Standing Still

Four years out of college, a group of long-separated buddies shows up at the home of Michael (Adam Garcia) and Elise (Amy Adams) to celebrate their wedding over a long weekend. If you're already cringing, you've got the right idea, said Jeannette Catsoulis in The New York Times. This movie isn't just a rip-off of The Big Chill or St. Elmo's Fire, it's as empty as a bad sitcom pilot. The ensemble gathers for a contrived reunion and the usual entanglements ensue, with all 'œthe dramatic momentum of a daisy-picking toddler.' So if it's not plot-driven, it must be character-fueled, right? said Stephen Whitty in the Newark Star-Ledger. Wrong. 'œStanding Still has only types': the movie star (James Van Der Beek), the fast-talking agent (Colin Hanks), the chic lesbian (Lauren German), and the sarcastic blonde (Mena Suvari). Each one is white, beautiful, and rich, and each sports unrealistic angst. That's the biggest problem with this movie, said Mark Olsen in the Los Angeles Times. Cliché is forgivable; unoriginality is understandable. But not a single narrative thread makes sense. How is it that none of these 20-somethings has a dead-end job or a student loan to pay off? Why were these wildly different characters friends to begin with? 'œTheir problems seem phony and arbitrary.'

Rating: R

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