Tangled
Directed by Jay Lowi
Review by Rada Djurica
SPOILER ALERT: Key plot details are revealed in this review.
Is Tangled tangled enough for a thriller? Maybe not, but even so
it works fantastically as a lightweight thriller. In fact, viewed that
way, it looks quite realistic, more realistic than it would if the tangled
plots were more complicated.
Jenny Kelley (Rachel Leigh Cook) is a teenager caught in a romantic triangle. The sweet girl-next-door, she doesn't realizes that her strange neighbor, David Klein (Shawn Hatosy), is really "the guy for her."
We know Rachel Leigh Cook from the romantic teenage comedies suchas She's All That and Josie and the Pusseycats. This film gives her the opportunity to demonstrate a more dramatic range of emotions, but not too much rage or anger. This is exactly what makes the thriller seem so real. Her Jenny Kelley is a realistic teenager with real life problems that become more complicated than usual.
A tangled plot is woven: Jenny is dating one boyfriend, Alan Hammond (Jonathan Rhys-Myers), who befriends the nerdy boy-next-door, not realizing that the nerdy boy is in love with Jenny, too. Jealousy plays a role, especially at such sensitive age. The boyfriend cheats on Jenny, temporarily splitting up the couple.
During that time, the next-door nerd seduces Jenny, while the boyfriend gets in trouble with the police. The boyfriend gets out of jail, and in the resultant fight, Jenny gets hurt.
Eventually, through good film direction, we find out that the nerd set up and shot Jenny's boyfriend, Alan. One unpredictable detail comes at the end of this film. The nerdy boy gets away with it, successfully convincing police and everybody else that the comatose boyfriend is at blame.
Tangled II might improve on such a good story and
use that premise as a successful start.
This is quite a good thriller. No extra details, no extra people involved; everything is clear with a twist at the end. As an innocent college-aged tease, Cook as Jenny is quite believable. The love scenes are tasteful and believable, and everything is in the perfect balance.
To complete the triangle, Alan is an attractive, mysterious and simply adorable teen boyfriend, one everyone would envy, especially a next-door nerd.
While it is easy to see which actors had "no nudity" clauses in the contract, Rhys-Meyers, on the other hand, loves being naked. I'm sure I was not the only one enjoying his nudity.
I think that all three protagonists deserve further chances,
extending their acting careers beyond teen comedies, Cook especially.
And Rhys Meyers has the physical characteristics to become a heart throb,
or even a sex star, should he desire.