Predisposed

What exactly was the film trying to say? Drugs are bad and you should fight against them? A limping drug dealer can speak to your soul and change your life? If you're good at something, you should pursue it and not be discouraged, even by yourself? Imaginary friends hidden in a sock are not beneficial for little girls? The American Civil War can change your love life? All these big truths that sound somewhat funny at times, but in the end, they aren’t funny at all. Why Stop Now is a film that tries to tackle a lot of topics, but ultimately solves maybe one or two. We have Jesse Eisenberg playing a talented kid, talented at playing the piano, which he can’t pursue as much as he’d like. His mother is addicted and can’t properly take care of her daughter, so Jesse ends up being like a father to his sister. His little sister has problems at school because her sock puppet, which swears a lot, sometimes takes things too far. In addition to this issue, Jesse gets involved in drugs. Thanks to his knowledge of Spanish, he becomes an interpreter during a drug deal, which eventually leads to him almost failing his conservatory entrance exams. But this is a "comedy," an American one, so everything isn’t as bad as it seems. It mostly gets resolved, and even though the film tries to be funny and occasionally absurd, it’s neither. It’s just a series of weird scenes that don’t really connect. Jesse Eisenberg is quite a talented actor, but he should choose his films better. Tracy Morgan is a bad actor, and what he plays in 30 Rock is exactly what he plays everywhere else. It’s tiring, especially after so many times. Melissa Leo acts well in the film, but what’s the point when the film as a whole feels pretty pointless? It’s an unfunny comedy trying to moralize, which comes off as an exaggerated attempt to give the film some depth. The thing is, these films just aren’t made to have depth from the start. Even the romantic story here is pretty weak. Actually, it’s not worth much at all. (05.03.2013)