The Leisure Class (2015 TV Movie) User Reviews

Not bad

[hooliganstreetpictures · 5/10 · 2 November 2015]

Considering the circumstances behind it I thought it was well done. Great chemistry between the two leads. I was drawn into the concept of the film and even looked beyond it. Philosophically speaking you might interpret Leonard as the crazy extension of William's personality. (and lets be honest Leonard did exhibit signs of the actor from Drop Dead Fred) It seemed to me, the tighter the noose was getting in the real world considering Fiona and her father, "POSSIBLE SPOILER" the more Leonard's psycho personality would come disrupt the household eventually forcing all cards to be laid on the table.

Jason, the director may be destined more for the indie film path, as opposed to Hollywood but there's no shame in that. After watching the series leading up to the movie I was more than shocked to find out they'd actually put a coherent story together, achieved nice visuals, and pulled off some pretty good acting. The movie has a beginning, a middle an end. There were lessons learned for the characters and while the story wasn't perfect I have to say honestly I have seen a lot, a lot worse.

So I don't understand all the bad comments I've seen. Maybe there wasn't enough raunchy jokes for the college crowd? Maybe not enough special effects for the Hollywood kids? Maybe the story wasn't as deep, funny, intense (or whatever adjective you wanna throw at it) But, for all things considered I felt it was well done.

The script needs a rework. You gotta start with a good script.

[dwf-81507 · 2/10 · 3 November 2015]

The characters suddenly "change" throughout the film, inconsistently and illogically - there is no "why." For instance, at the beginning of the movie, William/Charles is in it for the money. A little later on, he becomes overly critical of his fiancé, Fiona... and earns her wrath. Yet, if his motives are monetary, why would he do this? And then, he "loves" her... Huh? I'm not faulting the acting. It's the writing. There is no reason for the characters to grow and change. Their arcs just appear out of nowhere.

There is an eventual peeling back Charles' grifter-like nature and a reveal of his moral/kind underbelly. Not too badly done... (except for the out-of-the-blue change for the better regarding his relationship with Leonard, his brother, at the end).

I suppose the change in William/Charles was intended to be juxtaposed with a peeling back of Fiona's family members' socially correct demeanor and impeccable lineage to reveal a quite improper (lots of expletives), false (lots of dissatisfaction), and even "grifter-like" side (in the case of Fiona) true nature.

Unfortunately, it all falls flat and is little more than a fait accompli through the use of conclusory dialog. There are no motivations. There is no real character angst and growth.

Too bad. Likable characters, likable actors. But a very tepid end result. Even the music was one-note...

Insult was added to injury by the use of gratuitous shock-value elements that were totally out of place and overdone... The "licking" that was to occur is but one, small example.

Shame on you, Jason Mann - twice (as co-writer and director). The film looked nice enough. All of your suffering (film versus video, locale, night/day, the car crash... and even Ms Browns' overblown tangles with you) were for naught. A good movie begins with a good script and ends with good storytelling. Unfortunately, neither was present in your film.

It Got a Reaction from Me - just not the one you expect

[brandt-pearson · 1/10 · 4 November 2015]

Like nearly everyone I watched PGL and had to finish the thought by seeing the final product. The first time I sat down with it I couldn't get past the first 15 minutes, but when I returned later I got through the whole film somehow, mostly comparing PGL content with screen content.

For me, it just wasn't funny. At all. I didn't really like any of the characters (except perhaps the over-the-top Dad) and much of the dialogue was just odd and unrealistic. I got very tired of Leonard (Tom Bell) and I think he was supposed to be lovable and quirky but instead was annoying and overwhelming in every scene. It seemed he was the star, not Fiona or William/Charles or even the story. I dunno, even writing about this lackluster bland-fest has left me unmotivated to even finish this review. Skip this one folks.

Fine Performances, Flawed Writing and Direction

[Guitar-2 · 6/10 · 4 November 2015]

Personally, I think they should air the movie BEFORE Project Greenlight airs. It's difficult to say how much of a heavily edited TV show taints one's views on the final product. It's like shopping for a new car and discovering food stains on the upholstery before you make your purchase. That being said, I feel I was pretty objective.

