Picture Im-perfect (One Hour Photo (DVD))

Member Name: triplecthegame

Product:	One Hour Photo (DVD)
Date:	11/02/04 (119 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Moody, Solid acting, atmospheric soundtrack

Disadvantages: Dream sequences go nowhere

Remember when this movie was released? And when there was all the media hype that for now 2 movies in a row Robin Williams had shed his type-cast and played a lot more darker character? Well I do, and I can also remember not caring about it one bit - you see I have a bit of a dislike for Williams, maybe it was Patch Adams that did it, or perhaps it was those stockings in Mrs.Doubtfire but I just never really cared for the guy as an actor - so when I went shopping with my former house-mate and she recommended this DVD I wasn?t too sure - but listening to my house-mates great roars of approval I ended up buying it just to see what the fuss is about, and now after watching the film, maybe... just maybe..... I?m on the road to tolerating Williams.

**The Story**

We open seeing Sy Parrish (played by Robin Williams) being interrogated by the police, although we don?t know exactly what he?s done, we know it involves pictures and is pretty gruesome. We see the officer interrogating Sy advise that he doesn?t have to say anything if he doesn?t want to, and then Sy start to re-count the events of the past couple of weeks leading up to the as-yet unknown crime.

The story itself all seems to revolve around Sy and his involvement with a regular family (the Yorkins) after he gets friendly over some photo?s he processed for them at work (he also works as a photo-processor at the local SavMart - basically a discount department store), and it starts out innocent enough, with Sy just seeming to have a good rapport with the family, i.e. chatting to them over the counter and remembering their address off by heart, but as the movie goes on its clear to see that Sy?s feelings towards the family are rather than innocent - more obsessive as he sees his dream life through the photo?s that the Yorkin?s bring in to process.

Now after all this is where the heart of the film really lies, so I?m not going to go any further and rather leave you to find it all out
if/when you watch the film for yourself.

**The Cast**

Sy Parrish (played by Robin Williams): Although quintessentially he?s the bad-guy in the film at times you can?t help but feel sorry for him at times although that is probably because you?re seeing the story through his eyes, and his reasonings, but on-screen itself it is a polished performance from Williams, he shows his true ability here to portray exactly how his characters feeling - switching between a quiet character and a highly unstable one from scene to scene, yet always there?s a sense of realism in his performance that is greatly appreciated.

Nina Yorkin (played by Connie Neilsen - who was in Gladiator): The mother of the young family of Sy?s affections, she takes on the role of being an innocent quiet woman who lives to spend time with her son, and does it quite well - showing her emotions without over-doing them and never appearing to be over-bearing on the screen.

Will Yorkin (played by Michael Vartan - also in the TV show Alias): As in most stereotypical families Will is the hard-working father who feels he?s just a bit under-appreciated by his family, and all the while although he appears to be your perfect family-man there is a slight ?cocky exuberance? feel to his character as well - which is needed for the later scene?s (again you need to watch the whole movie to understand). What screen time Vartan has is all quality enough to be in this movie, he just seems like a bit-player till a lot later on than the rest.

Jake Yorkin (played by Dylan Smith - only other notable movie, he played the child Will in Pirates of the Caribbean) : The innocence of a child was always going to be needed when playing this character and it seems to have been hit off perfectly, although at times the child seems a little ?too? sweet and innocent, But then that?s played off against the back-drop of being in a ?perfect family? and it does work to a degree. However the real need
for the character of Jake is to have someone who everyone feels is going to be threatened by Sy and of course - it works perfectly.

**Scenery, Backgrounds and Soundtrack**

It?s a very dull movie colour-wise, most of the times the whole scenery is a grey or a white or a light blue, at times almost pastel-like, which for some people (aka my former house-mate) spoilt the movie, however I felt it actually added to the atmosphere of it, looking more and more into Sy?s world almost as if that?s all he?s seeing - and zoning out everything but the family.

The soundtrack can as I?m sure I?ve mentioned before be can some times be a big part of the movie and this is no exception - though its not big as in taking over the whole movie, its just there in the background coming to the fore-front when the more demanding scenes are being played out, and that is why it adds to the movie, making the atmosphere get even more tense as you watch.

**Overall thoughts and ramblings**

Only one major rambling, they keep hinting that Sy?s dream sequences are going to play a big part in the movie, but they don?t - they just give you a slight insight into what?s going on in Sy?s mind, apart from that its a good solid movie, that leaves you in awe at the story you?ve just been told and plants a seed in the back of your head that perhaps that mild mannered friend of yours who is only slightly cooky, is actually quite dangerous to us all.

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