The River Why (2010)

This movie really couldn't get any worse than say, a pile of sh*t. I really wanted to like it. Hell, I could even looked past most of the piles of sh*t just for the scenery alone. But my crumbled Christ why couldn't anyone on the staff of this film stepped in and read the script and said, "Wait a minute, this is one big piece of sh*t!" An easy re-write could have been performed. I personally know 3 monkeys and one certified mentally disabled donkey that have credentials through the screenwriter's guild that could have improved upon this sewage treatment plant of hokum and heavy handed detritus. I don't even know the point of this movie. Maybe to waste another venture capitalist's money? In which case, bravo!

It is hard to point out certain aspects of life. You live a passion but you do not explain it, but how do you talk about it without demising it. Passion is the essence of life and we can only fulfill it when we feel it. You do not always know what you are passionate about. When life starts to expect something from you and it seems tied to you in particular then you understand the real need. We all expect love from our world but we cannot predict from where. When a gravitational pull comes into play you feel its attraction. Loving someone as they truly are is true love and when really expressed it is invisible. In the 'The river why' it is so pleasantly narrated and it makes you wish it was so easy. Unfortunately it is not always like that but the fulfillment in loving is worth the wait.

The only redeeming quality to be found in this film is the beautiful Oregon scenery. However, that means that this *highlight* of the movie- watching experience is the equivalent of watching someone's vacation videos. When this is the best thing you can say about a movie, you are in for a painful time.It's a movie about fishing. Granted, you can only expect so much regarding a movie about something like fly fishing, but it *can* be made entertaining (remember "A River Runs Through It"?). This film has the requisite father-son issues, the "surprisingly thoughtful and well-read" protagonist, the spunky love interest, the "I've been searching for fish, and yet I now know I've only been searching for myself" hackneyed conclusion. The only thing that's missing is a group of people slow-clapping at the end. These are 101 minutes of your life you'll never get back. You have been warned.

First: I loved the book and still do. Read Duncan's novel, please.Second: I've lived and fished in NW Oregon (and in NE Idaho, also a location for some of the filming) and agree with those who sing praise for the beautiful cinematic qualities of much of the film.Third: Rarely do great books become great movies. This is true here. Still, given this reality, the film is good enough to watch, enjoy, ponder, discuss and watch again.Fourth: I commend the review by Hollywood Jesus (listed among critics above) which convinced me both to go see it last night and to encourage you to do the same ---