Review: Ellie Parker (* 1/2)

ELLIE PARKER
A film review by Steve Rhodes

Copyright 2005 Steve Rhodes



RATING (0 TO ****): * 1/2



Because of the considerable talents of Naomi Watts, an Oscar nominee for 21
GRAMS, ELLIE PARKER is almost bearable. But, even if Watts, in the title
role, makes it almost watchable, the ugly cinematography is too much of an
eye strain to endure for such a thin and uninteresting story.



A movie that would undoubtedly work better as a short had its origin as a
short that writer and director Scott Coffey was encouraged to develop into a
full length motion picture. With more padding that a movie exec's expense
account, the story now features trips to the zoo to see the monkeys cavort
and the eating of greenish blue ice cream while our heroine drives down the
road. The latter does serve some purpose, since it makes more dramatic
Ellie's puking when she finds her boyfriend in bed with another woman.



As an aspiring actress with no talent, Watts chews up the scenery delivering
incredibly awful auditions for equally pathetic parts in really terrible
pictures. While you're admiring Watts's skills, you can easily see that
this movie just doesn't deserve them.



The manager of a gallery, whose current avant-garde display looks like
children's junk, is heard to remark on the phone, "It's supposed to be out
of focus." One assumes that line is intended to be some sort of in-joke,
since the cinematography for ELLIE PARKER is off the scale bad. Some movies
are best seen on the big screen, but ELLIE PARKER, with its grainy, jagged
and over-exposed images, would probably look best when viewed on a cell
phone's tiny display.



While leaving the theater keep an eye out for a collection box in the lobby.
You can leave your donations there to buy Coffey a decent camera to shoot
his next movie. Even better, bring in the one you got last Christmas and
leave it for him, since it would have to be better than whatever one he used
to shoot ELLIE PARKER.



ELLIE PARKER runs 1:35. It is not rated but would be R for language, sex
and drug usage and would be acceptable for most teenagers.



The film is playing in nationwide release now in the United States. In the
Silicon Valley, it is showing at the Camera Cinemas.



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