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   Final Film Critique: 
   The Girl

   Director:
Jake Jarvi
   Expected Rating: R due to language
   Distribution: No Exclusive Distribution
   Budget: $6,000
   Genre: Comedy

   Running Time: 92 minutes

   Release Dates: September 1, 2006
   Website: N/A
   Trailer: Click Here
   Review Date: December 15, 2006
   Reviewed By: Kari Ann Morgan

Final Score:
7.0
How do we critique films? Click Here To See.

Trip is in trouble, and he doesn’t know why. After being picked up, bound up, and roughed up by two big guys in suits, he is approached by their boss and asked about “The Girl”. Although initially confused at the stranger’s random demand for information, Trip tells of his relationship with the Girl, Lauren. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn that he and Lauren dated for quite awhile while they were in college. But when she started becoming friends with Ryan, a fellow painter, Trip suspected her of cheating and voiced his feelings to his identical twin brother, Peer. The problem is that Peer has… a bit of a temper. Peer threatened Mark, telling him to stay away from Lauren; meanwhile Lauren, thinking Trip was the one who did it, broke up with him, and she and Mark moved away for a few years.

Fast forward to a week ago. Now Lauren and Ryan are back in town and Trip isn’t the only one interested in them. It’s all because of Lauren, but she has no idea…

Trip discusses relationships with
hitmen, Tim and Duncan...
...and is "encouraged" to discuss
his relationship with Lauren.

Content
The writing in this film is very good. The dialogue is snappy and funny, making it very enjoyable to watch; it kind of reminded me of a cross between Kevin Smith and Quentin Tarantino. The acting is great, and Ryan Bergmann’s portrayal of both Trip and Peer is excellent, being just enough of a smartass to be funny, but not going overboard. Jennifer Lauryn is also great as the intriguing, witty young woman that everything centers around. My only suggestion in the acting department is to really work on the punches, especially if the camera is close to the action. Few things look worse on film than punches that are obviously off. (There weren’t a huge number of them, but enough to notice.)

The pacing of the story is good overall. There are some great flashback scenes and some other cut-ins that are well-placed and really add to the humor of the movie. These things help the pacing of the film and help keep the viewer interested in what’s happening, as well as looking forward to what happens next.

However, there were some things that were confusing and seemed to just drag the film, mostly at the end. The scene with Jas and Keith in a diner could’ve been made much shorter. Granted, we learn quite a bit about Keith’s character, and why he has the issues he does. While this is helpful, the scene goes on for much too long, and could stand to have several minutes shaved off of it. Additionally, it incorporates a bizarre secret, in which Keith reveals to Jas the truth about her past.  This is a problem because it is extremely confusing and it doesn’t add to the story at all. In fact, there is no apparent reason for giving this information to the audience, nor do we see the significance of it, because it comes toward the end of the film and isn’t addressed by any of the characters in the actual story.

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