Sadly Over-hyped

Best movie of this year hands down!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

"The Old West is not a certain place in a certain time; it's a state of mind. It's whatever you want it to be. -" Tom MixI should have liked the Zellner brothers' Western comedy, Damsel, much better than I did. It has elements of Mel Brooks and the Coen brothers when they mine the satire of a genre very long in the tooth. The difference: writing. Brooks with his inspired goofiness (Blazing Saddles) and the Coens with their light-hearted larceny (Raising Arizona), have characters using language much smarter than they are, whereas The Zellners' lines are deadpan but dull even though they use elevated diction as the Coens so often do. Using contemporary lingo like "win win" and "real deal" doesn't titillate as it should. In addition, Zellners' language lacks strong affinity with bigger issues.Samuel (Robert Pattinson), a rich pioneer, engages a sham preacher, Henry (David Zellner), to officiate at Samuel's wedding to Penelope (Mia Wasikowska). In their journey with a miniature horse, gift to Penelope (not the waiting Penelope of the Odyssey), the two must deal with their naiveté and the vagaries of raw Western staples like rot-gut whiskey, duplicitous Indians, and bad campfire ballads (Samuel's ballad to Penelope, called My Honeybun, is a weak companion to Brooks' notorious campfire scene) While this set-up is rich fodder for satire, most of the jokes fall as flat as Penelope's affect and as dry as the joke about a fool in a barrel being strung up for no obvious reasons. Westerns are ripe for satire, but the flat line here comes not from the fine performances but the tepid minimalist script and uninspired cinematography. Wasikowska is marvelous as the independent and bitter love interest, Pattinson showing once again that he is much more than a teen heart-throb. The Zellners have the right motif about loneliness; they just need to beef up the languid language and droll action.

This is "subversionist western" at its least emotional. There's a very good movie somewhere in this script, but the Zellners arent wise enough to execute to their full potential here. The cinematography, score, and acting (especially from David Zellner who channels the best of Woody Harrelson to combine it with a wimpier persona) all shoot well above par, making watching Damsel rather enjoyable. There are isolated moments that approach near perfection, but unlike better Westerns there is not the tonal confidence to glue the rest together. The Zellners set up rather intriguing backstories for the characters only to never explain them and squander the runtime on a three-quarters-baked attempt at cranking up a Coen brothers blend of comedy. It's usually very funny and well meaning, but I can't quite shake the feeling that this movie would have done better without repeated depictions of how strong the lone female character is against a slew of weak-minded males. The message is fine, but the time spent on it and the hammer over the head tone is apalling at times. It feels like they ran out of things to write about in the middle of the second act. In the end this movie gives you a lot to chew on but not much to really sink your teeth into.

'Damsel' is bold and rather peculiar offering from the Zellner brothers that threads together the notion of a western, comedy, and drama.Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowska are entertaining as hell to watch and the film is unequivocally beautifully shot--equal credit needs to be given to both the location scout and the cinematographer. However, it becomes clearer and clearer as the film unfolds that the story isn't quite fully fleshed out. While there are a handful of meaningful themes and existential musings that the Zellners work into the plot, they never leap off the screen and burrow as thoughts that further germinate inside one's mind after leaving the theater.

Perfect for Robert Patterson who is a weird looking guy when not playing a vampire which best fits his face. Of course I only say that cause that was the first time I herd of the dude.I had a feeling that the damsel was an ironically titled movie and I was right. The synopsis tales a story of a good Christian boy out to save his fiance, and Patterson played this role so perfectly that it somewhat put a fault in the plot. I knew something was coming. Not a too over the top twist but the low key bizarre done was perfect.