Random Article


 
Must See..
 

2 Jacks (Film) Review

 
Two_Jacks_2012_film_poster
Two_Jacks_2012_film_poster
Two_Jacks_2012_film_poster

 
At A Glance...
 

Genre:
 
Age Rating:
 
Actor: , , ,
 
Length: 90 minutes
 
Final Score
 
 
 
 
 
3/ 5


User Rating
no ratings yet

 

We liked?


An interesting look at the contrast between Hollywood now and then.

Not so much?


The main characters come off as quite unlikable.


Final Fiendish Findings?

2 Jacks is an artistic retelling of a classic Tolstoy tale featuring a father/son pair who are as narcissistic as they are charming. While the title characters themselves often come off as quite unlikable, the stark contrast between Hollywood now and then makes for an interesting study in how the world changes, even if the people in it stay the same.

0
Posted October 9, 2013 by

 
Full Fiendish Findings?
 
 

When a promising young filmmaker meets his idol at the airport, things don’t turn out exactly like he’d envisioned.

Jack Hussar is a has-been, a washed up director who doesn’t have a penny to his name. What he does have is charisma, and enough Hollywood history to ride off of when money is tight. As 2 Jacks begins, we find Jack at the airport waiting for a ride that never shows up. When he meets Brad, a devoted fan of his past works, Jack is only too happy to take advantage of Brad – for a ride, a place to stay, and for entree into the glitzy Hollywood parties that will hopefully score him the funding he needs to finance his latest film.

As Jack has his way with Hollywood, the ways of a time now past are evident. The ladies love Jack – and he is only to happy to love them back, with even Brad’s sister fair game for this Lothario. Riding on the coattails of his past successes, he flits in and out of parties, weasels his way out of one jam after another, living the charmed life of a Hollywood icon. As we fast forward to the present time, Jack’s son is now preparing to descend on Hollywood and direct his first film. Brad and his sister await his arrival joyfully, as Brad’s niece seems poised to fall for Jack Jr.’s charms in much the way her mother did years ago.

2 Jacks is very much a case of Old Hollywood meets New Hollywood, and it is an interesting study in how very much things have changed. While Jack Sr. and Jack Jr. have the same self centered drive to make things go their way, regardless of how it affects others, the world around them is a vastly different place. While policemen years ago may have taken it easy on their favorite stars, the constant presence of paparazzi means that doing the same now would risk their jobs. While Jack Sr.’s practiced charms smoothed a lot of rough roads for him, Jack Jr. may well find that he needs to forge his own path in order to achieve the successes of his father.

To be honest, I found the characters in 2 Jacks to be inherently unlikable. Yes, Jack Hussar oozes charm, but it is a slimy sort of charm that really drives home how very much he takes advantage of the people around them, and how very little he cares about the effects of his own actions. Jack Jr. comes across as exactly what you would expect the spoiled child of a Hollywood director to act like, and not in a good way. I found myself instead pulling for the supporting characters, like the hapless Brad who is stomped on from the very first scene, even though his fawning obeisance isn’t all that likable either.

The film itself is filmed in the very same location, in two very different times – but all of it presented with an arty, old world style that brings back memories of the glamour of old Hollywood, with its elegantly dressed women and back room card games where lifetimes hang in the balance. I couldn’t help but feel that so many of those stories were left untold, or unfinished, as the two titular Jacks each swept through Hollywood in their own ways, neither one caring what the outcomes of their interactions were beyond their own gains.

2 Jacks is an artistic retelling of a classic Tolstoy tale featuring a father/son pair who are as narcissistic as they are charming. While the title characters themselves often come off as quite unlikable, the stark contrast between Hollywood now and then makes for an interesting study in how the world changes, even if the people in it stay the same.


Amy

 
U.S. Senior Editor & Deputy EIC, @averyzoe on Twitter, mother of 5, gamer, reader, wife to @macanthony, and all-around bad-ass (no, not really)


0 Comments



Be the first to comment!


You must log in to post a comment