Authors Anonymous (2014)

This film does not need to be endured, when the synopsis will do.I cannot understand the positive reviews and will leave their existence to the people who search for Bigfoot, and the Loch Ness Monster. Mysterious, indeed. This film contains some pretty unnerving subtext, and is not at all what I would expect from a romantic comedy. That SHOULD have made it interesting. It's a snore.I assure you that this is not one of those movies that is so bad it's good. It does provide material for a potentially hilarious future film about the man who gave us this turkey. Or perhaps, a good horror film. Robin Williams could play the lead, convincingly. He'd be portraying David Congalton, the man responsible for this incoherent (not in a good way) tangential journey through the world of "real authors" vs "instant celebrities" who have not earned their success...and the men who love them? It is truly confusing, (not in a good way) to see the lead character (based on Congalton) mooning over Cuoco's cheery, inept, undeserving, bubble- headed blonde. Why would such a learned man fall for a girl with a heart of gold and the IQ of an eggplant? Duh. She's young and she is beautiful. And she looks up to him. Double sigh. How romantic...NOT. It was repulsive. So, one of the plot devices designed to hold your interest to the end, simply gives you the vague creeps. You can always watch a truly creepy film, something like "24 Hour Photo", if you want the creeps. Why settle for a whiff of the creeps if you are into creepy movies? And why would you want a whiff of the creeps from the protagonist of a romantic comedy? This movie made me cringe a little. Not enough to make it interesting, just enough to make it icky. One ends the film with the disturbing feeling that one has just wasted their time on an inside joke and vendetta that lives in the head of one other person. Congalton fancies himself a real author, and apparently above his audience, in this film. But if you research what he has written and had published, you can't help but feel like you just saw an autobiographical rant at your expense, by a writer who somehow got his hands on enough money to make his own revenge movie. He makes the audience suffer.Perhaps he was writing a great revenge flick for all of those frustrated authors out there, who can't get read due to the overnight success of hacks who don't have one half their talents or insights. This film made my mind wander to other films, other directors and other ideas for movies. That CANNOT be a sign of a good movie. Based on the reviews, I expected something that would at least hold my attention.This movie starts slow, and goes downhill from there. It is a bitter pill. Whatever you are expecting from these positive reviews, I don't see how you could not be disappointed, and annoyed. I hope I just saved you over an hour of your precious time. Go do a random act of kindness with it, and maybe this movie will not have been made in vain.

"This group really is all for one and one for all." Hannah Rinaldi (Cuoco) has just been accepted into a writer's group. The group is full of aspiring writers who are all excellent…in their own minds. Each writer is trying to make their own path to stardom and being published. When Hannah gets a break the rest of the group becomes jealous and the real personalities are shown. I have to start by saying that I thought this was very funny and I laughed a lot, on the other hand though this is not for everyone. The movie is a "mock-umentary" and is very much like Best In Show or Mighty Wind. The humor is for a select group but if you are into this type of comedy you will love this movie. Each character is funny but Dennis Farina's Tom Clancy type character really steals the movie and this is worth watching just for him. Overall, very very funny but again, for a select group of people. If you like the Christopher Guest improv movies like Best In Show you will like this. I laughed a lot. I give this a B+.

If you're a writer, know one, or just want to find out what goes on in a crazy, dysfunctional writer's group, Authors Anonymous is the film for you. With a wonderful central performance by Kaley Cuoco and an excellent cast that keeps the story zipping right along, Authors Anonymous is great fun from start to finish. First time screenwriter, Dave Congalton, has fashioned a hilarious romp that's a definite audience pleaser. Dennis Farina, in his last screen role, is hilarious and Teri Polo is another standout in the excellent cast. I've been following Jonathan Banks since TV's Falcon Crest days and his deadpan delivery can't be beat. Run to your theaters and catch this zany indie. You'll be glad you did. Somehow ten stars doesn't seem enough!

I haven't laughed out loud at a movie for a long time. The comedic exaggeration of the characters was delightful and brought back vivid memories of my former southern California writers group – a highly diverse, multi-talented group that, as in this film, included published, unpublished and self-published aspiring writers, all with their own eccentricities and quirky personalities that sometimes clashed and sometimes led to indiscretions.I enjoyed the witty dialogue and the engaging performances from this ensemble cast – especially the talented Dennis Farina. I found the film funny and thought provoking. It stayed with me long after I left the theater. Sometimes caricature is the best way to reveal truth.Now I'm going to track down my old writer friends and recommend this movie!