Being familiar with the February 2005 Vanity Fair true story from Manchester in 2003 by Judy Bachrach and with the opera "Two Boys," adapted from her article, I've eagerly anticipated this movie for quite some time. What a huge disappointment it is.
I urge you to read the VF story; it is so much more complex and engrossing. Evidently with the complicity of Ms. Bachrach who co-produced the movie, the story has been scrubbed and sanitized― stripped of its deep, and deeply interesting, teenage psycho-sexual complexity. This is an especial shame given the casting of two top-caliber actors, Jamie Blackley and Toby Regbo who could've made the movie sing.
What we're left with in this poor adaptation is simply a clever boy who is so depressed as to desire to kill himself by proxy and an uninteresting, gullible proxy. Sad story, but no barn burner. And this movie could've blazed!
The flesh of the true story offers so much, and we're given the mere bones.
Five out of ten is being generous, and I give it mainly to the cast. To the screenwriter, the director, and co-producer, I'd give a one of ten.
In some misguided attempt to not shock or challenge the general movie audience, they forfeited creating a highly-rewarding film, even a cult classic. I can't wait for Todd Haynes to remake this story!
I urge you to read the VF story; it is so much more complex and engrossing. Evidently with the complicity of Ms. Bachrach who co-produced the movie, the story has been scrubbed and sanitized― stripped of its deep, and deeply interesting, teenage psycho-sexual complexity. This is an especial shame given the casting of two top-caliber actors, Jamie Blackley and Toby Regbo who could've made the movie sing.
What we're left with in this poor adaptation is simply a clever boy who is so depressed as to desire to kill himself by proxy and an uninteresting, gullible proxy. Sad story, but no barn burner. And this movie could've blazed!
The flesh of the true story offers so much, and we're given the mere bones.
Five out of ten is being generous, and I give it mainly to the cast. To the screenwriter, the director, and co-producer, I'd give a one of ten.
In some misguided attempt to not shock or challenge the general movie audience, they forfeited creating a highly-rewarding film, even a cult classic. I can't wait for Todd Haynes to remake this story!