50 shades of disappointment!
I usually don't write movie reviews I'm not a critic, I'm just a Moviegoer and a book reader. During late 2014 while I was bedridden my friends constantly suggested that I read a book that was very popular at the time called "50 shades of Grey". It was actually a trilogy, a love story an erotic novel. More attracted to biographies, I still decided to give it a try. Although called "mommy porn" by many critics, I disagree. I felt it was entertaining and interesting. "Empathy" is a word that comes to mind, you could empathize with the characters, even in their darkest hour you could feel for them and even justify their actions. Both characters although flawed (specially Christian Grey) are very likable. Yes, even Mr. Grey himself is a likable messed up guy who is not as bad as one would think.
It isn't only his money that makes him interesting.
No, it's not English literature.!! You know this when you go and buy the book, so that should not come as a surprise. Basically it's a very entertaining trilogy that I read in less than a week (Mind you I was bedridden and had nothing else to do). This trilogy touches certain topics (bondage, S&M) that are less mainstream. We usually don't read about or even see them reflected in cinema or television. I am not going to go into how real the S&M part of the story is or how romanticized or fictional it might actually be. I don't have the knowledge on that kind of lifestyle to discuss this in depth. I chose to go into the believability of what the author intends to sell. From that stand point I found the books to be highly entertaining and what you might call "a guilty pleasure".
For the haters: "deal with it" there is a reason behind the fact this trilogy sold as many books around the world as it did. Let's not intellectualize it! It would be a terrible waste of time. There is nothing wrong with some light reading. Not everything has to be Jane Austen. Call it an adult Cinderella story with a dark twist.
When I was told that this was going to be made into a movie I thought great I will definitely go and see it. I also thought that it would be difficult to translate such a highly descriptive erotic novel into a movie without it being rated as "soft porn".
The story of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey is a character driven trilogy of two people who end up together against all odds.. So basically when you think about it.... the casting and the chemistry are the number one priorities to make this story work on film. It's all about the chemistry between these two characters that makes this story have any sense at all!
This is what I found TOTALLY lacking in the movie version.
The screenplay does the book NO justice at all and it seems to be a watered-down version of the book to the extent that those of you who never read the book will not understand the relationship between these two characters in the film or understand the reason why this girl Anastasia Steele could ever fall in love with a man like Christian Grey. In the movie he just comes off as a creepy stalker.
The film looks more like a bad summary of a real movie. In the film you end up seeing bits and pieces of a relationship that don't make sense because you feel there are parts that are missing. ( if you thought you might have fallen asleep during the movie, although it would have been justified, you didn't! The movie IS actually missing a lot of important information) . If you add to this, the lack of HEAT between these characters on film, you will never understand why these two get together to begin with!!! In 2 hours and 5 minutes the story could have been told correctly. No excuse.
In the book Anastasia dislikes the fact that Christian showers her with very expensive gifts that make her feel cheap. As if she were exchanging sexual favors for material gain. She is very vocal about it confusing and even infuriating Christian who is not use to rejection of any kind. The movie makes no reference to this. What you see is that she receives gifts that are very expensive, she looks at them in surprise and then continues on like nothing has happened giving the viewer the feeling that she actually might like this guy more for his money than anything else. Ana is not like this in the book and the fact that she is not into his money is one of the reasons Grey is attracted to her.
Jamie Dornan who plays Christian Grey is an Irish model turned actor who during the course of the movie has a serious problem with his Irish accent and it kind of spills out. Was there nobody on set to see this was happening? How about in post production? Is everyone deaf? There is also a lack of depth in his character. It is one dimensional during the whole 2 hours and five minutes. Making it hard for the audience to empathize with him. He comes off as moody, never seductive, playful or sweet which would have made us root for the character and the love story. All qualities that come off very clear in the book along with his mercurial personality which shows off his more scary and unstable side. This is also missing from the movie! Looking serious all the time is not the same as being dark and mercurial!
What seems obvious to me is that those people who read the book (like me) are going to go to the movie either way no matter what the critics say. Mostly out of curiosity. The movie will end up making a lot of money although it is not worthy. This movie could've been SO much better. The fans deserved so much more.
The screenplay was awful, the way the story is told to the audience is horrible! It is not sexy, hot or otherwise. Everything the book managed to amass, the movie destroyed! Those who went to the theater on Valentine's hoping to leave inspired or turned on, surely left the theater frustrated as hell. How can a movie that holds so much sexual promise be so uninspiring, boring and dull?
Note about the nudity: Dakota Johnson is naked in most of the movie, not the case for Jamie Dornan. Considering that in the book the story is told from her point of view and it is all about her experience, her feelings, her sensations etc.... Well, the fact that she is the only one so exposed and naked in the movie is disturbing and lets face it, a bit sexist.
I left the movie theater feeling that I should've spent my money elsewhere. If I would have never read the books I definitely would not have understood the movie or the characters. I suggest that you stay with the books and try to forget this movie as soon as possible.
I wish I had better things to say about this very anticipated movie. Again let me remind you that I am writing as a fan of the book trilogy, not a hater.
