Strong and Moving!

Lack of good storyline.

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

The acting in this movie is really good.

Samantha Morton plays an unmarried meter maid who gets mixed up with Jason Patric another parking officer. Both are severely wounded individuals and their pairing makes for some darkly comic twists and turns.This is an often odd romantic comedy as the two characters come together and go apart and generally change as the result of the experience. The wrong sort of quirky I found it annoying more than anything else with complications seeming to pop up because they would make the story stand out rather than because its the natural progression of things. For me both of the leads are not particularly appealing and what they do seems more to come from left field then reality (Had they been real I think it could be argued they should be locked up). I won't deny its not a funny film, but I didn't much enjoy it.

I wasn't expecting anything, considering that several indie dramas have left me a little disappointed lately. But Expired proved much better than I expected.For one, the story both flows well (if a little slowly for some) and benefits from a sincere treatment, without any fluff. The two main characters, as odd and bizarre as they might look, strengthen the genuineness of the experience. The words coming out of their mouths feeling like words, not scripted lines. Of course, many will say both characters are extremely odd but anyone who has worked in social services, or known someone who did, will know about such oddities and such relationships. Before I continue I must commend both leads for their performances. Samantha Morto and Jason Patric are two actors that never disappoint and here, they really shine and give the movie the extra boost that makes it worth several viewings.Where the movie can strike particularly hard is that, while their issues are extreme and both are at the tip end of the scale, so to speak, you'll still be able to recognize shades of these attitudes in your everyday life. Might be some friends, some coworkers, family members. It might not be that extreme. It might not be extreme at all, but Jay's way of dealing with insecurity and ineptitude will resonate with many. His preemtive defensiveness is a trait we too often see, even in gentler, kinder persons. Likewise, Claire's lethargic nature, her passivity (flaws that are hindering her life before she even meet Jay), will also strike a chord with many. The story does a good job showing us that Jay didn't have to set any elaborate trap or masquerading himself as something he's not.Their flaws is what makes them "compatible" (in a very sad sort of way) with each others. And Cecilia Miniucchi's story and direction really depict that very well. In fact, it's almost perfect until the last 10 or 15 minutes. What has prevented me from giving this movie a near perfect score of 9 is what I feel was a slightly easy way out for the resolution. I just didn't buy the drastic turn of event.Nonetheless, this movie gives food for thoughts. It is very much a study not just of (flawed) relationships but also a great character study. In fact, I felt it was more successful in that respect than many movies that have received more praise, like the pretty good Half Nelson.I look forward to Cecilia Miniucchi's next film. Job very well done!

I got the opportunity to attend the Sundance Film Festival for the first time this year. There were a lot of films to choose from and its difficult to decide which ones to attend. I had heard this movie was a dark comedy, like a 'Your Friends and Neighbors', which I thought was hilarious, so I went to check it out. It ended up being probably my favorite film of the festival. It had me cracking up the whole time and was so unexpected. It was one of those great experiences where you go in without expectations and leave the theater as if you discovered something. I'm happy I got the chance to see it.

This was the first movie we attended at Sundance 2007. There was quite a bit of food for thought in this movie. The main character, Claire, is a very likable person who is quite lonely. Because of her desperation, she finds herself dating a totally reprehensible person "Jay" (Jason Patric). He was such a horrible person that I had a hard time seeing just why Claire continued to let him into her life. At one point in the movie, Claire's character implored Jay to "be nice to me." That was a very poignant moment in the film. As I said earlier, this movie had lots of food for thought, most of it about why women are attracted to men who seem like jerks to the rest of the world. The movie truly didn't answer these questions, and it was a depressing film to watch. Teri Garr was very good in a dual role as Claire's stroke affected mother and as her perfectly healthy but obnoxious aunt. Samantha Morton was brilliant as Claire, and Jason Patric also did a wonderful job. It was a movie that was quite difficult to watch, however, so I don't know how successful it will be.