Slingshot (2005)

EXCELLENT movie.

this film surprised me. thought it would put me to sleep but i ended up loving it! any guy that has ever had a secret crush on a childhood male friend MUST see this movie. the ending blows you away! August 30, 2007

Good acting but is this a film or an excercise?

This is one of the worst films I have ever seen. I do not know if the producers or who is responsible for the poor quality of this film. The film is disjointed and pretends at being something it is not. The only worth while aspect of this film is the four main actors. Everything else about this movie is wortless. Maybe it can serve as an example of what not to do as a driector.

The film never makes any clear decisions about its identity. There is nothing at risk in this film though we are being prepared for the ending. The Fast Bobbie character is wortless and makes me wonder if she's just a friend of the director he threw into the film. There is not one metaphor for this film unless it was an attempt to sy that the only thing Taylor is going to steal of value is the daughter. That he sees the true value of things. I like that instead of lying to girl he falls for he just tells her the truth and there isn't a messy plot where he tries to tell her that his love is real though he had lied earlier. But besides an antedote, the beating of the DJ and the burning out of the faces of a polaroid there's no real investment in the Ashley character to make us as an audience feel empathic towards what takes place. In fact we barely are able to feel deeply about Taylor.
Overall this film is confused bout its identity and is a waste of anybody's time especially when there are a ton of great films out there. You'd even be better off just rewatching any of your favorite films then watching this garbage. June 17, 2007

The Rewards and Perils of Bonded Kids Who Never Grow Up

SLINGSHOT explores the ups and downs of the lives of two boys, close friends since childhood, both from homes where they were unwanted, who made it through reform school and remain as a unit into an adult life as petty scam artists - living on the edge of crime and a life of desperate need for belonging. The script by Jay Alaimo (who also directs), Matt Fiorello, Matthew Martin is gritty, full of humor and fine interchanges between the characters that manage to lift the story to a higher level of social statement than the usual 'crime buddies tales'.

Ashley (David Arquette) and Taylor (Balthazar Getty) are the borderline 'bad guy duo' who have decided to move their scam of charming lonely housewives while robbing them to Fairfield County, Connecticut: the scam is that Taylor seduces the women while Ashley robs the preoccupied women. One of Taylor's hits is bored and married Karen (Julianna Margulies) whose second marriage is passionless making her an easy target for Taylor's charms. All goes according to plan until Taylor realizes he cares for Karen and Karen (with a lot of encouragement from girlfriend Emma - Joely Fisher - for an affair) falls for Taylor. The nightly signal from Karen that the coast is clear for Taylor to join her in bed is a light from her bedroom, yet when that goes on one evening, Taylor meets Karen's young daughter April (Thora Birch) in her mother's bedroom and barely escapes discovery when Karen and husband come home early. April at first mocks Taylor's attraction to her mother, but gradually the two bond - the first time that Taylor has been close to anyone except Ashley.

While Taylor is 'prepping' Karen for robbery Ashley is mixing with their 'crime bosses' Dickson (Michael Janik) and Fast Bobby (Svetlana Metkina) and feels the threat to perform. Several incidents lead to the final confrontation between Taylor, now enamored with April, and Ashley, who finally comes to grips with the fact that he is love with Taylor. The long-standing duo hits a schism and how that resolves provides a disturbing ending.

The four leads - Arquette, Getty, Margulies, and Birch - offer performances that are more than simple outlines of disconsolate characters: they inhabit their roles, finding cores of credibility that allow the viewer to understand the needs and fears of these isolated people. The cinematography by Paul Daley is appropriately grimy and the film editing by Jim Rubino takes Jay Alaimo's direction to a more cohesive whole. While not a great movie by any means, it is a touching character study of what happens to unwanted kids whose lives are dependent on each other in a world that rejects them. Grady Harp, June 07 June 9, 2007

Slingshot

A wonderfully filmed production of a deep friendship between two men and their eventual separation with excellent acting - Birch, Getty, Arquette, and Margulies. Scenes were unique - both humorous and poignant. May 26, 2007

Jewel of a movie

I heard about this movie and I am so glad i bought it. The first 10 minutes truely set the pace of this movie with its smartly written dark humor. An intersting cast that is cleverly pulled together into a thoughtful film. David arquette shines as a true actor under the good direction of Jay Alaimo... May 21, 2007

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