The Fall
By Marshall Fine
Rating:
Who's in it: Lee Pace
What's it about: An injured stuntman in the early days of movies (Pace) spins a fairy tale for an orphan while lying in the hospital.
Fantasyland: Pace ("Pushing Daisies') plays a guy who's been paralyzed, ending his career. As he considers killing himself, he also entertains a young orphan (Catinca Untaru), to pass the time. The story he tells is visually amazing, thanks to director Tarsem Singh ("The Cell"), reminiscent of "The Princess Bride." But what feels like throwaway casting of key roles (which are filled with uninteresting unknowns, apparently cast for their look) and the overly sweet performance by newcomer Untaru rob the movie of excitement or suspense. Untaru is a gratingly amateurish performer and all of Singh's amazing visual magic can't override that. Nor does Pace bring a sense of tragedy to what should be a heroic central role. It winds up feeling like an endless music video with a big budget for special effects but no money for a believable script.
Long story short: You won't fall for this one.
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