Reviews

For maximum understanding of the fun references to mathematics in this movie,

1. Bone up on the definition of "complex numbers" and how they are notated.

2. Understand how mathematical proofs sometimes work backwards: a) you can prove something by proving that its opposite cannot be the case, and by proving that the choice is either between it, and its opposite; b) you can disprove something by proving that its opposite is true.

3. See if you can spot any of your college math books in the bookshelf close-up in the movie.

On a more subtle plane, you will get a feel about the mathematics in this love story in many other ways: a) when you are on-board with how mathematicians view how they "do work," and berate themselves for wasting time and not "doing work." b) on the fierce dichotomy between research in mathematics that seems to lead somewhere, versus research in mathematics that is ho-hum and dead-end, and the pressure to do the former while you are "young"; c) just how deep (read, "socially challenged") mathematicians get in an effort to be true to their discipline, and yet, "there's nothing wrong with you."!

You may care nothing about all that, and very much enjoy this movie. I only wanted to provide a response to its portrayal of mathematics.

The best thing about this movie is its characterizations, or even call them "stereotypes" -- not of personalities, but of the various ways of being kinda dumb, or having "no sense at all" in various situations, and how that interplays with trusting someone, letting your guard down.

It was fun to watch, and warmly humorous. It puts characters we all can see the foibles of right in our face, and asks the question of us, as we're watching, "do you think it will be worth it for, say, the Drifter (Van Dien), or his girlfriend (Vanessa Angel) to trust anyone at all? Short-term? long-term?

The plot twists keep you guessing at the film's answer -- yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes ... ??? A fun ride.

Don't mistake the understatements of the movie for lack of content. Dotson's character (standing for innocence/purity) is a great contrast to the wizened, seasoned veterans of petty crime. The simple backdrop is what gives the story away as parabolic and a morality tale. Listen to the music, which also gives the hint that the pace of the movie is deliberate. Things transpire as they should to make the point of a good morality tale, which is that evil doesn't pay....