I thought the movie was visually striking, the performances were sound (Bruce Davison's performance was sheer brilliance and Emmy worthy), the score underwhelming and the writing flawed but with solidly compelling moments. I give the benefit of the doubt that this is due to the time constraints on the production and the inexperience of the director.

The problems with the writing had less to do with character, more to do with the plot, pressing situations with characters reacting unrealistically in order to move to the next scene. For instance, while I found Tom Bell's character Leonard realistic at its core, his reactions and behaviour felt falsely nihilistic rather than truly characteristic. Returning to the house with a hooker claiming to Ed he knew how to make it right... these types of situations just felt laboured and contrived. Metaphorically, rather than figuring out how a male cat would react to having another tomcat encroach on it's territory, they just threw two cats in a bag and threw it into the audience hoping we'd find it funny.

That being said, the fixes to Fiona's character worked for me. She had depth of character, despite having shallow values. I felt all the actors gave solid performances and as I mentioned earlier, Bruce Davison excelled.

The strongest scene in the film for me was when Edward confronts the brothers, then turns on the family. Despite the discomfort it was an extremely powerful scene.

Overall, I thought it was a decent flick that didn't know whether to be more farce or cerebral. I only laughed out loud once, when Edward wakes up with phalli marked on his face by Leonard. That being said, I wish they'd gone the cerebral route rather than beating us on the soles of our feat with forced gags.

While watching Project Greenlight, I felt that director Jason Mann was overly picky, despite everyone's claim to his being a genius and respecting his vision, which is fair enough. It's great that he has an aesthetic vision, the film was beautiful to look at and I did notice continuity problems with the lighting with which he expressed concern. But you know what? If that information hadn't been telegraphed during the episodes, I probably wouldn't have noticed. They didn't really fix the car crash, there was a noticeable jump in the cut during one of the shots. They should have spent more time on the writing, less than arguing about locations and film vs. digital. My take? He needs to learn how to properly prioritize. Hopefully, that will come with time.

Funny movie with amazing lead actor

[elenasharpovastyling · 9/10 · 22 November 2023]

I had such a delightful experience watching this movie in the comfort of my home, accompanied by a glass of wine. The unique mix of formalism and the beautiful chaos woven into the storytelling dissection truly resonated with me. The character of Leonard, brought to life by an incredibly talented actor, added an extra layer of enjoyment with his superb comedic timing. It's baffling to think that this actor isn't a household name in the world of comedy; their performance was nothing short of outstanding, leaving me eagerly anticipating more from them in the future. If you're looking for a film that combines humor, thoughtful storytelling, and a touch of insanity, this one is a must-watch.

I wouldn't call it great, but it was the best Project Greenlight by far.

[DennisH · 6/10 · 22 February 2016]

I have a feeling that the crucifixion of this movie in the user comments is from PGL viewers who didn't like Jason on the show, didn't get their film selected, or were sticking up for Effie. The most difficult part of enjoying the movie was the fact that most of the scenes were shown out of sequence during PGL, so you already knew the ending before the movie started.

I would call this a dark humor movie, but not necessarily film noir. It does try to shine the light on the troubles of the rich family, but a lot of that doesn't come until the third act. There were a few plot holes, and frankly some of the scenes don't quite ring true. The acting was good though and there were more than a few lines that I laughed at (in particular towards the end).

Normally the brothers would have had a flashback to develop their characters more, but as the movie was effectively a one location picture, they had to do all of it with dialogue that worked for the most part. The Fiona character was developed well enough, I think; however, the sisters and the mother, while competently acting, didn't have a lot of dialogue to offer except for the third act. Bruce Davison was spot on, as usual.

There were a few uncomfortable moments in the beginning, but maybe I adjusted or perhaps the tone became more even because I liked it a lot more at the end then I did in the beginning; the final shot is excellent. Give the director and writers credit, that is a strength that most movies don't have even if they had ten times the budget.

Pass on this one.

[mdrflumpy · 2/10 · 5 November 2015]

I just finished watching HBO's latest season of Project Greenlight and it's resulting movie, The Leisure Class. Because of editing, and well you know TV, I'm not sure whether the director or the producer was the bigger problem with this endeavor. The show was entertaining, the movie was not. While the acting was solid, with decent performances all around, this dark comedy was not funny. The story was not interesting or new but you could see the actors trying to work with what was essentially a stale script. It looked like exactly what it is, a low budget film from a first time director who thinks way to highly of himself.

