At Sundance, the tickets to this film were highly coveted and among the first to sell out. We wish we hadn't wasted our time in the wait list line (2 hours!) as the movie turned out to be a disappointment. I never saw the original short that "gave birth," so to speak, to this film, but the director (Scott Coffey) told us that it had been the first 20 minutes or so of the film. Maybe he should have left it at that. The problem (for me, at least) was that the main character of the film was never made into a sympathetic enough person for me to care about. I admit that I did laugh out loud several times during the screening, but the laughs were much too far apart, and in between was a lot of self indulgent navel gazing. I realize that this was the point, to some extent, but it could have been a much better film had I even cared what happened to the main character. I know that I am not the only person who felt this way, as many people left during the screening...some only a few minutes into it, others as it wore on. When the lights went on afterward, there were empty rows in front and in back of me. I don't think this will ever be in theaters; if you're a big fan of Naomi Watts, you may want to rent the DVD. Otherwise, skip this.
Review of Ellie Parker
