| Site locale: United States |
|
||||
|
||||||
|
Best Blu-ray Deals  
|
Best Blu-ray Deals, See All the Deals » |
Top deals |
Price drops
|
 $4.99 |  $7.96 |  $14.99 |  $13.99 |  $34.99 |  $7.99 |  $4.99 |  $15.47 |  $4.99 |  $8.99 |  $14.99 |  $21.99 |  $33.99 |  $7.99 |  $21.99 |  $14.99 |  $4.99 |  $21.99 |  $19.99 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hit and Run2012 | 100 min | R | 2.39:1
A great car chase movie should inspire the viewer to leap out of the theater when the end credits hit, sprint through the parking lot, dive into their automobile, and burn rubber back home, dodging imaginary bad guys on the way. It should trigger a dormant recklessness that’s frowned upon in daily life, creating a surge of pedal-to-the-metal daydreams. “Hit and Run” doesn’t bring out four-wheeled fantasies. It actually encourages a great deal of boredom as it lumbers from scene to scene, placing its emphasis on a troubled relationship between two insipid individuals, while the “Run” of the title is a rare occurrence, making more of a cameo appearance as writer/co-director/star Dax Shepard provides more screen time to dreary drama than an electric pursuit element most will be itching to dig into. 
A teacher expecting to be fired from her rural California school, Annie (Kristen Bell) is instead offered an amazing job in Los Angeles, requiring an immediate move. Boyfriend Charlie Bronson (Dax Shepard) isn’t fond of the idea, fearing immediate reprisal for secretive sins that sent him into the witness protection program four years ago. For love, Charlie agrees to relocate, packing up his custom car for the 500 mile trip. Unfortunately, the move creates immediate interest from outside individuals, including Charlie’s cop pal Randy (Tom Arnold), Annie’s possessive ex Gil (Michael Rosenbaum), and a pair of interested state troopers (Jess Rowland and Carly Hatter), who pursue the couple as they speed to the city. Also joining the ride is Alex (Bradley Cooper), Charlie’s former criminal associate, who’s looking for payback after spending time in jail for a bungled bank robbery. I’m not sure what “Hit and Run” is supposed to be, as it teases various directions without committing to any of them. Directed by Shepard and David Palmer, the movie seeks to emulate drive-in cinema classics of the 1970s (cribbing from the Ron Howard duo “Eat My Dust!” and “Grand Theft Auto”) with its spunky attitude and allegedly colorful characters tearing around the expanse of California in a variety of fast cars, each on a special mission of pursuit. Nevertheless, “Hit and Run” doesn’t possess the freewheeling attitude to make it as candied escapism, electing to lead with the tattered bond between Charlie and Annie over a desirable smash-em-up attitude. Lovers in real life, Shepard and Bell keep the picture all to themselves, playing a gooey couple in the midst of a rift in their shared trust, as the driver’s past life comes back to haunt him, shocking his educated girlfriend, who begins to question their entire union as they speed to L.A. 
While intentions are likely pure, the banter shared between the actors is lifeless, revealing little chemistry between Charlie and Annie, especially when the script slides the material into surprising sincerity, believing a few lashes of sweetness might be strong enough to knock the audience off-guard, falling for the couple and their hazy future. Without crisp exchanges and an endearing backstory of commitment, the pair is rendered on the dull side, sold with one-dimensional performances from a habitually disengaged pair of actors (Shepard the director can’t extract any life from Shepard the actor). The supporting cast is provided with more flair, finding Cooper in yellow sunglasses underneath fake dreadlocks, while Arnold plays a complete boob who can’t maintain control of his handgun. Despite slapstick ornamentation, the jokes are witless (Alex laments his experiences with rape in jail) and the characterizations nonsensical, failing to snowball into the charming chaos the production intends. Peppered around the film are a few car chases, at least pursuit scenarios that should result in chases, but mostly offer donuts and frantic demonstrations of swerving. Shepard doesn’t have an eye for action, screwing up spatial relationships and limiting the length of the automobile activity, while trendy cinematography keeps the effort visually deflated. It’s a major disappointment to find the movie reluctant to plow full speed ahead as a maniacal freeway hunt. It certainly worships the working parts of automobiles, but retains little imagination for its road warrior asides. The recent “Madagascar 3” had livelier chase sequences. Heck, “Hope Springs” supplied more interesting automobile interactions. 
As car porn, “Hit and Run” is hardly arousing stuff. Shepard doesn’t have the inspiration to send the material soaring, sticking to feeble comedy antics and comatose action, using his screen time to fashion a tribute to his relationship with Bell. Because when a film is titled “Hit and Run,” audiences really want to see two actors trade wilted dialogue in baby voices while Tom Arnold is trapped in a shtick coma. Starring: Kristen Bell, Bradley Cooper, Tom Arnold, Dax Shepard, Kal Bennett, Beau Bridges Directors: David Palmer, Dax Shepard » See full cast & crew |
 
Trending Blu-ray Movies
Trending in Theaters
Most Popular Blu-ray Movie Deals
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
This web site is not affiliated with the Blu-ray Disc Association. All trademarks are the property of the respective trademark owners. © 2002-2013 Blu-ray.com. All rights reserved. Mobile | Registration problems | Business/Advertising Inquiries | Privacy Policy | Legal Notices |
