Personal Effects (2009)

Number Rolled: 13

Movie Name/Year: Personal Effects (2009)

Genre: Crime Drama

Length: 110 minutes

Rating: R

Director: David Hollander

Writer: David Hollander. Rick Moody

Actors: Michelle Pfeiffer, Ashton Kutcher, Kathy Bates, Mary Black, Spencer Hudson, John Mann, Rob LaBelle, Sarah Lind, Aleks Paunovic, Kyle Toy, David Lewis, Brian Markinson, Alissa Skovbye, Dean Wray, Brock Johnson

This movie was terrifically horrible from the first moments. There are a few moments of personal triumph throughout the film, but mostly it’s just the main characters crash into hell.

Now-a-days we’re used to seeing movies and TV shows about death. It’s everywhere. CSI, NCIS, Bones, Law and Order, etc. Sometimes we get to see a little bit of the lives of the family a murder victim leaves behind, but the plot always really circles around the victim or killer. This movie took a different viewpoint of murder. The plot was based around a realistic view of the lives of families that survive a murder victim. The trials, trying to move on, even dealing with support groups and verdicts.

There’s a romantic line woven in between the main character and an older woman in the group. I enjoy some romantic storylines, but so far you’ve mostly read about ones that I thought were unnecessary. This movie, however, utilized the love plot to further the storyline significantly. It was important to the film, but didn’t suck it up and become a sappy piece of bullshit – as drama’s can be prone to do.

My only issue with this movie was some slight redundancies. A few things in the beginning were told instead of shown and were told in such a manner that I was worried I was going to have to sit through two hours of someone telling me the same thing over and over again. It corrected itself though, and I found myself very impressed. Just don’t make the same mistake as me. Don’t watch it right before bed. It’s VERY depressing.

Overall Opinion – 4.5/5