I recall seeing the trailer for this, and thought it was a typical thriller killer flick. And this is exactly what it turned out to be. Some parts of it were pretty predictable, but regardless of this, it still was good enough to watch I thought. It certainly helped that Amber Heard who plays Kelly Porter in this was wandering around in a bikini and underwear most of the time while she was on screen.
For the ladies, Penn Badgley plays Michael Harding and is the central focus of this bizarre scenario which he and his family get involved in. Sela Ward plays Susan Harding his mother who gets romantically involved with Dylan Walsh who plays David Harris. He is a serial killer, and likes to role-play as a family with his victims before killing them. David using many alias names has previously killed a number of people before he meets up with the Harding family.
Michael suspects that something isn’t right with his mother’s new found love, and from his suspicions it leads him to clues. The storyline is pretty straightforward, but has a few moments of suspense in it. I think the cast made this film better than it was and carried the film for the most part. This is actually a remake of the original release using the same title released in 1997 starring Terry O’Quinn, Jill Schoelen and Shelley Hack.
This seems to be director Nelson McCormick’s first featured film theatrically released, he has an extensive television resume and gained his experience there. I think many would consider this to be a mystery thriller with a few moments of comedy thrown in here and there. Perhaps the melodramatic moments were comical, but it was fitting enough for this PG-13 story. The screenplay for the film was written by J.S. Cardone and Donald E. Westlake who contributed the earlier screenplay. The story was written by Carolyn Lefcourt, Brian Garfield, and Donald E. Westlake.
More of the cast includes: Sherry Stringfield playing Leah, Paige Turco who plays Jackie Kerns, Jon Tenney as Jay Harding, Nancy Linehan Charles as Mrs. Cutter, Marcuis Harris as Detective Shay, Braeden Lemasters as Sean Harding, Deirdre Lovejoy as Detective Tylar, Skyler Samuels as Beth Harding, Blue Deckert as Captain Mackie, Jason Wiles as Dylan Bennet and Kara Ortiz as Kara Briola the Real Estate Assistant.
There are a few goofy moments in the film, such as the freezer scene and a few horror type cliché’s as well. Some of the things added in this film were kind of unrealistic in the real world and this guy would have been caught however, if you enjoyed this, you might also like Disturbia starring Shia LaBeouf released a few years back in 2007. I think it is safe to say The Stepfather is a jazzed up modern day killer thriller toned down to get more ticket sales.
This indie film was a cult hit and was popular with the younger crowd of movie goers. I think most people will find it to be quite charming in its own way. The directorial influence was done by Jason Reitman who has done other films such as Thank You for Smoking (2005). He seemed to really capture the character and story of Juno, which is about a 16 year old Minnesota girl who unexpectedly became pregnant, and wants to give her child to a responsible couple. She faces issues with her peers and family…while dealing with a relationship at the same time. This film was written by Diablo Cody based upon some of her own high school experiences. She has also written the film Jennifer’s Body (2009) starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried.
Canadian actress Ellen Page stars in this as Juno MacGuff and is a talented force to be reckoned with, she is unique and this film seems to showcase her talents on screen. Michael Cera also stars in this as Paulie Bleeker who is a good friend to Juno. Jennifer Garner plays Vanessa Loring and Jason Bateman is Mark Loring. They are the couple seeking adoption for a child. Allison Janney plays Brenda ‘Bren’ MacGuff the mother of Juno. Her father Mac MacGuff is played by J.K. Simmons. Olivia Thirlby plays Leah, Eileen Pedde is Gerta Rauss, Rainn Wilson is Rollo, Daniel Clark is Steve Rendazo, Darla Fay is Bleeker’s Mom, Valerie Tian is Su-Chin Qah, Aman Johal is Vijay, Emily Perkins appears as the Punk Receptionist, and Kaaren de Zilva is the Ultrasound Technician.
This film was very well casted, and each of the actors seemed to fit each of the roles, it is not often you will find such a collective pool of talents thrown together. In this, you will see them breathe life into each of their characters. The film doesn’t pretend to be anything else; it has its own kind of thing going on. I think this movie is about acceptance, forgiveness and seems to march to its own path. The film had a meager $7 million dollar budget and has since grossed $231,411,584 million worldwide. That’s pretty good for an independent film such as this. I hope you enjoy Juno as much as we did. It was a real treat to see. I highly recommend seeing this one as well.
“A comedy about growing up… and the bumps along the way”
