Live! (2007)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Bill Guttentag

Writer (WGA):

Bill Guttentag (written by)

Release Date:

1 November 2007 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

A mockumentary following an ambitious TV network executive trying to produce a controversial reality show where contestants play Russian Roulette.

Plot Keywords:

Russian Roulette | Ratings | Television | Bullet | Television Producer

Cast

Eva Mendes	...	Katy
David Krumholtz	...	Rex
Rob Brown	...	Byron
Katie Cassidy	...	Jewel
Jay Hernandez	...	Pablo
Eric Lively	...	Brad
Monet Mazur	...	Abalone
Jeffrey Dean Morgan	...	Rick
Danny Comden	...	Buck
Paul Michael Glaser	...	Network President
Missi Pyle	...	Plummy
Andre Braugher	...	Don
Charlotte Ross	...	Jennifer
Michelle Krusiec	...	Dylan
Mageina Tovah	...	Kelly

MPAA:

Rated R for some violent content, language and brief nudity.

Runtime:

Argentina:96 min | France:96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | USA:R | France:U | Finland:K-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Atlas Entertainment

Goofs:

Factual errors: Early on, Katy mentions the decapitations of Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette. The first name should be Louis XVI, who died January 21, 1793. By then, Louis XIV (September 5, 1638 - September 1, 1715) had been dead for 77 years.

Interesting film

I am stunned by the low rating this movie received so far. Maybe it is due to the lack of explosions and naked women. True, it wasn't the best movie this year and the first hour was a bit slow, but this film raises some interesting questions.

How far can we go to entertain ourselves? Of course this movie is an exaggeration of the real future of television (at least, let's hope..) but it made me think about the dilemma on whether we should abide by common ethical rules to control TV shows, or what the people want to see and who voluntarily sign themselves up for reality TV. In my opinion the idea behind the film deserves a 10.

Live! is set up as a documentary, which lends itself perfectly for the story. The problem with this however, is that it needs a certain type of 'realistic' acting which is hard to achieve, and most of the actors looked like they were trying too hard. The first hour was a bit boring, but after the show was allowed to air, it became very interesting. The end kept me on the edge of my seat.

If you like a movie with a message which opens the mind up for an interesting debate, go see it. If you liked 'Harold and Kumar go to Whitecastle', don't.