This very loose update of Dostoyevsky will never gain the original's classic status, but on its own unseemly little terms it's an efficient genre flick. Trapped in a suburban Hell with an alcoholic stepfather (the always nasty Michael Ironside), suffering, molested high-schooler Rosanne (Monica Keena) begs her quarterback boyfriend (James DeBello) to help her bump him off. Things get complicated with the involvement of her weary mother (scrappy Ellen Barkin, still waiting for a decent role) and a sensitive, outsider classmate (Vincent Kartheiser). Larry Gross's script has Barkin's selfish character acting too much the idiot, though you won't hear a bad note from her or the rest of the appealing young cast (the invaluable Jeffrey Wright also has a nice bit as Barkin's lover). Even if director Rob Schmidt has too much of an MTV sensibility (showy cuts, booming soundtrack, etc.) and indulges himself with the gruesome murder, his glossy sensitivity to teen trauma redeems some of the pulp. The film can be seen in widescreen on DVD, as well as heard in French and Spanish. --Steve Wiecking Amazon.com
Wathcing this film one does think of Amercian Beauty. It's sort of a dark take on suburan life. Moncia Kenna is wonderful in the lead role as a girl who convices her boyfriend played with excelent pussy whipped charm by James DeBello. to do the unthinkable. Vincenet Krashter is also good as a neighbor who knows more then he leads on.
March 26, 2008This particular story could be turned into a breath-taking film with the right director. Too much is held back, and the film seemed all too typical. The director does not give a true, gritty, raw look into the troubled life this young girl led, and the story that unfolded. On the bright side, Vincent Karthieser is brilliant, and hes about the only one. Though there is nothing that makes this film stand out as great, it is entertaining, and will keep your attention.
Overall, its worth watching. A decent film I suppose. But it wont be one for the ages. It wont be one that will leave you "shocked" or "stunned". For a true gritty look into the troubled lives of adolesence with a slightly similar story...A movie that will really leave you stunned, watch 'Bully' instead.
February 26, 2005There's no better way to put it, this film is an enigma, at least for me. At times it can be laughable because of how serious it takes itself and at other moments you get drawn into the obsessive tone of the film. It's hard to categorize this film when it simply wants to enjoy being anonymous and ellusive. The film would probably be a good cult movie if only it had a cult following. Though it could never live up to the competitors, including Donnie Darko (which had a better script, actors, and director).
Though being a very loose adaptation of the classic novel, it might draw people to enquire about the novel. I would hope that would be one of the outcomes of people viewing this film.
But if you're looking for a dark teen film watch Donnie Darko instead. July 20, 2004
 |  | "Crime + Punishment" DVD Review |  |
Rob Schmidt's modern day take on Dostoyevsky is a promising film that is so drowned in glossy imagery and bleak characters that it never seems to generate the type of interest in story-telling that it should. Monica Keena is the beautiful head cheerleader who seems to have the perfect life but in reality is trapped in a suburban nightmare. Vincent Kartheiser ("Another Day In Paradise") is the token bright but misunderstood outcast who lusts for Keena but can't find a way to her heart. When she murders her abusive stepfather with the help of her jock boyfriend, the evidence ends up pointing to her mother. This leads to a cycle of events that never seem to be captured with the level of drama or intesity that you'd expect. "Crime + Punishment" is as dark and devoid of energy as Larry Clark's "Kids" or Darren Aronofsky's "Requeim For A Dream" but it doesn't stand out the way they did. There are some solid perfomances from Keena and the always-dependable Michael Ironside as her drunken stepdad but none of the characters ever seem to stand out. While the story bares a passing resemblance to "American Beauty" in some areas, Schmidt never seems to move past his love for visual flare and give us any type of intriguing character moments. Keena's closing narrative makes for a good way to end the film but it seems like a case of "too little, too late" in my opinion.
June 2, 2004And on the eighth day, God said, "let there be 'Crime + Punishment in Suburbia,'" and it was so. And He saw that it was TOTALLY SWEET!! Let me tell you why this movie is quite simply one of the most face-slapping-in-a-good-way chefs d'œuvre* ever created. First, Ellen Barkin, Michael Ironside, AND Jeffrey Wright in the same movie?! These three are the Lisa Leslie, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O'Neal of the acting world, respectively. There's just no way to go wrong when you've got a cast like that. But even this triumvirate of talent cannot alone account for this movie's astonishing success. Writer Larry Gross deserves a double high-five for the addition of C+P to the canon. Larry, the originator of the popular catchphrase "Don't touch me unless you love me!," can certainly touch me whether he loves me or not! C+P's is the hippest, smartest script this reviewer has had the pleasure of experiencing. But it doesn't take smarts like Mr. Gross's to realize that Crime + Punishment = AN INSTANT CLASSIC! The question is not whether this movie will change the way we think about cinematography, but when.
*alternatively, Works of Genius April 18, 2004
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