Choose (2011)

Number Rolled: 14

Movie Name/Year: Choose (2011)

Genre: Thriller

Length: 86 minutes

Rating: R

Director: Marcus Graves

Writer: Brandon Camp

Actors: Katheryn Winnick, Kevin Pollack, Nicholas Tucci, Bruce Dern, Richard Short, Alexi Wasser, Lenny von Dohlen, Cady Huffman, Billy Kay, Billy Magnussen, Tom Cleary, Shana Dowdeswell, John Rothman, Kate Nauta, James Riordan

Newspapers are running the story of a terrifying homicide. A teenage girl was brought into a room with her parents and told to choose: which of them should die. An impossible choice to make, the teenager pleaded desperately for them to be let go, but the killer insisted and she found out just how bad the choice could get. Fiona, a studying journalist, becomes obsessed with the story after realizing how familiar it sounds.

About fifteen minutes into the movie, it becomes clear that you’re watching one that follows the same recipe as Scream, just without the laughs. Up until the forty-five minute mark, actually, it kind of seems like it’s going to be the exact same movie. Only then do the differences start to pop up.

Recipe movies are a necessary evil. The more movies are made, the more brilliant a writer/director will have to be in order to widen the scope of what we expect. Don’t lament that. The more mediocre movies that are put out, the more fantastic really good movies will have to be. Look at it that way. It’s really the only way to see it when you’re writing reviews, or you just going to start to get angry.

The plot wasn’t bad, but the script brought it to a level it almost didn’t reach. It eventually dragged me into the story. The witty banter between some of the character was interesting enough to overshadow the parts that made me roll my eyes.

As the ending neared, the movie seemed to get better and better, then the climax hit and you could almost hear the sound of someone getting an answer wrong on Family Feud.

I’ve seen movies that flopped at the end, but still managed to be good enough to be remembered in a positive light, this was not one of them. There were two different endings, one right after the other, and neither of them was acceptable. In fact, I was left with a growing confusion after the last frame that has yet to disappear.

In short, “Choose” wasn’t for me. It had a good middle, and that was it.

Overall Opinion – 2.5/5