Phone Booth

[DudeMan]

...is a really good popcorn movie that I watched this afternoon while taking a mental health day from work.

Colin Farrell is very good as the self-centered cad who makes the mistake of picking up a ringing phone. And Kiefer Sutherland takes a break from saving the world to play the Voice of the vigilante who's making the call and pulling the strings.

Won't change your life, but it's a fun, taut 80 minutes.

[CtJester]

I wholeheartedly agree.

3 1/2 out of 5 cheese doodles.

Nice little morality tale that, for once, isn't royally screwed up by hack director Joel Schumacher (Batman and Robin anyone?).

Very taught little thriller that doesn't overstay its welcome. Colin Farrell IS the movie though. I like most everything I've seen him in. Keifer is a great disembodied voice, and though this movie feels a little too '24'-ish because of his involvement (and the picture-in-picture technique is a bit overdone), he still adds a lot to this movie.

If there's anything that this film does well, its the terrific use of subtlety while being so over the top. Facial expressions and movements play an equal part to the dialogue. This movie is all about communication (or the lack thereof...referring to how the lead character gets into the mess he's in). The only real problem I had with it was the ending, which just seemed anti-climactic. Otherwise I recommend it.

-ct 'maybe you should get him a seat on Oprah...' jester

[Kwyjibo]

I agree, fun little movie. However... I found it to be lacking substance, which when all you've really got is a phone booth and a totally predictable script, I guess you're going to have that. The only technical issue I have with the movie (besides the over use of the picture in picture which I hadn't really thought about until CT brought it up) was that the disembodied voice of Keifer was exactly that, disembodied. I think it would have played much better if Keifer had sounded as though he was talking to Colin Ferrell on a telephone rather than being a voiceover from a sound booth.

[bluewilco]

I knew what I was getting into, and while I don't care that I dropped $6 to see it, once was plenty. I saw what was coming, and I was hoping they'd try to swerve someone like me looking for the swerves, but it didn't work--I'd tell people to just wait for the DVD/video.

And Kwyjibo--I agree with the disembodied voice comment. All my friends and I felt that it would've been easy and still clear enough to catch the exchange if it Keifer would of sounded like he was on an actual phone.

[MonkeyGirl]

I enjoyed it. The PIP was a little odd at first..and the disembodied voice bothered me, but other than that, very enjoyable. Oh, and I really wanted to smack the hell outta those hookers...they were soooooo freakin' annoying!!

[slow-dog]

First, I thought the hookers were pretty funny........"He hurt my dick hand!" Genius.

That said, I had low expectations for this film, which were met, but it would've been a lot better if the ending didn't totally suck. I didn't care whether Collin Farrell lived or died, but I wanted to know why the whacko was doing all of this. I was hoping he was a phone afficionado making some point about the demise of our beloved, historic, payphone, but no..