Always wondering what the point of a movie is. Okay, I'm usually not because usually the movie tells the viewer as the film progresses. Even The Royal Tenenbaums was a movie about a family just being dysfunctional, despite the fact that nothing much happens, it's a great film. Good Intentions, for all its good intentions, was a bit flat. Usually movies are about a family, a relationship, a human psychology and something changes that in a life altering way, or a crime or tragedy that does the same. So, it was unexpected when this movie did none of this. It was really about stupid and poor people continuing to go in over their heads in stupid schemes. So, on the one hand I'm thinking "is that all this is about? seems trite for a movie," while on the other hand I'm thinking "Wow, this film really speaks to me," as I know soooo many people who are poor, scheming, and constantly going in over their heads in stupid schemes. Especially me. Therefore the movie should speak to me more, it just didn't. I was busy trying to figure out if this was a comedy, drama, crime movie, or a ridiculous plot that was based on a true story. Usually when movies come out of left field, it's because they're based on a true story, or else why would they be greenlit. I haven't checked to see yet, but that's what it looked like. When the mother was in the station waggon with her two sons, I was thinking, "Oh no, this movie is about that lady who drowned her two kids by driving them all into the lake," and I braced myself. That would have made sense as to the point of the movie, but nope.
This wacky flick was decent. Elaine Hendrix was so believable as a hot Georgian hick wife that by the end you start only looking at her as a woman who's hot like your girlfriend or wife would be hot. And wow to Leanne Rimes, congrats to her for pulling off the hot sister role, she used to, um, not be cast in that role so that's a huge achievement as she easily fit as Pam. Perry was good in this, did his role well, but it didn't call for him to stand out at all so he just played his part the way he needed to.
The acting all around was good, the story got a bit campy at times, the humor hit the mark 1 out of 3 times, and the pacing was erratic.
For some reason it just played like a made for TV movie based on a true story, but the idea behind the film, that we constantly go in over our heads, is a great message. Just felt that the conclusion wasn't believable until you classify it as a ridiculous comedy, but it wasn't that funny. Hence the weirdness of it all...
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