Title: Loosies
Directed By: Michael Corrente
Starring: Peter Facinelli, Jaimie Alexander, Vincent Gallo, Michael Madsen, Joe Pantoliano, William Forsythe, Marianne Leone
Having never watched Nurse Jackie, for the past few years, Peter Facinelli has been Carlisle Cullen and Carlisle Cullen alone. However, thanks to Facinelli’s itch to write, we get Loosies and even though Facinelli’s writing is average, it really shows he’s an incredibly talented actor. He seems to have some ability in the writing department, but now I’m more excited for The Twilight Saga to come to a close so Facinelli can sink his teeth into some meatier roles.
Bobby (Facinelli) may look like a stockbroker, but the suit and briefcase are merely a front – if that briefcase is even his; Bobby is a pickpocket. Thanks to the massive debt his father left behind, Bobby’s got no choice but to work for Jax (Vincent Gallo) snagging watches and wallets so he can keep a roof over his mother’s head.
Life’s tough enough as it is, but then, in comes Lucy (Jaimie Alexander), one of Bobby’s former flings. Turns out, their one night stand left her pregnant and thanks to her own financial troubles, she’s got no choice, but to turn to Bobby for help. Also returning to bite Bobby in the you-know-what, a badge Bobby swiped off a New York City detective (Michael Madsen). When the detective’s superior demands he get the badge back or else, the detective pulls out all the stops to make Bobby pay for his crime.
We’ve got Bobby’s father’s debt, the baby daddy issue and the detective badge problem, and that’s not all. There’s also Bobby’s actual feelings for Lucy as well as his relationship with his mother (Marianne Leone), which is being torn apart by her boyfriend, Carl (Joe Pantoliano). Yes, that’s a lot of plot and it gets fairly jumbled, but for a first-time screenwriting effort, Facinelli’s work isn’t all that bad. The structure could certainly use some improvement, but generally, the story is very digestible and the characters feel real enough. Then again, you have to ask, is the story even worth telling? Loosies feels like it’s caught between wanting to be this $30 million action flick, but also a slice-of-life ultra low budget indie. The two do clash quite a bit, but Facinelli highlights the slice-of-life side enough to at least solidify the film in that quadrant by the end.
What nearly kills Loosies altogether is Michael Corrente. You might expect this kind of work from a first-time director, but Corrente has directed five other features. No, his work isn’t steady, but after Loosies, it’s easy to see why; he doesn’t know what he’s doing and so many of his problems are with really basic filmmaking techniques. A number of his shots don’t match, making it rather difficult to watch one-on-one conversations. There are a number of instances when a shot and its reverse have such wildly different color temperatures that it’s distracting. Perhaps this comes down to the editing, but a number of cuts don’t work, making some of the action a little awkward. But this could also loop back to Corrente’s understanding of coverage. It doesn’t seem like he used his time and resources properly. Some scenes merely give us an uninspiring two-shot while others get maybe even four frame variations.
Perhaps the semi-success of Loosies really speaks to the actors’ abilities. Gallo can be a bit too over the top, but manages to make Jax creepy enough to turn him into a solid villain. Madsen, on the other hand, suffers from simple underdevelopment. Facinelli is able to handle the assortment of characters fairly well, but the badge subplot is certainly the weakest link. Leone makes for a believable loving mother, but gets completely overshadowed by Pantoliano who makes more of an impression in a minimal amount of screen time than some of Loosies’ bigger roles.
As for Facinelli and Alexander, they’re a solid leading duo. There’s really no other way to describe Facinelli than a natural. The character of Bobby is a little all over the place, at one point seeming like an immature man-child and at others a suave ladies man, but Facinelli himself is so much fun to watch, it’s tough not to fall for Bobby. Alexander’s role isn’t as juicy, but she’s able to work with what she’s given and use her chemistry with Facinelli to make their relationship rather compelling.
But still, a good cast and so-so script can’t overcome the dismal directing. There are just too many notable visual errors to take Loosies seriously. Overall, the film screams first time feature and, the funny thing is, that comes more so from the seasoned director than it does from the first time writer.
Technical: C-
Story: B
Acting: B
Overall: C+
