Wicker Park Movie Review:


What is it like to be lonely?

In every single moment you just seem to flutter by. Not making any real connections but meeting people who never truly meet you.

Then for two glorious months you finally connect with someone only to watch it disappear as quickly as it arrived.

These points in all our lives are what the new film, “Wicker Park” is trying to explore. But does the film really understand the human psyche? Not really.

“Wicker Park” is a remake of the 1996 French film, “L’Appartement” which starred Vincent Cassel and Monica Bellucci.

In the new film, Josh Hartnett stars as Matthew Simon, a drab, lonely banker who is stuck in a relationship he doesn’t want with fellow banker, Rebecca (Jessica Pare). Matt doesn’t really know what he wants from life on the eve of the biggest deal of his career. His whole financial future sits on Matt making his flight to China.

Then the impossible occurs, Matt goes to make a phone call but finds the booth busy. As he enters the restroom the voice in the booth sounds oddly familiar almost like it belonged to his last great love, Lisa (Diane Kruger). Could it be that she is about to come back into his life? Matt bolts the restroom to find out if it was Lisa.

But Matt misses her.

Now it is up to him to piece together some clues she left behind to find out if it is Lisa and maybe reunite him with her. What is Matt to do about the trip to China and his current girlfriend? Or maybe he just doesn’t care?

The best way to describe “Wicker Park” is that it is what a film would be like if a director took a French film studies course and decided to remake his favorite film from that course. Except what the young filmmaker doesn’t realize is that you can’t make a great French work in the Hollywood system.

Director Paul McGuigan garnered a lot of acclaim with his independent thrillers, “Gangster No.1” and “The Reckoning” but his sense of romantic entanglements and yearning leave a lot to the imagination. McGuigan does some really interesting things with flashbacks and transitions in the film. The film is shot really slick and almost feels a lot like an art film but is to well-lit to feel like a French film.

I also really felt the actors were on auto-pilot through a lot of their scenes. Even the supposed-to-be ravenous love scene between Hartnett and Kruger lacked the primal or passion-filled punch the film itself desired. There were also so many flashbacks that I almost felt that in some ways I was watching a “chick-flick” version of “Memento”.

Then there is Hartnett. This guy has three distinct acting faces. One is a sort of “puffy-eyed” yearning with his bottom lip extended slightly. The second is a “confused-pout” where he crinkles up the wrinkles on his forehead and looks like a confused puppy. The third is his dramatic face which is required when he delivers a lot of dialogue in the really serious scenes. That’s all he needs for this flick. I know the guy has other looks because he was brilliant in “O” and I know he can do love scenes like in “Pearl Harbor”. But in this film he seems to have taken his whole character’s drab life way, way to seriously.

If I had to pick a stand out in this film it has to be Rose Byrne but only because she got the only real part with acting muscles. She is good in her more reserved scenes as well as her tenser scenes. But I guess anyone could have been more flamboyant against Hartnett’s steadfast performance.

I had a really hard time liking or caring about any of the characters. By the film’s third act, the characters were so closely tied to one and other that it was almost incestuous. And since when does a French love story have a happy ending?

There was some nice photography but as for the rest of the film I really wanted so much more. This is probably the most boring love story I have seen in a really long time. I just wish he got on the damn plane!

(1 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.

Dean Kish

Just about to clinch the biggest account of his career and on the verge of proposing to his girlfriend, Matthew (Hartnett) thinks he sees Lisa (Kruger), the love of his life who left him two years before, in a restaurant. Throwing everything to the wind, he desperately tries to find her, covering all their old haunts until he finally thinks he has located her apartment only to be greeted by another woman, also called Lisa (Byrne). Disoriented and confused, he confides in her, telling his story but as the two become closer Matthew starts to feel that something isn’t right.

Obsession is a powerful thing and can be a stimulating, pulsating plot device. Wicker Park uses this emotion extremely well.

A remake of the 1996 French film L'Appartement starring Vince Cassel and Monica Bellucci, Wicker Park switches the story to Chicago and brings in Josh Hartnett and two up and coming actresses, Rose Byrne and Diane Kruger. The script than throws these three into a tale of betrayal, guilt and obsession that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Wicker Park succeeds in creating an interest in the viewer. You don’t really know what you are watching as the story unfolds before your eyes. Is it a suspense thriller, a romantic drama or even a who-done-it? This is a script that throws in many different directions and keeps you guessing until the end. The story unfolds in a series of flashbacks, each coming from the three lead character’s perspectives. As the plot advances, more of the backstory is revealed until we finally realise what has driven each of these characters to be in the situation that they are.

The script would be nothing without three fine performances from the leads. Josh Hartnett is predominately about looks more than he is talent but in this movie he shows that he might actually be worth watching. This is an emotional performance from the actor, as his character is torn between the life he has and the life he longs for. He is a man who can’t life with what if and will do anything to find the woman he adores. Diane Kruger continues to make waves in the profession as Lisa. While this is a much smaller part than everyone else, she still has to be believeable enough for her character to be the object of Matthew’s passion, a woman that he would do anything to see again. Matthew Lillard conjures up a rather restrained performance for he, proving that they might actually be more to his talents that been the best friend of a famous dog. As Luke he is the best friend character that, unbeknownst to him, plays a pivotal role in the relationship between three main characters. This is an assured performance that should get the actor abit more recognition.

Stealing the show is the very talented Rosie Byrne. Arguably more attractive than Diane Kruger (I made this argument for Troy as well), the actress dresses down and procures a timid persona that shifts dramatically as the film progresses. The performance shows the Australian actress’s range and proves that she can handle the complex characters. This could be the start of a glittering career.

Wicker Park is a romantic drama that has enough intrigue and twists to keep both men and women entertained. With more than a nod to the style of Alfred Hitchcock, the plot is engaging and the characters are developed enough for you to care what final outcome will be. Obsession is powerful emotion and Wicker Park utilises it very well.

Star Rating = * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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