I'd watch the show and skip the movie. Yet another big "Meh" a for Project Greenlight film and this falls completely on the director and producer.

More good than bad with this flick...

[croskelley · 6/10 · 14 July 2017]

I just binged through the last season of Project Greenlight and right before the final episode, I decided to give "The Leisure Class" a chance. I'd already read the reviews on IMDb and seen that the movie had a 3.9, but felt like I was better served in making my own judgement, despite the bias of having watched the show.

The movie is flawed, for sure and having watched the show, it's hard to feel like it couldn't have been better if a few things had gone differently.

That said, this is definitely worth a watch. It IS funny. It's a dark comedy. This reminds me more of "Running With Scissors" or "Death At A Funeral," but certainly not as good as either.

Ed Weeks, Tom Bell and Bridget Regan are all spot on. The flaws lie more in the script than anything else. Sadly, this flick seems to have been the death knell for Jason, Tom and the Project Greenlight series.

I would absolutely encourage anyone to give this movie a shot; it is worth your time.

And regarding other comments:

1. It is funny! 2. Fiona evolves and comes out STRONG. 3. Character development is there, though it doesn't follow the typical three act structure, WHICH, if you watched Greenlight, you should be aware of. By the end of the flick, if you don't care about ANY of the characters, then you may have missed the point.

romantic comedy reminiscent of old Hollywood classics

[fumotion · 10/10 · 26 November 2023]

This film is an absolute joy-a well-directed, beautifully shot romantic comedy reminiscent of old Hollywood classics. The lead actor's comedic prowess adds a delightful touch, making it a charming experience.

I don't often find myself compelled to write reviews, but I felt compelled to share my thoughts on this particular film, especially considering its seemingly unjust rating. It's disheartening to see that external factors, such as the behind-the-scenes reality show, have influenced the perception of this movie. Reality shows, as we know, thrive on drama, and unfortunately, that spilled over into the perception of this charming cinematic gem.

This movie is a genuine, enjoyable gem that deserves to be seen and appreciated for its cinematic brilliance, separate from external noise. Don't let the drama overshadow the charm of this first feature-it's definitely worth a watch.

The Hunting Room

[JoshuaDysart · 6/10 · 10 November 2015]

I think that once a little time has separated THE LEISURE CLASS from the trumped up drama and cheap "reality" of Project Green Light, the film will be treated a little more fairly.

Not that it's a good film. It mostly isn't.

The whole first half is filled with unearned character motivations, plagued by pacing problems and tedious to the point of boredom, particularly anytime Tom Bell is talking. Bell's character is almost insufferable. An alcoholic so destructive to any social situation he's in that he must be mentally I'll. This could be seen as a pretty ambitious character for a social satire, except that it's all meaningless, which is most evident when he turns out to be a good guy in tune with his flaws for the tidy ending. So the bell character ends up neither being enjoyable nor consistent.

Where the film does deserve some credit is in its thematic ambition, its mean spirit and... the hunting room. Now this is the scene everyone complains about the most, but it's the only part of the movie that actually worked on a substantive level for me. Once the tone of the film grows darker and the cast descends into the basement the film tilts towards the brilliant. This is in large part due to the amazing performance by Bruce Davison. To be fair, Davison is the only actor with a real character to work with in this film. A character that's been hiding his true ugly-resentful-misogynist nature all along. He is the leisure class. Corrupt, selfish and old- world to a fault. And as he reveals himself, Davison gives it his all, almost saving the movie for me.

But don't worry, after that it's pretty much back to its sloppy ways as it rushes towards an unearned resolution.

A side note, Bridget Regan turns in a strong performance that lives almost entirely in her subtle reactions, mostly because she doesn't have a lot to work with.

This is not a Documentary...

[runganonyoni · 5/10 · 9 November 2015]

...It's a Reality TV Programme.

