Charity's Place

WICKER PARK

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: sexual content, language

Rated:

The trailers made this out to be a sexy thriller about a female stalker, but Wicker Park is more a psychological exploration of jealousy and prevention than a thriller. There's no "thrilling" moments in it. I'm not bashing the movie for what it is, merely what it portrayed itself to be. It's actually fascinating and highly involved, but plays out a bit difficult to follow and relies on the audience's interest to carry off the conclusion.

Two years after the mysterious disappearance of his girlfriend, Matthew (Josh Hartnett) is still a little lovesick. "Almost engaged" to the wealthy daughter of a local New York international tradesman, he's been drawn into the company to act as their foreign liaison. He's on the brink of a trip to China to secure a deal, but while in a restaurant downtown, overhears a familiar voice in the phone booth that sounds suspiciously like Lisa (Diane Kruger), his former flame. They officially met over a pair of red and black shoes in a store downtown, but Matthew had been inconspicuously following her for quite some time after becoming smitten with her pretty face. A dancer by trade and dreamer by nature, Lisa walked out of his life one afternoon promising to meet him at the park the following afternoon and never returned.

Abandoning his business pursuits in order to track down the woman who left the hotel so hurriedly, Matthew enlists the assistance of his friend Luke (Matthew Lillard). The two used to work together at the shoe store where the couple made that first iconic meeting. Believing his friend is only going to run into dead ends, Luke reluctantly offers his assistance. Matthew's search leads him first to an abandoned hotel room, where he finds a silver compact believed to be Lisa's, and then to a lonely apartment. Waiting there for the occupant to return, instead he finds another Lisa (Rose Byrne). This brown-haired nurse empathizes with his plight and asks him to spend the night on the couch, since she's being stalked by an aggressive ex-boyfriend and is afraid to remain alone. What Matthew doesn't know is that it's been a labyrinth of lies from the very beginning, and Lisa isn't who she says she is.

The first twenty minutes of this film are difficult to follow, but then things start falling into place and we're given the complete story through flashbacks. The random sequence of events could have been handled a little better, and more distinction made between flashbacks, but overall it's an interesting film with a hearty conclusion that leaves you satisfied. It's also an interesting look into relationships and how not saying something can drive a person to do terrible things. Without giving away too much of the plot, I cannot tell you the ultimate conclusion, only that a jealous woman is at the root of everything. We're given a glimpse into paranoia and multiple worldviews, and yet through it all, we're rooting for Matthew and the real Lisa to get back together. But at the same time, we have empathy for the "villain" of the piece, because each and every one of us has at some point been forced to watch someone that we love go after someone else.

Sexual content becomes this film's main deterrent, as it gives us a lengthy glimpse into Lisa and Matthew's first night of passion; on their first date, no less. The two tear at one another's clothes, roll around on the floor, and get sweaty with one another. In a mildly disturbing scene due to its implications, the brunette Lisa (her real name is Alex) comes to Matthew in the middle of the night and disrobes. The camera barely avoids upper nudity, and it's implied that they have sex. Later, we're given a few-second shot of Luke on top of Alex in bed. There are some comments about sex, and wild nights. Luke likes to admire women but is never more than playful in his comments. Language is also problematic, with a dozen uses of s**t, four of Jesus' name, several of GD, one muffled f-word, and scattered mild profanities. Wicker Park won't please individuals looking for a fast-paced thriller, but does offer some interesting glimpses into human behavior.