Movies I've Seen...
THE INFORMERS - This was a comedy, no? Please don't tell me I was supposed to get some kind of message from this mess. I'm actually a Brett Easton Ellis fan, I've read most of his books and liked them just fine. After reading American Psycho I can't say that I'd want to be left alone with him in a remote location, but as an author, he's a talented guy. That said, the book of his I liked the least was The Informers. I figured he wrote that one while hitting rock bottom of a drug habit or bad breakup, because it was really scattered and emotionless - but in a bad way, not his usual way. That someone would make a movie of it is kind of laughable. As is the movie itself.
Here's a sample:
Click to view#whitepeopleproblems
The 'story' of various bored, rich people living in Los Angeles, it was an hour and a half of nonsense. There was absolutely nothing likable about any of these vapid characters, so why would I care what happens to them? I guess the point was to show people without morals WANTING MORE, but honestly, who gives a shit? At least in 'Less Than Zero' the characters were fighting their urge to care, but these people just don't care at all. So neither did I. Everyone was so cool and so fabulous that I couldn't wait for them all to die in a fire.
The adult cast is made up of good actors with nothing better to do - Kim Basinger, Billy Bob Thorton, Winona Ryder - but seriously, there must be something better than this. Do a 'Monk' episode. Japanese commercials. But I guess Kim needed money for her child custody lawyer and Billy Bob needed some non-antique furniture, and Winona, well, she just needed the job. The only younger actors I knew were Lou Taylor Pucci, who is always amazing, but almost unrecognizable in his LA trust fund kid blonde hair; and Brad Renfro, who played the only character you could maybe care about a little, but certainly not enough to count.
The main blonde girl is played by Amber Heard, who is gorgeous, but who I remember as being the underwear girl in 'The Stepfather' remake. I mean, for that entire movie she was in a bikini or her underwear, it must have saved a fortune in wardrobe costs. Whenever they showed her hanging out in her bedroom she was just sitting there in her underwear - morning, noon, and night. Hate to ruin the guy fantasy, but I don't know any girl that just hangs out in her underwear ALL THE TIME. It was guy-pandering overkill and kind of hilarious - plus a really great drinking game for those so inclined. Her character in 'The Informers' isn't much deeper, but she does get AIDS, so I guess that's the lesson.
I have a fondness for movies about spoiled LA fuckwits, but this one was just ridiculous.
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