Of Boredom and Bad Acting

Would you be capable of shooting your best friend in the back of the head? Well that’s what I wish someone had the courtesy to do for me while I sat through 2 hours of poor acting and bad directing. Now I’m sure many watched this thinking they could get around reading the novel itself, another tedious homework assignment, but I’d rather waste my time reading then my hard earned money. The epic tale of the unique camaraderie between the “quick witted” George Milton (Gary Sinse) and the slightly retarded Lennie Small (John Malkovich) searching for work in the great depression is not brought to justice by this mediocre film. Gary Sinse illustrates that he has the ability to both direct and star in this movie…although he does neither well. In the opening scene we sit back and watch a damsel in distress in running through an open field hollering and flailing about. Now for those who haven’t read the story the slow motion running in the open field would seem incredibly obscure. I’m sure the inability to hear what the girl was yelling about was meant for visual impact but it only lead to greater confusion. Yes, the movie does do a good job of portraying the novel and gets the story line across but, unfortunately that’s as good as it gets. There must be some kind added innovativeness right? Wrong. The film is an exact reenactment of the novella but lacking some of the crucial elements. The irritating floozy who is constantly seeking attention, known as Curley’s wife, is one character that was exceedingly underplayed. While watching the film you wonder how the plane Jane looking girl could possibly be the catalyst of conflict. For some inexplicable reason the character’s vulgar side is not shown in the film which leaves you wondering why she is so hated among the other workers. Instead of knowing what a condescending character she really is the viewer is left feeling sorry for her throughout the movie. I’m sure the 2 minutes it would have taken to insert the scene of her making racist remarks towards the black worker would have been well worth it to show the diversity of her character. The visual impact of this character also comes up short. While you expect to see an overdone, made up, trampy appearing characters don’t be too disappointed to see an average looking girl play this role. Even advancing her with a little more sex appeal with $5 more worth of make up would have made this character more accurate. Another substantial let down was the lack of microcosm present in the film. The scene in the novel which allowed us to connect with the beaten down character of Crooks was not even shown in the movie. This portion of the novel allowed us to see how life was like during the depression and how significant the issue of racism was whereas in the movie we are not able to experience this. Sinse’s attempt to play the role of George was one that failed miserably. Instead of him possessing a mean yet compassionate persona, Sinse’s character showed to be too calm and contained. All and all his acting was that of an amateur; perhaps the director should have cast someone other then himself for the role. And now for the grand finale…the closing scene. While I’m sure many of you are anticipating the unforeseen ending of George having to shoot Lenny you’re in for great disappointment. Before you can be left at the edge of their seat wondering will he do it? The gunshot is fired leaving you angry as to why the such a crucial scene would be cut short. Instead of showing George as a nervous wreck as his finger is placed on the trigger, the film has him knelt behind Lennie without showcasing any real anxiety. The bad directing coupled with bad acting is the perfect recipe for a bad movie. Yet another failed attempt of bringing a classic novel to the big screen.