CHANGING LANES
Starring:
Ben Affleck, Samuel L. Jackson, Toni Collette, Sydney Pollock, Kim Staunton,
Richard Jenkins and Amanda Peet
Director: Roger Michell
Running Time: 94 mins
Certificate: 15
Out to buy on DVD 2nd June
This was meant to be a life-changing day for two people. One of them was finishing a case that had made him a partner at a top New York law firm. The other was about to buy a house for his wife and two sons, so they wouldn't have to move away to Oregon and show a judge that he was responsible enough to have joint custody of his children. This all changed for Gavin Banek (Affleck) and Doyle Gipson (Jackson) when their cars collided on the FDR freeway as they both headed into Manhattan.
Have you ever had
one of those days were everything goes wrong. Well imagine that and multiply
it by ten and you get what these characters go through in one New York day.
The thing is that they inflict it on each other. This is a journey into
the human psyche. What would you do if you'd had all your buttons pushed
by another person? If your whole life were on the line, how far would you
go to rectify the situation?
Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson play their roles superbly. Affleck is in good acting mode again, as he seems to be in the more character driven pieces or anything directed by Kevin Smith and Samuel L. Jackson is as excellent as always. Good support comes from Sydney Pollock, wearing his acting hat again to play a self-serving lawyer and Affleck boss and father-in-law. Toni Collette cruises through the picture however and Richard Jenkins and Amanda Peet are very under used. The movie isn't about the supporting cast however, it is the two leads that take centre stage.
The story is extremely riveting to a point. The plot slowly brews to an explosive second act were the two characters try to totally destroy each other. The problem comes in the final act were Hollywood sentimentality oozes out of the screen and undoes everything that is had built up so successfully.
Nice, neat ending aside, this is still a good movie that looks at how a situation can get out of had if procedure is not followed precisely.
Audio commentary from director Roger Michell, Alternative endings, Deleted and alternative scenes, 'Making Of' featurette, Theatrical trailers, Interactive & menu Scene access
The Usher Home | Hush, Hush... | The Big Story | The Usher Speaks
Stuck @ Home | Coming Soon | Links | Contact the Usher
The Usher 2002
