Claire (Rebecca Hall) and Doug (Ben Affleck) have a complicated relationship in THE TOWN
THE TOWN (Ben Affleck, 2010)
Opens Friday, September 17
www.thetownmovie.warnerbros.com
Ben Affleck, who displayed great skill as a director in his debut feature, 2007’s GONE BABY GONE, has done it again with his follow-up, the romantic thriller THE TOWN. Affleck, who also cowrote the script, stars as Doug MacRay, the leader of a small group of bank robbers in tough Charlestown, Massachusetts, the bank robbery capital of America. As the film opens, the thieves are just hitting a bank and are forced to take a hostage, manager Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall). After later letting her go unharmed, they soon realize that she lives in their neighborhood and might be able to recognize one of them, so Doug starts hanging around her, pretending to be interested in her so he can tap her for information. Meanwhile, Boston cop Dino (Titus Welliver) and FBI Special Agent Frawley (Jon Hamm) are getting closer to the gang, who continue to pull off daring heists regardless of the heat on them. Although there are a handful of plot holes you could drive an armored truck through, THE TOWN ends up being a compelling action film and love story, with car chases, massive shootouts, and a tender relationship as Doug begins to fall for Claire, and vice versa, even though the truth threatens to blow everything apart. Also threatening to blow everything apart is Doug’s right-hand man, Jem (Jeremy Renner, channeling James Cagney in WHITE HEAT), who likes hurting and killing way too much. Affleck, who as a director allows his actors a large amount of freedom, has gotten fine performances across the board; the cast also includes Pete Postlethwaite as an underworld florist, Chris Cooper as Doug’s long-incarcerated father, Blake Lively as a drug-dealing tramp, and Boston rapper Slaine, who contributed songs to the soundtrack as well. The film, based on the Chuck Hogan novel PRINCE OF THIEVES, also benefits from Affleck’s genuine affection for the place where he grew up, shooting on location and setting the finale in a world-famous landmark.
Writer-director Nicole Holofcener’s PLEASE GIVE is a nearly flawless portrait of a couple of quirky New York City families who come together in strange, awkward ways. Kate (Catherine Keener) and Alex (Oliver Platt) resell furniture they buy from the relatives of the recently deceased; they are particularly eager for the old lady next door, Andra (Ann Guilbert, Millie Helper from THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW), to pass on so they can knock down the walls and expand their own apartment. Sweet and innocent Rebecca (Rebecca Hall), a mammogram technician, has sacrificed any personal life she might have by taking care of her grandmother despite Andra’s nasty, mean-spirited nature. Rebecca’s sister, Mary (Amanda Peet), who gives facials at a beauty salon, doesn’t seem to care that Andra’s about to kick the bucket and isn’t afraid to say that to her face. And Abby (Sarah Steele), Kate and Alex’s teen daughter, is furious that her mother won’t buy her expensive jeans yet constantly hands out plenty of money to neighborhood bums and a local transvestite. Holofcener (WALKING AND TALKING, LOVELY & AMAZING) has a great ear for dialogue and an innate sense of creating realistic, believable situations, nailing each character’s dilemmas as their stories all converge. The central focus is on Kate, who desperately wants to make the world a better place but is having difficulty figuring just how she might be able to do that, continually seeking volunteer opportunities that end up being just too painful for her. PLEASE GIVE is a wonderful, engaging film that will be especially endearing for New York City audiences.