Jason Mann was cast as the Bad Guy / Scaepgoat and sometimes so was Effie. The real villains were Marc Joubert and perhaps Ben and Matt - who all did everything to appear nice, level headed rather than honest. Effie suffered for being to honest and blunt. We all have agendas and she was too willing to show all her cards which worked against her a lot.

The reason why this film has been rated so low is because people are mixing their personal opinion of Jason and the Film. These are two separate things. Jason is no different to any other director - yes he had a vision and he was very single minded about it and most good directors are. Sometimes that works out and other times it does not. His only problem is that of course he was entitled but you're only as entitled as what others allow you to be and Matt, Ben and HBO all colluded in that self delusion.

Nonetheless lets talk about the film. It isn't very funny, that's true. In fact it's quite boring and laborious to watch. It's not a stinker though and isn't as bad as people have painted it. I've seen far, far worse first time films and the directors have gone on to make other more competent films.

Basically the biggest problem is that it feels as though they shot a first draft of a screenplay rather than something more advanced. The weakest part of the film are the two leads, especially Ed Weeks (Charles) who is so limited as an actor that I was baffled he was picked as a lead. In the original Short an actor called David Manson played the lead - more successfully I feel. Ed Weeks failed to bring any life to the character and failed to have more than 2 expressions throughout the movie. Everything seemed non-consequential to him. Because he couldn't act at being in love properly and his performance wasn't believable then he had to say it through clumsy dialogue...lazy acting.

Bridget Regan who plays Fiona made the best of poor dialogue and character development . Props to Bruce Davison who it felt like he was carrying the whole thing. He has been criticised for over-acting but at least he brought some kind of absurdity to the piece. I think he deserves credit - also for a poorly written character.

The film does look like a film - it looks expensive. So that's a plus and I think underneath there - perhaps a few drafts later was a good film. Right now it's forgettable. I think Jason is capable and I am sure he'll be given lots of opportunities to make right in the future. With more time and working with realistic limitations he might come up with something decent.

One last point: Going back to the series - I hope this is a lesson learnt that White dudes picking other white dudes to make film does not a good film make - let's try looking elsewhere next time - let's see what surprises we discover as surely they have nothing to lose now.

Barely OK

[craiginhouston · 4/10 · 5 November 2015]

I got a few genuine laughs out of this movie but not near as many as were intended by the writer/director. There is an extraordinary amount of dialogue that becomes tedious about 10 minutes into the movie and you quickly learn that the laughs are intended to come from overwrought banter that leaves you wanting to talk back at the screen and tell them to move on already. You might chuckle a little at the beginning of a witty back and forth and then it turns into a seemingly endless 'who's on first' where you're hoping one of the actors gets murdered so they can move on to the next scene.

The story line was plausible by Hollywood standards. If you watched 'The Proposal' with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds and said to yourself 'yeah, that could happen' then you'll have no problems with this movie. For everyone else that doesn't fall into that category, you'll want to say out loud 'Oh come one!' to at least the following scenes:

Fiona and company being dragged to a party the night before her wedding by her fiancée's best friend (Leonard) when she already thinks Leonard is crazy.

Fiona's turn on a dime personality change from stuffy rigid Fiona to 60's live and let live Fiona in defiance of William at the party.

William copping to duping Fiona on the eve of their wedding and somehow expecting her to carry on as if nothing happened.

Everyone's initial reaction to William announcing his lie -- they don't kick him out of the house? And then they let him, his brother and his brother's prostitute spend the night in their home?

Leonard plopping down on the couch next to Edward in the basement after Edward threatened to kill him and announcing that he wanted to suck his wife's toes -- what the hell was that scene?

You find yourself having to suspend belief at the character's actions and feeling like the only reason they're not doing what a normal person would do is because they need the character in the next scene for a laugh (the prostitute tags along with the other women into the basement? What the hell is she still doing at the house?).

All of this being said -- the movie was well acted for what they were asked to do. The chemistry was good between Ed Weeks and Tom Bell who both seem to be very capable actors. Edward was the most believable character in the movie thanks to Bruce Davison's solid performance. There are times that you will laugh if you're able to fight through the wearying banter and you can even enjoy the plot if you shut off your brain for 90 minutes. There are a lot of movies that are worse and for that reason -- 4 stars.

