The acting is marvelous. Every role is well-cast, and neither lead outshine their character(rather, they disappear nicely into the roles). It's engaging, and it comes across rather credible and psychologically accurate. The production is not flashy, nor does this feel "thrown together". Editing and cinematography are good. It's genuinely funny, here and there. The pacing is great, and this doesn't really lose your interest, as such. Heck, the children aren't even particularly irritating. So why do I give it that relatively low of a vote? Well, frankly, it seems to put forth all it really has to say within the first fifteen to twenty minutes, and after that, it simply keeps restating it, occasionally in a different way than earlier in the movie. The one message that this contains is that the press can and will blow things out of proportion, and manipulate facts as well as those who follow them in order to stay informed. As admirable as it is to make an effort to ensure that everyone is aware of that sad truth, don't we all already know that? If this would at least explore it, go into what has led to it, and what makes people go along with it, it would quite possibly make for excellent cinema. As it is, this honestly winds up being a one-sided attempt at convincing its audience that things are a certain way, no matter what else they might believe, which is, ironically, exactly like the type of news-reporting that it is trying to decry. While 15 Minutes wasn't a masterpiece, it at least had satire, and was more entertaining than this. There is some violence and brief language in this. I recommend this to the biggest fans of those who made it. 6/10
Review of Mad City
