4/10
When The Author Hates The Movie, Well.....Still, It Had Its Moments
12 January 2008
The film is supposedly based on a short novel by Stephen King. I say "supposedly" because when he saw what they did to his book, King demanded his name be removed from any association of this film! When an author does that, it's kind of a tip-off that someone has made a bad movie.

I also wonder if Pierce Brosnan ever looks back and winces when he recalls being the star of this film? Actually, maybe he shouldn't because it's not that bad a premise. The film is no award-winner, but it is intriguing in its originality. I mean, how many films deal with a slightly-retarded gardener who becomes an experiment with a into-your-brain video game? Jeff Fahey is pretty interesting as "the lawnmower man." Being someone who is fascinated with special-effects, I watched the film probably normally would have considering some of the bias (see below).

What I objected to - and nobody else ever seems to - is another cheap shot at a cleric, where I see in almost every Stephen King story, whether he authorizes it or not. In this movie, we see a priest let the wandering mower-man live in a little shack in back of his church, and then he whips the man! Rule number one in a King adaptation - or in the movies, in general, seems to be: always show a Christian figure as a villain. At that point, I joined King and disavowed any association with this garbage.
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