Nedodrama O College Graduates “Looking Back” (in the original “Standing Still”, in connection with which you can often hear the translation of the title as “Standing Afraid”, but the more faithful primary is still “Standing In Place”) is a melodrama of 2005, the debut work of director Matthew Cole Weiss and screenwriters Matthew Perniciaro (more engaged in producing) and Timm Sharp (better known as an actor of supporting roles). The main roles in the film were played by John Abrahams, Amy Adams, Ethan Embry, Lauren German, Colin Hanks, Mena Suvari, James Van Der Beek and Marne Patterson. “Without looking back” is an independent low-budget project, its financial platform amounted to only 1.7 million dollars and at the box office completely failed, collecting a little more than 30 thousand dollars in the United States. And such a weak interest, as well as very mediocre reviews in the assessment, led to the fact that neither the director, nor the writers, nor the actors, this film brought nothing but “ticks” in the form of passing work.
According to the creators of the film, everything takes place on the eve of the wedding of Eliza (Amy Adams) and Michael (Adam Garcia). They summon college friends to their home, with whom they have hardly seen for five years since graduation. Each of them has changed in its own way, everyone expects something from this meeting, but there is tension in the atmosphere, as if the fuse of a powder keg has already been set on fire and is about to rumble. Yes, only that the fuse is damp, or the creators of the film were ashamed of something, but there is even no talk about the depth of drama, because everything is so superficial that even dull and boring. Only occasionally there are some more or less interesting scenes, but the strangest thing about them is that they are directly related to sex. For example, one of Eliza’s visiting friends turns out to be a member of the sexual minority and she has her own reasons to expect something from visiting Eliza and Pockets’ house. Or here is a self-confident with a highly inflated ego, the hero of Colin Hanks will finally get the desired moment to have fun.
The whole movie is being played by actors. At the same time, it is very strange and even insulting that Amy Adams, who is now fully formed in the rank of first-degree star in Hollywood, gave out a “stupid” role, almost forgetting that she can not only “shoot” with her eyes, but also gives her images emotionality and gestures. In "No Look Back" Amy Adams was able to squeeze something out of her character only once, and then calmly went behind the backs of other participants of this faded and fake farce. But in the same 2005 year, Amy Adams was noted for a well-received role in the film “June Bug”, for which she received her first Oscar nomination (in the category “Best Supporting Actress” and lost the Rachel Weiss award for her role in “Devoted Gardener”). At the same time, Amy played in the romantic comedy “Grooms for hire”, which even more aroused interest in her person. But, probably, the actress was tired and decided to relax a little at work, while not falling out of tone. And identical to the role of Amy Adams showed themselves Adam Garcia and John Abrahams.
Now it is worth talking about those who somehow tried not to be a pale shadow in this film. First of all, let me mention Colin Hanks. Let his pompous appearance, inflated conceit and jokes of a moron do not make his character any attractive, but against the background of many other colleagues on the set, he still looks at least a little more alive and effective. At last, of course, he will have problems because of his behavior, but something suggests that fate will forgive him this blunder. Actress with a puppet face Mena Suvari, even if she was in such a film in the backyard, but the ex-object of the lust of the hero Kevin Spacey from the Oscar-winning film American Beauty, still somehow inconceivably left at least some more or less tolerable opinion about herself. I wonder what she would have felt when she woke up in the same way she did in "Looking Back," although she managed to get a stunned look. And as usual, he played a broken and charismatic guy James Van Der Beek. But all this was done only sporadically, and all the rest of the script lacked integrity and clarity, and in general any meaningfulness.
Even for big and ardent fans of the undoubted talent of Amy Adams, I will not recommend such a film as "Without looking back." At best, it can be seen by those who believe in the star Colin Hanks and that his potential is not fully realized. Everyone else should stay away from the melodrama (or sub-drama) of “Looking Back,” because this dull, gray, boring film about nothing will only take an hour and a half of your precious time. That’s what happened to me personally, and throughout the film, I wanted to ask the filmmakers, “When will something happen?” and “What’s the point of this story?” The same incomprehensible film as, say, "Romantics" (2010). In general, watch a decent movie, and this consumer of the second class is no more than:
4 out of 10