Touches You

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

'Strays' is breakout film for Vin Diesel - after years struggling as an actor going from audition to audition and still not getting any parts, Vin Diesel wrote, directed and starred in his own movie that finally gave him a role in Steven Spielberg's 'Saving Private Ryan' and from there the star was in the making. Although Vin Diesel is best known for portraying one dimensional meat heads and action heroes he has later shown that he got some more acting chops in such films like 'Find My Guilty' or 'Boiler Room', but 'Strays' was were it all started. Don't expect anything on Woody Allen level, but here Vin showing off his acting skills, and his directing skills is not very off. Although 'Strays' starts bit slow, it manages to build up interest in first half an hour (too long, some might say), but we are still left with an hour and ten minutes worth well paced story with characters we start to care about enough to stick to the end.Vin Diesel followed one other muscular Hollywood legend's path and wrote his own starring role. Vin's effort never reached far in popularity and it never become classic, but with that little film he managed to create another example how one can build his own success.This film also left me guessing what kind of Vin Diesel the world would know if he would kept directing (he obviously had some talent for that) and writing, rather than going on to play in all those silly triple X and Fast and Furious movies.

Long ago, in the days when the Fast and the Furious was still just an old Roger Corman B-Movie, and nobody thought a franchise could be spun out with a title as limp as The Chronicles of Riddick, Vin Diesel was just another struggling actor, earning his crust selling light bulbs as a telemarketer. With admirable verve, the shiny headed one set out going his own way - writing, producing, directing and starring in his own pet project. The resultant work was selected for Sundance in 1997, and, whilst hardly causing a sensation, was obviously seen by enough of the right kind of people to set its maker off on his path to stardom. Little seen in the intervening years, the film, Strays, is finally finding a wider audience on DVD.The film follows Rick (Diesel) a part-time dope dealer and general lay- about wishing to transcend his social status and become… well, that isn't entirely clear. But something.  Surrounded by friends even more gormless than himself it is little wonder Rick sees himself as something special. Tired of the daily bump 'n grind, he looks for true love with the middle class girl next door, but his innate dimwittedness always seems to get the better of him. Strays examines the lives of the buff, rather brutish, none too sharp yet somehow vaguely existential young male. Pasolini made a couple of masterpieces with such material, Scorsese got some pretty decent mileage too. Diesel, sadly, offers up a tepid, plodding insult to intelligence.The first half of the film actually holds some interest with its ham- fisted dissection of male narcissism and the pleasing attendant whiff of homoeroticism. Disappointingly Diesel rejects this fruitful avenue for a remarkably inane progression into soppy romance, with the Pantene-fresh Heather (Lanza) falling for Rick's dubious charms (he likes mint choc chip ice cream and - shockingly - all the words to the Tin Man song from the Wizard of Oz.) Diesel's acting range is showcased in all its glory: witness the occasions in which his character will offer some pithy advice to his no-good friends first in a low voice, AND THEN SHOUTING IT AS LOAD AS HE CAN. Rick has mother issues, which apparently excuses his all-round prickishness. And anyway, IF EVERYONE WOULD JUST LISTEN TO WHAT HE IS SAYING VERY LOADLY things would probably be OK. The improvisational style aims for Cassavettes but hits some way wide of the mark. The Pacifier had more soul than this.

Sometimes the combination of good writing, good direction and good casting collides into a great movie. Writer/Director Vin Diesel stars as Rick, the emotional center to a very strong ensemble of acquired family. The older brother who is finally facing the future, Rick tries to develop a new life while still taking care of his circle of strays. He rebels from his sex-filled nights against Salvatore, a womanizing freeloader and his drug-providing past with Fred, his not so bright cousin. Their unending loyalty keeps the "family" strong, even when he falls in love with a midwestern outsider, Heather. Perceptive and extremely witty writing keeps the pace throughout the film, and his chemistry with tony, played beautifully by f valentino morales, is worth the price of the ticket alone.good film. Vin Diesel's script is tight and authentic, while his directing is effective: repeatedly coaxing impressive performances out of his relatively inexperienced cast. tony & fred Good Performers Vin's own performance here is a revelation the likes of which he sought to recapture in the unexciting Sidney Lumet courtroom drama Find Me Guilty. Though he's gone on to capture stardom as a stoic action hero, Vin Diesel's roots as an actor are boldly showcased in this revealing film.

Sometimes the combination of good writing, good direction and good casting collides into a great movie. Writer/Director Vin Diesel stars as Rick, the emotional center to a very strong ensemble of acquired family. The older brother who is finally facing the future, Rick tries to develop a new life while still taking care of his circle of strays. He rebels from his sex-filled nights against Salvatore, a womanizing freeloader and his drug-providing past with Fred, his not so bright cousin. Their unending loyalty keeps the "family" strong, even when he falls in love with a midwestern outsider, Heather. Perceptive and extremely witty writing keeps the pace throughout the film, and his chemistry with Fred, played beautifully by Joey Dedio, is worth the price of the ticket alone.