casually loathsome. And Djimon Hounsou as McConaughey’s erstwhile guardian angel is mostly incomprehensible, which is a real shame: Judging from the pained expression on his face, Hounsou’s lines might contain the key to deciphering the script.
Critically, “Serenity” is taking a fairly sound beating. Rotten Tomatoes awards the picture an approval rating of 24%, noting that it “isn’t what it appears to be at first. Unfortunately, it’s also not anywhere near as clever or entertaining as it thinks.” Metacritic reports an average score of 39%, indicating generally unfavorable reviews. Distributor Aviron Pictures was hoping to earn around $7 million from the picture during its opening weekend on 2800 screens across the US and Canada, an expectation that’s something of a long shot.
Filmed on the island republic of Mauritius in locations that look a little like Sweethaven in 1980’s “Popeye,” “Serenity” was financed by IM Global, an independent film and television production company which usually specializes in low-budget horror fare such as the “Paranormal Activity” and “Insidious” film series. Much of the reported $25 million budget presumably was spent on transportation and lodging for the cast and crew. Hopefully everybody enjoyed a nice, relaxing vacation, and all will soon return to serious filmmaking.
Originally scheduled for release on September 28 of last year, “Serenity” was postponed twice before the distributors finally settled on January 25, 2019. Incidentally, writer and director Stephen Knight was one of the original creators of British television’s “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” game show, which has inspired versions produced in some 160 countries around the world, including the United States. So at least we know Knight wasn’t involved in this picture because he was desperate for cash.
“Serenity” is rated R for language, the use of cigarettes and liquor, sexual content, bloody images, and nudity...primarily the 49-year-old McConaughey’s bare butt. Proceed with caution.
The bottom line is – this movie will surely win a handful of Razzie awards. The movie has been panned by critics and ignored by movie-watchers. And for someone who culls his movies pretty carefully, I was still drawn to see this movie. Why? Well, I love film noir and was hoping for something along the lines of “Body Heat.” I suspect the filmmakers including Steven Knight (“Locke” and “Eastern Promises”) were hoping for the same thing. Then there are the professional reviewers themselves. Although they clobber everything about the film, they leave just a nugget of interest, enough to draw me in. I can’t recommend staying away from this movie enough. Booooo.