The script was bad to start -- downhill, and fast, from there

[dell_technician · 1/10 · 3 November 2015]

The Leisure Class is what you get if Wedding Crashers had a child with Mr. Bean, and it didn't have a funny bone in it's body. The film tries too hard to be a British Rom-Com similar to 4 Weddings and a Funeral; and fails. Don't try this at home, kids!

The story is unfocused, poorly structured, and reeks of desperation. Desperate to be funny. The film switches from comedy to drama, and that kills what little momentum it had.

The dialogue is stilted. Much of the dialogue and action is driven by dues ex machine. Things happen, or are said, in the movie for no reason other than someone said: "wouldn't if be funny if?" It never works.

I just don't get why Project Greenlight decided this was the film to go with. I have to assume that sexual orientation (of the writers, one was the director) came into play.

I watched the film after seeing the latest episode of PG. It's the episode where the HBO guy tries to tell the Director his film isn't getting through to the audience. The Director pouts like a little bitch. This after a screening, that amazingly, said the audience didn't get it. The Director still did not see the light. He was upset that he couldn't make the film "without interference." His artistry was assailed.

Anyway, after that little temper-tantrum, I had to see it. BTW, the HBO guy was correct in adding the explanation by the female lead as she comes down the stairs.

Enjoyable But Not Perfect. A Lot of Unfair, Sour Grapes Reviews Here

[vicdmise-318-644671 · 6/10 · 7 November 2015]

I've been watching Project Greenlight along with all the other reviewers here, but I feel like these reviews have generally been unfair and weighted by feelings from the show.

The story is solid. You've seen some derivative of it before, but find me one you haven't. The character development could be stronger, most of these people are thin stereotypes, but, again, find me a movie not full of them. You do get a sense of who the 2 main characters are immediately, tho and their chemistry is fantastic. They're the heroes of this movie and they bolster it all the way through. The comedy is good: farcical slapstick. although I personally would have liked to see it ramped up a bit more. As was stated in the show, I would also have liked to see more progression in the main female lead and the pacing does feel a bit rushed.

Overall a good solid effort with a few great performances. Not your favorite movie but enjoyable, and certainly not as pannable as the sour-grape-eating, wannabe-directors have reviewed here.

A Rarity

[margotre3 · 10/10 · 28 November 2023]

I think Jason Mann is a rare talent. Delicacy is incredible and it was incredibly brave of him to push to make his own script with the opportunity he was given on PGL. Seeing how that all manifested in the face of all sorts of reality show drama and HBO restrictions is utterly fascinating. But even without being able to see behind the curtain of how this movie was made, there's a lot to love and respect in this film. The use of the location is inventive and the skewering of the wealthy family, especially with Tom Bell at the center, is a delight to watch. What a maniacal gem! I'm excited to see what Mann does next and hopefully, on his own terms.

The Leisure Class

[chengrml · 27 December 2015]

I have watched this movie 4 or 5 times on HBO However, it was only after noticing one or two scenes that looked somehow familiar first viewing that we realized it was the Green Light movie project. The films title wasn't mentioned very much in the Greenlight series..it was just "the film"

The critics of this movie seem to be Greenlight Runners Up who failed to get the award. Since all their comments have nothing to do with the movie but are a critique surrounding its creation. The plot scenario is hilarious,.... the British humor is where I grew up.

Lots of sour grapes in rotten tomatoes.

,

Satire In Context

[randolphpat · 6/10 · 14 November 2015]

