Customer Reviews

Don McKay

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Don Mckay is an indie film that was only shown in seven theaters nationwide, but it's actually a good watch on DVD. What sets this film apart from other low-budget projects is that it features a great cast of veteran actors.

The movie starts off as a thriller with a slow fuse, with the film evolving into a black comedy in the final half hour. While Don Mckay isn't as well-written or interesting as a Coen Brothers film, it scores points for throwing the audience curveballs. I thought the story was obvious and predictable, until the conclusion approached. There's simply no way that you can predict how the story will unfold or conclude.

The best part of Don Mckay is the cast. Elisabeth Shue is gorgeous as Sonny, Don Mckay's old girlfriend who conveniently wears seductive sleepwear for most of the movie (I'm not complaining). Keith David (the Imam in Pitch Black) gives a nice performance as Mckay's buddy Otis Kent, though he unfortunately doesn't get much screen time. The movie is also rounded out with performances by veteran actors Pruitt Taylor Vince, M. Emmet Walsh, and James Rebhorn. The standout performance in the movie is by Melissa Leo (Frozen River), who is spectacular as Marie, Sonny's caregiver. I was a bit disappointed by Thomas Haden Church's performance in the lead role. It may have been intentional for Mckay to be a shell of a man, but Church has the same expression on his face for almost the entire movie. Also, the cinematography by first-time director Jake Goldberger is decent, and I enjoyed the film score by Steven Bramson.

While Don Mckay is basically a straight-to-video movie, it's much better than your typical Redbox rental. It won't have you on the edge of your seat the whole time, but it still offers a great cast and an unpredictable ending.

This is pretty much an oddball film but it's played too straight to pull off the oddballishness. Others have recounted the story so I won't bother. It IS a noir genre piece with a real cock-eyed approach. The first two acts are something you'd expect from David Lynch but they don't have Lynch's sense of quirkiness so you might find yourself scratching your head trying to figure out what the director was going for.

This is Thomas Hayden Church's production so he must have seen something here. The question is what. He must have also seen something in the McKay character but that seems elusive as well. He wears a particular expression on his face throughout nearly the entire movie but I can't quite pin it. Is he dumb? Is he dumbfounded? Is he in a constant state of amazement? Whatever, it wears thin rather quickly. The plot does keep you on your toes and I really wanted to find out what the entire thing was about, and in that sense it was quite satisfying. In the third act they drop the weirdness and the film takes a sudden turn for the straight. All the cards are on the table and the plot knots get, well.....unknotted.

The acting is decent. Elizabeth Shue isn't at her best but, as I'd pay to watch eat cornflakes, it didn't slow my enjoyment. The production values were good enough to get the point across. The one thing that really threw me were the songs. They seemed to have nothing to do with what was happening and did absolutely nothing to enhance or underscore what was happening on the screen.

This isn't a bad movie by any means and I didn't find myself looking at my watch. But if you don't get to see a lot of movies, I wouldn't put this high on my list.

Don has been living a life of a loner. A janitor at a high school, he hides a secret and because of that he has not visited the town that he grew up in for many years. A former flame ( Elizabeth Shue)pleads with him to come back home to spend time with her as she is terminally ill. As he returns, he is immediately sucked in to a web of deception involving shady characters, murder and suspicion.
I thought this movie was just alright and has adequate suspense and intrigue to keep things interesting. Each character was shady and this angle made the movie interesting. In many ways it reminded me of a short story or a play adapted for the big screen. Thomas Haden Church as the clueless character was great and the rest of the characters provided him support. While this may not be the best of suspenseful movies, it was still watchable and the final frame offered closure. Three stars. 01/02/11

I had time to kill and I'm glad don McKay didn't waste it.

this was an odd film, but I'm a fan of thomas Haden Church that I had to check it out.

I was not disappointed.

though it was a slow beginning, the actors kept me interested in what the heck was going on.

I was truly entwined in what could be a love story, what should have been a simple murder plot, and what was supposed to be a by the book thriller.

But this movie was none of that and for that, I applaud Don McKay for being my secret movie that was really good for the first of the year.

I liked the movie. It is not a fast moving plot, but you are constantly trying to figure out what is going on because things don't add up. You know something is afoot, but the reason is not clear. I like the fact that the movie characters are not super heroes, but more real life and kind of sad people. The ending is a bit lame, but I was thoroughly entertained and thought it was definitely worth watching.

Fascinating, strange, unpredicatable, at times funny; clever, artistic; great acting, directing, and cinematography. Don't make a big deal of my comparison with Twin Peaks, and don't judge it by comparing it to Twin Peaks. But if you liked Twin Peaks, you might like this movie. I loved it.

It's always nice to see Elisabeth Shue, my favorite actress.
Very interesting film, once I started watching I couldn't turn it off.

Spoilers.........










This is a very weird story of a man who comes back to his hometown, supposedly to reconnect with his lost love, knowing full well that she is not the woman he used to love (she died). This woman is supposedly dying but is obviously healthy, and then two other people get involved in some sort of plan to steal a bunch of money. Oh, and there's a murder or two or three.
It is all very odd and disjointed.
Church is quite good in his role though Shue is not up to snuff, I think.

This movies starts off slow and I was unsure why I rented a SCARY movie. I choose it by the cover and the list of stars and thought it would have more humor, if it was there I missed it. The big scare & comedy never came and there were to many lose ends. Not asking what disease the girl had, what happened to the body, where was the bad cop that hated him, the foreshadowing of the tree house fire that ended up being the "answer to many questions". This movie had some actors of note and they played their parts well but the "bee" at the end ruined the movie for me. This could be rated 3 1/2 stars but that was not an option and wearing the wire was used to get the HERO quickly OFF the hook...I guess. I did enjoy it and ended up watching it again with my wife so it was OK+.

PURE MST3K fodder. My girlfriend and I couldnt stop making fun of this film. Tries to be NEO-NOIR, then in the middle of the film they say, ok lets be a dark comedy? FAIL! So many HORRIBLE one liners, horrible acting by CHURCH, Shue is so hot in her lingere though so that alone is worth a watch. LAUGHABLE, enjoy ripping this film apart as much as I did.