Set in Las Vegas, the seedy, poorer suburbs of Vegas, we follow the story of a single mother Arlene McKinney (Hunt) with a drinking problem, and her son Trevor (Osment), struggling to make ends meet, whilst still attempting to live their lives together. She works at a strip bar at night, while he starts high school where he meets his new sociology teacher Eugene Simonet (Spacey), they instantly form a connection, recognising that they both share a common interest in the subject. From there, they gradually increase their friendship through an on-going practical assignment, namely: how we (as an individual) can change the world.
With a unique, and yet so simple idea, we cut from the story to follow a parallel storyline across the country, about the repercussions of the idea, with the two eventually meeting up at the finale. Meanwhile, as part of his idea, Trevor tries to set up Eugene with his mum Arlene, with romance blossoming, all is going well until the real father Ricki (Jon Bon Jovi) shows back up.
Figuring this was typical weepy, chick-flick fodder following along the same lines as While You Were Sleeping and My Girl, you can imagine I was reluctant to watch this movie. The plot synopsis above, doesn�t really sell the story, but believe me, its gripping stuff! Not gripping as in edge-of-the-seat, but something you must watch from beginning to end without interruption. The story isn�t really romanticised, it�s gritty and down to earth, sure there are the odd tweaks to get the tear ducts working, and it works.
The romance between Hunt and Spacey (who is incidentally, permanently scarred from burns, something explained later in the film), is magical to watch, and these two deliver world-class, unbeatable performances. Osment once again shows he can hold his own against the cream of Hollywood, he has a bright future ahead of him as long as he doesn�t follow in the same footsteps of Macaulay Culkin. Despite a slightly predictable and corny ending, the strong supporting cast, including a surprisingly good performance from Jon Bon Jovi, rounds off an excellent movie, certainly one I look forward to watching many times in the future. |