For years I've watched Project Greenlight try to catch lightening in a bottle. Looking for that Rocky, or Goodwill Hunting they've kissed a lot of frogs. While this is far from a great film, it's certainly not a bad one. And for a first time writer/ director it's actually pretty good. I mean even Altman made Dr T and the Women, and this is certainly better than that. In the past 20 years I could count on one hand the smart satires given any sort of wide release. With Project Greenlight, a whole lot of people who have a lot of money and influence read this script, met the reluctant director, and greenlit the movie. So what can I compare this to, while it's really not a comedy, it really is pure satire. Only a few movies come to mind, but I'll choose one and say it compares favorably to The Object of Beauty. The 1991 Michael Lindsay-Hogg film staring John Malkovich, and Andie McDowell was billed as a "romantic comedy" even though there wasn't really anything funny about it. That story followed a couple running up credit accounts in Europe's most expensive hot spots while waiting for a risky business venture to pay off. Just like Leisure Class, the male lead was essentially a fraud, but hid in plain sight, and his seemingly hapless girlfriend just went along for the ride. That film won the coveted two-thumbs up from Siskel and Ebert, and the story did work a little better than this one, but not that much better. We don't attempt films like this anymore, it was brave, true to it's own nature, and very well shot, scored, and edited. All of this created a backdrop that allowed Bruce Davidson to show all his talents on the screen. If Woody Allen had been forced to pay all his actors scale, had a shooting schedule, and budget like this one, Crimes and Misdermeanors might not have been any better. Of course it's impossible not to consider the eight hours of backstory we all saw prior to this finished product. And I think it's appropriate for the viewer to consider it. This film on it's own was not especially entertaining, but it was a good piece of art from a first time director with a lot of talent, let's hope someone has the vision to let us see more of him.

The worst thing you can do as a filmmaker is make a boring film, and that is The Leisure Class

[ArchonCinemaReviews · 3/10 · 19 November 2015]

The Leisure Class is the film green lit by the fourth season of Project Greenlight, this year produced by HBO and won by neophyte filmmaker Jason Mann.

For those of you unfamiliar with Project Greenlight, it is a competition produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (and previously co-produced by Chris Moore who was inexplicably absent this season) in which one winner gets to make a movie. The applicants are typically burgeoning cinema creators or drowning creatives who long ago took the safe route of a standard job. After a hiatus, the fourth season finally returns after a ten year lull, and this time New York film student Jason Mann won. Initially Mann was to direct a film written by season one winner Pete Jones called "Not Another Pretty Woman" but after some finagling, Mann won over HBO and was able to direct his own project, The Leisure Class.

I'm a huge fan of the heart and premise of Project Greenlight – give someone, who would otherwise not have a chance at breaking into Hollywood, the opportunity to make a movie. There is something interesting about watching these bright eyed individuals learn about the indie film maker's experience dealing with a studio, a la getting thrown into the deep end. Without fail though, you end up cheering for the Greenlight winner and inevitably form a bias in your experience of the final project. In an effort to truly watch the film with favoritism, I refrained from watching the series after episode two and skipped right to the movie.

The premise for The Leisure Class is not complicated in anyway, a British man named William is about to marry into an 'old money' Connecticut family. This happy occasion is turned on its head when William's eccentric brother turns up and the truth of William's pedigree and intentions can no longer be hidden.

The Leisure Class as a film is riddled with problems from start to finish, which makes us shudder at the thought of the state of Not Another Pretty Woman, the initial screenplay which was to be made. Character development, acting, plot, tone, structure, cinematography, production design, editing – basically everything needs work and feels like a rough first draft that should never see the light of day except as a canistered film on a shelf.

If you pick away at all the physical imperfections, what comes down to it is The Leisure Class is a weak script. The pacing is terrible, unbearably slow and monotonous at the start, with bouts of fleeting and nonsensical mania. The core events of the film do create a substandard plot, but the dialogue and transitional occurrences to get us from one main plot point to the next are absent. Tonally, The Leisure Class is off-putting, jumpy and abrasive while being equally pointless.

Yes, the actors could have brought more to their roles than what was there on paper, especially the feebly written females, most notably Bridget Regan who plays Fiona, but that minor fix would not have been enough to save the film. The two leads, played by Ed Weeks and Tom Bell, who are the heart of the film needed significant guidance based on their performances which a more experienced director would have noticed or edited around. Their banter, which seems excessively ad-libbed at times, needed to be reined in considerably so that the core structure of the film was retained. Listening to the dialogue, you long for the characters to get to the point, patiently waiting for the movie to start, which it never does.

It seems as though Jason Mann was given every opportunity to succeed and utilize this film as a catalyst for his career and exemplification of his talents as a film maker. Based on The Leisure Class, Mann needs to go back to the basics of exciting and compelling story-telling before jumping into filming.

