Customer Reviews

Half a Person

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This is a film with no real grounding. The plot is circular and lightweght. Of the two main characters, one is rather unpleasant, the other simply off-putting. One is a psychological bully who successfully intimidates the other every chance he gets: the other guy is compulsively wimpy and feeds readily into the co-dependent shenanigans that comprise the whole movie. These two, by the way, have been "friends" for at least ten years or more. This movie is watchable--but only just.

Best friends since high school, and now in their late 20's, Mark and Alex couldn't be more different, but they strangely seem to compliment each other, as if each was "Half A Person" (2007). Mark is gay, outgoing and charismatic, though the relationship with his boyfriend, Tom, is definitely in trouble due to Mark's immaturity and lack of responsibility. Alex is straight, shy and chronically dateless, fairly conscientious and responsible, but feels that life is passing him by. It's Alex's idea to leave their small town to spend some time in Toronto, but Mark quickly invites himself along, leaving Tom behind. Their road trip is a lot more eventful than Alex imagined (or wanted), thanks to Mark's impulsive actions along the way. They meet two teenage girls on the bus, and later go out with them in Toronto, a move that both realized wasn't very smart, but actually helps each of the young men to realize what they want out of life. Alex also takes a side trip to someone he knew in his past, although this is not very clear in the film.

An ambitious indie film with a relatively simple premise and minimal story development, and the film's low budget is also somewhat evident in the production values, including background noise making dialogue difficult to hear in a few scenes. Would have liked the background of friendship between the gay/straight friends - explored very briefly in disjointed flashbacks - developed a lot more, and a clearer explanation of Alex's connection to Toronto. DVD only includes a few outtakes, which illustrate the rather casual style of the film's writer/director. Film is not rated, would only be a soft R due to

The movie starts out with two friends. One is depressed all the time and the other is an obnoxious jerk. The depressed one decides to go on a road trip back to his hometown for whatever reason. The friend tags along. They meet up with two girls and they both end up treating them like garbage. And then they go home and the movie ends. The depressed guy is still depressed and the obnoxious guy is still obnoxious. I hated this movie