Title: August (2008)
Starring Josh Hartnett, Adam Scott, Robin Tunney, Andre Royo, Rip Torn and David Bowie
Produced by Original Media, 57th & Irving Productions and Periscope Entertainment
Written by Howard A. Rodman
Directed by Austin Chick
Score: Technical: 90, Story: 75, Acting: 90, Overall Score: 85
When I received this movie in the mail, I sort of groaned a little because of who’s starring in it…but I’ve got to say, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Not only is he not dreadful like he has been in some things the last few years, but he’s actually really great in this one.
August follows two brothers Tom (Josh Hartnett), a cocky, hipster brat, and Joshua (Adam Scott), the new family man and responsible one, who own and operate a dot com website, in August 2001, the month of the infamous stock market crash. There’s struggle between the two, outside of the natural sibling rivalry, as to what to do with the company, and it severs the relationship between the two, their lovers and family.
I will tell you right off the bat that if you aren’t up on internet jargon or business savvy…this might leave you with a puzzled look on your face. At times, I was sort of confused because it was so heavy on the jargon, but you pick up on things throughout the movie. It helped and hindered the movie at the same time. There are times when the story line drags a bit, with a lot of pauses and big breaks in between actor’s lines, but just as you really start getting annoyed, it catches back up.
Despite the fact you see Josh Hartnett drive a really nice car and smoke a lot throughout the movie, the acting is actually quite good. The chemistry between the actors is very natural, which makes the movie easy to watch. Hartnett’s character seems a bit forced, but once you realize that’s supposed to be how he is in the film, you realize he’s got more talent than he’s given credit for. However, I really felt this was a movie to showcase the acting of Adam Scott. He was truly fantastic in it. He went back and forth between playing serious business partner, family man and sarcastic brother with a bit of rivalry. Rip Torn also gives a pretty funny speech about Oreos.
The only two things I really didn’t like about this movie were the credits and the music. The music was very early millenium techno, so there was a really irritating beep throughout most of the movie. Also, the credits gave it this very Jason Statham film-esque look to it, which I didn’t really find totally appropriate to the movie’s tone, but I wouldn’t entirely hold it against the film itself.
The film had a pretty dark cast on it, perhaps symbolic of the film’s tone, which I really enjoyed. The shots were nothing to write home about, but the simplicity of it made the film easy to watch. The main menu on the DVD was really nice, however, resembling a dot com site.
Overall, I say pick this up when you don’t know what else to watch. It’s not an immediate watch, but it’s something you should see.
By Tessa Petrocco