Part of what makes Christian Grey a likable character is seeing his lighter playful side which usually comes out in the book when he's writing emails to Anastasia Steele, which is very often. It is here where you start to see their more light and playful dynamic. At no point in the movie is there any sort of reference to this side of him and that part that could actually make you understand what the hell she sees in this guy, aside from his money. At no point do we see him with any sort of sense of humor or charming wit that could give us an insight to his other side which would make us like him instead of thinking we should call the cops because we could have a potential serial killer on our hands.
There are pivotal moments in the book that show you who these people are and how they function and affect each other which were absolutely ignored in the movie. How can you justify the characters actions if the back story to them is not exposed? How can you empathize with the characters when you never get to know who they are and what makes them tick? Or is the movie assuming that everyone seated in the theater has actually read the books and will understand the plot no matter what they decide to show you? I can guarantee that many of the poor men in the audience who took their women to this movie never read the book! NEVER ASSUME THE AUDIENCE KNOWS ENOUGH THAT YOU CAN START TO CUT AWAY AT THE STORY. Let us review some of the information that was missing from the movie and is critical to understanding it:
1- In the book after Ana's drunken night where Christian comes to her rescue and she faints, she wakes up in a very glamorous hotel suite that is overwhelming to her. The suit is bigger than her whole apartment. Confused and embarrassed she puts something on and goes to the living area next door only to find Christian reading a paper and a dining table fool of food for her choosing, so she could have breakfast. (Food is an issue for him throughout the trilogy. No reference is made to this important point in the movie. After all he did go hungry as a child) In the movie version Ana wakes up in a small hotel room that looks like something out of a 70's movie or sitcom ( the Brady Bunch comes to mind). In this small room, Christian sitting on a couch, there is a small breakfast that includes toast waiting in a small coffee table. What the fu....? It looks like a room at the Holiday Inn Express and not a suite at the best hotel in Seattle. Hard to believe Ana would be overwhelmed by this. In the book during this same scene Ana gets dressed with clothing bought by Taylor ( Grey's go to guy for practically everything) and having no toothbrush of her own, decides to use Christian's toothbrush. A gutsy move considering she has never kissed or had sex with the guy. Ana although inexperienced in many ways, is also witty, smart mouthed, funny and gutsy! These elements beguile Christian constantly. She is different from anyone he has ever known. These are things that attract him to her. Non of this comes through in the movie.
2- To understand the outburst of passion in the elevator, which happens immediately after the hotel room scene ( by the way the passionate elevator scene was non effective in the movie version) you should have been given all the elements of what happened in the room. If you are wondering why the elevator scene doesn't work for me, its because its lacking the heat that these two people feel for each other. The longing and waiting for this moment that these two people feel should have had a more passionate outcome. It was played way to safe and did not look like a "fuck the paperwork" kind of first kiss. It was more like "we have been going out for several weeks and we still are hot for each other" kiss. The joke about Ana brushing her teeth and admitting to using his toothbrush is missing and is actually pretty funny in the book because it throws Christian totally off. It starts marking a dynamic between them which is cute.
3- Ana meeting his family without any underwear on is another moment where you see how gutsy she can be, throwing him off his game yet once more.
4- Christian's family dynamic is completely ignored!!!!!. His relationship with his parents and siblings is absolutely ignored in the movie and would have given the viewer an idea of the loving environment that gives him his good, grounded and honest side. It exists in the book to mark the contrast and explain the duality that is Grey. After all he did have a hard beginning in life as a child with his birth mom (alias the crack whore).
5- When Christian finds out about Ana's virginity in the book, he freaks out and is in complete shock. He feels mad and guilty at the same time for having even considered her for this lifestyle. He is upset with himself for not having noticed just how innocent this girl was. This says a lot about him and his better side. It talks about his own struggles and conflicts. The movies approach is cold and impersonal. Her virginity comes off as something to deal with as fast as possible so he can move on to kinkier things. In the book you see how he wants to make this moment special for her. This too throws him off the loop and makes him want her even more! He cares for her more that he can understand but at the same time cannot comprehend why this is happening to him. Again in the movie he doesn't really seem to care much about anything except having her sign the contract so he can start getting busy in the "RED ROOM OF PAIN"
6- Ana's relationship with her roommate is also a key element. During her whole relationship with Christian Ana's roommate is terribly critical of Christian, feeling he is dangerous for Ana while falling herself in love and eventually marrying Elliot who is Christian's brother. In this movie, the poor girl does not exist at all! When she does appear, she seems to be blissfully ignorant to everything going on around her and is even happy for Ana. She might as well been a "prop"...... which brings me to the following point:
All the actors in the movie aside from the two main characters seem to have been hired as "props" since they don't tell their story or add to the main story at all. Might as well have saved those salaries and just have a two actor movie. What a waste of hired talent.
All those elements that help you empathize with the characters and understand the story, are missing! What was going on in the head of the producers, writers and directors??
I could go on and on but the list of everything that is wrong with the movie is too long. I think you get the picture. As a fan of the trilogy I give this film a painful two thumbs down.
I would have been happy with "plain old vanilla" but what I got instead was an empty icecream bowl.
