Retro Review: Third Person

Writer's Note: Hi, all. I unexpectedly went out of town to visit my storage facility, which is something I only rarely get to do (it's been over six months since the last time), so I couldn't pass it up. I only tend to go when I have access to a truck or something big enough to haul stuff back and forth, as was the case here.

This time around, I retrieved a bunch of CDs that weren't on my hard drive, including stuff I haven't listened to in ages from the mid-to-late 90's and early 2000's. Basically, the last period during which I was buying CDs at all, lol. It should make for some nostalgia-inducing listening, to be sure. maybe I'll write about it sometime, or do a retro review on some of the old music I used to listen to, who knows?

In the meantime, I had to postpone my intended Flashback Friday, but rest assured, it's coming, as I already watched the movie. Maybe next week, I'll do two to make up for it, like I did last time this happened. I've also watched several movies, as I was sick with the flu for an extended period recently, including Brad's Status, Atomic Blonde and The Bad Batch, so look for new reviews of those as well.

In the meantime, in honor of the delectable Olivia Wilde's birthday, here's a look at her underrated flick Third Person. This review was originally published on Facebook on June 3rd, 2015.  Enjoy! 😃

Like the movie Disconnect, this flick revolves around a disparate group of characters that prove to have unexpected connections as the film goes on. Only, unlike that film, this is a bit more esoteric, a la the earlier work of Alejandro González Iñárritu (Amores Perros, Babel, 21 Grams). 

This makes sense, as the writer/director here is Paul Haggis, who won Oscars for his work on the similarly-minded Crash (not to be confused with the arguably far superior Cronenberg one, by any means).

In the Q&A on the DVD bonus features, Haggis cites Michelangelo Antonioni, Fellini and Godard as his biggest influences, and that certainly gives viewers an idea of what to expect here, as things get progressively more complicated and nonsensical as the film goes along, at least if you're paying attention. If not, then the final reveal will take you by surprise- and even if you are, you might not see it coming.

The film revolves around three main couples: There's Liam Neeson, who takes a much-appreciated break from hunting down whoever has stolen something from him yet again to play a more contemplative role, as a Pulitzer-winning writer who holes up in a swanky Parisian hotel to work on his latest novel. 

He also makes time to have a tryst with his protegee, a fellow neurotic writer half his age that he essentially left his wife (Kim Basinger) for, played by super-hottie Olivia Wilde. At one point, she runs around the halls of a swanky hotel buck naked, which is a big bonus, even if you don't care for the film, obvi. Both characters are more than a little off, but with good reason, as becomes more and more apparent as the film continues.

Meanwhile, in New York, there's a former soap actress-turned-maid (Mila Kunis) in the midst of an ugly custody battle for her child with her ex (James Franco), who has accused her of abusing the boy. The always-welcome Maria Bello plays her lawyer. 

Finally, in Italy, there's an American businessman (Adrien Brody) who runs afoul of a gypsy (Moran Atias), who may or may not be trying to con him- or is it the other way around?

Eventually the stories converge in decidedly unexpected ways, some of which border on surreal, as befits a film with the aforementioned influences. This one borders on meta, though not to, say, a Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) degree. 

It's way too long for its own good, clocking in at well over two hours- Haggis said the initial cut was over three hours!- but it's essentially worth it once you get to that big twist and things finally start to make sense.

But you definitely have to be patient, so if the directors mentioned don't do it for you, you're probably gonna hate this, what with the methodical pacing and slow-burn plot reveals. 

This is definitely art-house cinema all the way, and might well strike some as incredibly pretentious, despite that mostly-big name cast. (I wasn't as familiar with the delectable Atias...until, that was, I looked her up and realized she was the head witch in charge in the last of Argento's "Three Mothers" trilogy, Mother of Tears.)

I have to say, Kunis is surprisingly strong in the first big dramatic role I've seen her in. (No, the camp-tastic American Psycho 2 doesn't count, and she wasn't in Black Swan enough to make much of an impact on me, save in my pants during that lesbian make-out sesh, lol.) 

I've always liked Wilde, and it's really nice to see Neeson flex his dramatic chops in something that doesn't involve a lot of punching and shooting. He and Wilde have a believable chemistry that actually rings true, and is refreshingly more complex than simply an older guy chasing after some younger chick.

Anyway, as a writer myself, I really dug the big twists and thought Haggis definitely did a great job plotting everything out and subtly hinting at what was to come later on in the film. This is undoubtedly one that's going to reward multiple viewings, presuming you do like the reveals at the end, that is. If not, well....you're probably gonna hate this one, if I'm being honest. 

But hey, did I mention Olivia Wilde is naked?!! So, you know, still worth it. 😛😜