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Rating:  -
Richard Linklater has long been known for his knack for getting a lot of a little. Movies like "Slacker" pushed the boundaries of conventional filmmaking, and took your preconceptions and stomped them to dust. Even his mainstream breakthrough "Dazed and Confused" seemed surreally barebones in its structure. However, with "Tape", Linklater took his style to whole new heights of complex simplicity (yes, that was an intentional oxymoron).
Unfolding like a modern day Samuel Beckett play, "Tape" revolves entirely around only three characters, and takes place entirely in a hotel room. The central character, Vince (played brilliantly by Ethan Hawke) is meeting up with two old friends from high school (Uma Thurman and Robert Sean Leonard). It seems like an innocent friendly reunion at first, but soon it's apparent that Vince has ulterior motives for getting the old gang back together.
For its rather sparse arrangement, this is an intense, intelligent, highly complex, and extremely engaging story. All three performances are great, but Hawke definitely stands out, bringing such vivid dimension to a highly erratic and delightfully devious character. This is definitely among the best performances I've seen of his. It's also worth mentioning that this movie was filmed not in a real hotel room, but on a very convincing soundstage. To those interested in stage design, the attention to detail here is pretty impressive.
Like most of Linklater's movies, this is definitely not for everyone, but if you dig his style, you definitely need to see this.
Rating:  -
The Bottom Line:
Drawing its strength from a performance by Ethan Hawke that's so good it forever made me like him as an actor when I previously hated him, Tape is an ingeniously claustrophobic drama from Richard Linklater.
Rating: -
Talented director Linklater dares to sustain a drama on a single dingy set, and thanks to a biting script and superb performances, succeeds. Though Thurman expertly plays the pivotal role of Amy, less a victim than a detached female looking on with bemusement at two ranting males, the show is Hawke's and Leonard's, as the two men wage a savage battle of wits, with life-changing implications. Taut, holding, and clever, "Tape" is immensely satisfying fare.
Rating:  -
This film is over-rated at 4 stars. It starts off slow and eventually gets to something that is interesting. But it's very pretentious and not very believable.
Rating:  -
If you see this movie heading your way, duck for cover. Tape is a film of almost unimaginable cruelty. Three very good actors, Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, and Robert Sean Leonard, (now seen on the excellent TV show, House), are trapped in a cheesy motel room for 83 minutes, more to the point, you are trapped in there with them. This is the kind of film that aches for an obligatory car chase, frat house bikini contest, or helicopter crash.
It's easy to affix the blame. Stephen Belber wrote the play and adapted it for film. (Note to Mr. Belber: Unless you're Samuel Beckett, do not attempt a three-person, one-room play, it's almost impossible to do well.) This horrific gaff would seem to explain it, but there's more. The film was directed by Richard Linklater, who gave us Waking Life, (also featuring Ethan Hawke). For those of you who have not seen Waking Life, let us simply say that, though it features splendidly original animation, the film is arguably the largest swamp-gas-filled-dirigible ever to cross the horizon.
One can easily see why Mr. Linklater would be drawn to Mr. Belber's play, both Tape and Waking Life feature almost identical dialogue, it goes something like this:
Why are we here? What? You know. You mean now? Yes, well, I think so. What? Stop kidding yourself, you know exactly what I mean. No I don't, honestly. What? Oh for God's sake, if you won't do it for me, do it for them. I'm not following you. But don't you see it? There are options, certainly. What? Would you like a beer? How many do you have left? Several, well, some, not as many as I thought I had, but enough to let you have one, depending on how badly you want one, do you want one? What? A beer. Is that why we're here, to talk about beer? No, of course not, it's what you might call polite conversation. Oh well that's just fine, our friendship has been reduced to the point of polite conversation, we no longer talk about real things, honest things? Great, now Mr. Smarty Pants wants to talk about real things, honest things, this is a very intriguing if not astounding turn of events. What? Since when are you interested in what's real, aren't you the one who spent years building a castle of lies, a fortress to protect you from feeling anything? I'm sorry, why am I here? Isn't that a question for you to answer? Perhaps, but you did, after all, invite me. What?
For 83 minutes - and you never leave the room.
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