I did not end up seeing any movies in the theater this past weekend. Mr. Popper's Penguins did not really appeal to me and Green Lantern did not get great reviews. I will probably see the latter eventually, maybe sometime this week. I did, however, get a chance to watch The Ledge on Video OnDemand....twice!
The Ledge stars Charlie Hunnam, Liv Tyler, Patrick Wilson, Terrence Howard and Christopher Gorham. Hunnam plays Gavin, who begins an affair with the wife of his evangelical Christian neighbor, played by Tyler and Wilson respectively. After the husband finds out about the affair he gives Gavin a choice: he must stand on the ledge of a building for one hour and then jump or the woman that he loves will be killed. Gorham plays Gavin's roommate and Howard plays the cop who must try to keep Gavin from jumping. It is definitely an intriguing dilhemma and the way the film was shot was also interesting. It starts with Gavin getting up on the ledge and then through his coversations with the police officer, you see what circumstances got him to that point.
My only major complaint with this movie was the way the husband was portrayed. Even before he finds out about the affair, he tries several times to explain to Gavin what is wrong with his athiest lifestyle and what is wrong with the lifestyle of his gay roommate. Although, I guess I would say that this is really an issue I have with Hollywood in general: why are super religious characters always shown in a negative light? I realize that it might not be as interesting to film-makers, but there are people out there who are very religious, very involved in their church, believe that Jesus Christ is their Messiah and also believe that homosexuality is not a sin, are pro-choice and do not try to "save" everyone they meet. Like I said, I know those kinds of people do not make captivating characters, but there are a larger majority of us than is represented by mainstream entertainment.
And now, as I step down from my soap box, I give you the trailer for your viewing pleasure:
I have not yet seen a film with Charlie Hunnam or Patrick Wilson where they do not give great performances, and that opinion has not changed since seeing this one. Terrence Howard is also a great actor, I just did not feel that his family storyline really fit with everything else that was going on. I would have liked to see more of Christopher Gorham, but that is more personal than plot-driven. And Liv Tyler, while I think she's a good actress, unless she is playing an Elf, her voice seriously irritates me and almost made me not enjoy this movie....almost - starring at Charlie for an hour and forty minutes makes up for the irritation :o)
Overall, I would say that while I did have some issues, I did like this film enough to watch it twice and will still probably see it again in theaters when it comes out on July 8th. It really forces you think about the decisions you make in your life and how they affect other people. It is definitely worth checking out.
xoxo
c
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