An American Crime

AN AMERICAN CRIME (2007) - July 22, 2008
A boring, pointless and unpleasant film about a couple of young girls who are left with a complete stranger by their parents; this turns out not to have been the wisest choice on their part. The movie features some above average performances -- both Katherine Keener and Ellen Page are quite good -- but little else to speak of. The direction by Tommy O'Haver is bland, and combined with the murky cinematography, creates a film that is as boring to look at as it is to have to actually watch. The movie is mostly plotless, and features long stretches in which nothing much happens, which you would think would lead to some really well developed characters. Not so. This makes it tough to care too much when the bad stuff starts to go down in the latter half; it also makes it tough to see these scenes as anything other than pointless unpleasantness. Boo-urns. *1/2