Will someone please find a good film for Christian Bale! This fine actor and internet icon strives valiantly to make "METROLAND" somewhat watchable. Emily Watson does her bit as well, but to no avail. This tale of a artsy youth caught in the "life he swore he'd never live" in suburban Metroland is erratic and predictable at best.
Spurred into furious flashbacks by a visitation from a former best buddy and still kid-at-heart, the first half of this flick is nicely on track and arrives ontime. Bale is especially great in the flashback to his school days.
But mid-way through, Bale (like the viewer) goes into a catatonic flashback that takes him from Metroland (home of bankers, allsorts) to Paris (home of bohemians, allsorts) for much too long a time. Bale's tryst with a French bird is only momentarily interupted for quick repeated shots of Bale wide-eyed and stunned on his pillow, wondering how he got a wife and child and a nine to five life.
John Wood does a nice turn as a (real or imagined) commuter with retirement looming. But, at days end, Metroland is still end of the line. All we can do is wait for Bale's next film and hope the star is on the right track.
Spurred into furious flashbacks by a visitation from a former best buddy and still kid-at-heart, the first half of this flick is nicely on track and arrives ontime. Bale is especially great in the flashback to his school days.
But mid-way through, Bale (like the viewer) goes into a catatonic flashback that takes him from Metroland (home of bankers, allsorts) to Paris (home of bohemians, allsorts) for much too long a time. Bale's tryst with a French bird is only momentarily interupted for quick repeated shots of Bale wide-eyed and stunned on his pillow, wondering how he got a wife and child and a nine to five life.
John Wood does a nice turn as a (real or imagined) commuter with retirement looming. But, at days end, Metroland is still end of the line. All we can do is wait for Bale's next film and hope the star is on the right track.