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Among Woody Allen's worst

[gpaltrow2001 · 3/10 · 6 November 2015]

My wife and I, after seeing Pete Jones pop up, simultaneously watched seasons 1 and 4. It was pretty interesting. Pete Jones had a hard time getting a handle on how to direct, but had a mélange of guys around him arguing over production issues. Jason Mann had a clear vision of what he wanted, pulled off some excellent directorial skill, and had one producer bring her drama. If I were to hire for a small film, Pete Jones would write the screenplay by himself, Jason Mann would only direct, and Effie Brown would have nothing to do with the production.

The film looked nice, moved along towards where it was headed, and had some good actors. Whatever was in Jason Mann's head did not translate to an overall satisfying experience. As I write this, I'm surprised the movie is at 3.9 on IMDb. I thought it would be closer to a 5. But I have to agree with the 3.9, 3 of which go to Tom Bell and Ed Weeks. If not for them, this film would be a disaster. It's obvious the best parts of the film were ad-libs between the two male leads.

It's my opinion that Effie Brown is a racist. Her complaining about the 'lily-whiteness' (her term) and focus on black crew-members betrays her. I have no issue with blacks, and other non-whites, getting a foot in the door in Hollywood. It's obvious to me that Effie Brown made sure the crew was out-of-proportion black-versus-white-versus-the-population. Her personal agenda became an albatross around the neck of the production. If she were reading this now, her eyes would be open, with a fake, wide, rueful smile to go with it. This was not the production to bring that drama. I hope she gets stuck on Tyler Perry films.

Jason Mann may or may not learn his lesson. It is telling that HBO's head, Len Amato, said he would want time before working with Jason Mann again. It was ridiculous that Len Amato had to hand-hold the end of production (that may be why he gets paid the big bucks). Jason Mann has not earned his stripes before or after this production. His skill as a director is evident. He understands lighting, angles, background, set-up, timing, and editing. His next project should be with the condition that he only direct, and direct as he is told by the producer (and as the script dictates). He made a blunder when he stated something along the lines of, "The director gets the final say in the creative process." Noooo, that is what Woody Allen gets to say/do. The director does his/her job, and the MONEY gets to say from the outset who has the final creative say. Now, if "The Leisure Class" makes $20,000,000, then I know nothing. Somehow I think it won't.

P.S. Imagine Woody Allen in the Bruce Davison role, and whimsy instead of drama. THAT would be a Woody Allen film to see, and with the EXACT SAME script!

Certainly not run of the mill

[kassuper · 8/10 · 18 November 2023]

I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

The entire movie made me feel like I was actually present with these people at these locations. As opposed to an overly produced green screen project.

Many scenes had an improvisational feel which made the interactions, dialogue and occasional awkwardness seem very realistic.

I think perhaps people go into it with the wrong attitude or too focussed on the meta.

Just watch it like a hurricane (an intrigant) coming through the lives of these people who are secretly all hanging by a thread.

We get to watch each of them unravel in a different way.

Certainly recommend it if you can appreciate interesting character work with some great absurdist humor. Don't watch it for the plot twists and turns, it's not a mystery or a thriller.

You can watch the scene that starts a little over 9 minutes in between just leonard and william to get a feel for their interactions.

Hope I helped some people give it a chance, it won't be for everyone, especially in the current generation. Don't try to identify with one person so much that you would want to be in their shoes. Think of it more like you're watching a car crash ;)

Basically a bad version of wedding crashers

[m_johnston · 3/10 · 17 April 2019]

This was like a really bad British version of the wedding crashers. Both movies revolve around a wedding, both have high profile politicians as head of the house, both have a daughter that's a virgin, and both center around two guys with one being the odd ball. The difference? Very little in this movie is actually funny. I know this was a movie that was made as part of Project Greenlight. The fact Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Pete Jones, and the head as of HBO Films thought this was a good script says all you need to know as to why Hollywood can't make good ORIGINAL movies anymore. Jason Mann fought to shoot this on film. It didn't matter. He could have shot on VHS because it's still just crap. Right from the beginning the dialogue doesn't make sense because there is no setup as to who these people are. This isnt a crime drama. It's supposed to be a comedy which means the audience should be able to sit back, relax, and laugh and not have to think hard and guess as to what's going on. Bottom line, don't waste an hour and a half of your life watching this.

