The OH in Ohio
Wandering around art house cinemas right now is “The OH in Ohio”. I say wandering around because that’s how the film moves.
Director Billy Kent had a vaguely interesting story, cast independent cinema film darlings, and still managed to produce an aimless film that is only saved by the performances of its actors.
Did I get ahead of myself? Sorry about that. Let me start back at the beginning.
“The OH in Ohio” is a film about a married couple who are having problems in the bedroom and their inability to work it out together leads to them discovering what it is they should be doing in their bland, cookie cutter lives.
To portray the central couple, the filmmakers could not have chosen a more suitable pairing than Parker Posey and Paul Rudd. Both actors have loads of indie film credibility and did what they could with the script they had.
To bolster their efforts, a personal favorite of mine, Keith David gives a scene stealing performance as a fellow faculty member at the school where Rudd teaches. Even Danny DeVito gives a pretty good performance, considering he wasn’t able to rely on his twin brother for support in this film (they’re not identical twins!).
Now, while I suppose Liza Minnelli’s cameo was adequate, she just plain bugs me. Thankfully, her role lasts for about 5 minutes.
Moving on to a more important role, that of the young girl whom Rudd sleeps with to cope with the problems in his marriage, the casting department could have done a lot better than Mischa Barton. I don’t watch “The O.C.” and I will admit that she has moments where she can be pleasing to the eye … although it would help if she weighed more than 58 pounds.
However, her low tone of voice is kinda creepy and her portrayal of a teenage girl who is a pot smoking, sexually liberated, high achieving teacher’s pet is far from convincing. Most of her lines felt like the ones you hear in the first read through, not the finished product.
In any case, that doesn’t really matter much because the film is so disjointed that it’s hard to keep any sense of rhythm. And for a film practically centering itself on Posey’s character’s inability to achieve an orgasm, lack of rhythm is just plain comical.
There are good performances in the film but they are overshadowed for the most part by poor direction and a loose script.
Oh, and did I mention Heather Graham has an uncredited cameo? Why can't she just stick to playing mutes or mannequins? ... Hmmm ... Maybe she could be the lead in "Mannequin 3: Don't Stop, Get It Get It!" ... (I'm really not right in the head).
Only the hardcore independent film junkies should park their butts in the movie theater for this one. “The OH in Ohio” gets a 2 out of 5. I’ve seen far worse films this year but considering my love for Posey and Rudd, giving out this score almost hurts the most.
Director Billy Kent had a vaguely interesting story, cast independent cinema film darlings, and still managed to produce an aimless film that is only saved by the performances of its actors.
Did I get ahead of myself? Sorry about that. Let me start back at the beginning.
“The OH in Ohio” is a film about a married couple who are having problems in the bedroom and their inability to work it out together leads to them discovering what it is they should be doing in their bland, cookie cutter lives.
To portray the central couple, the filmmakers could not have chosen a more suitable pairing than Parker Posey and Paul Rudd. Both actors have loads of indie film credibility and did what they could with the script they had.
To bolster their efforts, a personal favorite of mine, Keith David gives a scene stealing performance as a fellow faculty member at the school where Rudd teaches. Even Danny DeVito gives a pretty good performance, considering he wasn’t able to rely on his twin brother for support in this film (they’re not identical twins!).
Now, while I suppose Liza Minnelli’s cameo was adequate, she just plain bugs me. Thankfully, her role lasts for about 5 minutes.
Moving on to a more important role, that of the young girl whom Rudd sleeps with to cope with the problems in his marriage, the casting department could have done a lot better than Mischa Barton. I don’t watch “The O.C.” and I will admit that she has moments where she can be pleasing to the eye … although it would help if she weighed more than 58 pounds.
However, her low tone of voice is kinda creepy and her portrayal of a teenage girl who is a pot smoking, sexually liberated, high achieving teacher’s pet is far from convincing. Most of her lines felt like the ones you hear in the first read through, not the finished product.
In any case, that doesn’t really matter much because the film is so disjointed that it’s hard to keep any sense of rhythm. And for a film practically centering itself on Posey’s character’s inability to achieve an orgasm, lack of rhythm is just plain comical.
There are good performances in the film but they are overshadowed for the most part by poor direction and a loose script.
Oh, and did I mention Heather Graham has an uncredited cameo? Why can't she just stick to playing mutes or mannequins? ... Hmmm ... Maybe she could be the lead in "Mannequin 3: Don't Stop, Get It Get It!" ... (I'm really not right in the head).
Only the hardcore independent film junkies should park their butts in the movie theater for this one. “The OH in Ohio” gets a 2 out of 5. I’ve seen far worse films this year but considering my love for Posey and Rudd, giving out this score almost hurts the most.
posted by Upgrayedd at 8/27/2006 03:40:00 PM
2 Comments:
Mischa Barton was the ghost of the sick little girl in The Sixth Sense. I didn't know that until recently. Nor do I know why I'm posting about it.
Maybe you should start being the guy who finds the most obscure roles of supporting actors in films.
That's the kind of trivia I'd like to see! Heck, if I could program this site any better, it could be a feature ... and I'd be proud to have you in charge of that feature.
Nooch!
Post a Comment
<< Home