Form your own opinions, then read the ratings.

[darienweise-508-114329 · 8/10 · 1 August 2017]

I have a few rules when it comes to watching movies.

1. If I start a trailer for a movie and immediately like it, I turn off the trailer and watch the film with no questions asked.

2. (How I found 'The Leisure Class') If I read a description and like it, then I watch the film also with no questions asked.

**Background on me: I went to school for film and TV, and have also been involved in the creative arts all my life. I have seen everything from a scale of pure sh** to amazing. I don't know everything about film, but I do know everything about what it means to sit through some very Sh***y things.

--In continuation, I find that too often we focus on the ratings and don't actually form our own opinions without reading the ratings or hearing the critic's reviews. For me this film has an essence of the British humour that is in the original "Death at a Funeral" 2007. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0795368/

If you don't know British humour, then you wouldn't realize that this isn't your typical slapstick comedy or your American 'The Hangover' type humour.

A lot of the jokes were ridiculous, and the story is exaggerated. That makes a lot of people (especially people who go on IMDb) very anxious.

HONESTLY, sometimes you need to just have a mindless film. It takes a lot of skill to put our critical minds aside and give in ourselves to the film. Too often we have ideas of what we want a film to be, instead of letting the writer or director tell the story with a blank slate. I think this film was great, not for its amazing writing or comedy... but to tell a cohesive story that you can find yourself lost in. Not everything needs to be 10 stars.

Then again, I am so very tired of thinking. This movie allowed me to just relax and enjoy the theatrical quality of it.

Take or leave my review, but I didn't look at ratings first. This is my first review, but it shocked me so much how bad the rating was. I just had to voice that the film was good, maybe not great, but good enough for me.

***1/2

[edwagreen · 9/10 · 26 November 2015]

No matter what others might say, I found this to be a very good film as it deals with relationships and how the truth ultimately comes out, in order to save the day.

It is also a story of revelation and ultimate redemption. The film also sports an outstanding performance by Bruce Davison, as the senator who tries to live life among the elite, but when things start to come out, he reveals himself at the end as quite a character to boot. It is by far his best performance since him nominated performance in "Longtime Companion."

The picture starts off quite comical with an off-the-wall brother suddenly appearing at his brother's engagement party. The latter is marrying into society and into a political family as well. He has hidden his true identity and has totally reinvented himself.

The appearance of the brother begins to erode all that and with drunken evening pool parties, a near car crash and the ultimate revelations of the Davison (Sen.Ed) character, you know that the engagement shall not exactly bring forth marriage.

The role of the women as rebellious, snobbish, intellectual and power-seeking are well revealed here.

Well done.

[kenyagreen-92421 · 9/10 · 4 November 2015]

Happy to contribute a review for The Leisure Class!

Simply put, most American comedies just aren't funny anymore. Long gone are the nuanced, intelligent and witty Woody Allenesque films but thank God for up and coming writers like ----- Amy Schumer. Wouldn't call what she's writing classy humour, lol, but smart nevertheless. And the writers of this film have contributed something most viewers probably just don't understand & sadly that's usually the case when screenwriters contribute something actually worthwhile. I have an appreciation for The Leisure Class because of the layers of thought beneath the surface. For example, after deceitfully pursuing wealth and prestige and social status, Ed Weeks' character realizes (after the wedding) his ne'er-do-well brother is probably happier with his "affordable" prostitute than he'll be in this newly inherited (and miserable) family. It's brilliant and the actors did such a great job telling the story. The look on Charles' face at the film's end says it alllll! Just wanted to spread some love to the cast and crew and HBO. Congrats to all involved. xx

quirky

[alexbaska · 8/10 · 4 November 2015]

I couldn't finish Project Greenlight, I found the one executive producer unbearable, the director ... well let's just say he came off ill.

This movie is funny, quirky and weird; in the rightest of ways. For the rushed way it was filmed and produced it is exceptional and definitely worth watching. The characters were believable, which is impressive considering their outlandish "devil may cry" nature. The dialog at times was less then spectacular but the scenes were well put together and the movement of the camera was pleasing to watch. A morbid sense of humor may be needed.