Stuck

Stuck (2007)

Directed by: Stuart Gordon

Starring: Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea, Russel Hornsby

Other Actors of Note: Carolyn Purdy-Gordon and Jeffrey Combs

Plot: A young woman commits a hit-and-run, then finds her fate tied to her victim. Based on a real event in 2001. Chante Mallard, a woman in Fort Worth, Texas, was believed to be driving drunk when she struck Gregory Biggs, a homeless man, who became lodged in her car's windshield. She then drove home, locked the car in the garage, and left Biggs to die. Mallard was convicted of murder and evidence tampering, and sentenced to fifty years in prison. Taken from www.imdb.com

Nick Nolte after a night on the town.

While the news story served as the basis for this film, it is not how this movie goes down. The film introduces us to Brandi (Mena Suvari) a prissy self-important 20-something white girl with a self-appointed gangster drug dealer boyfriend (Russel Hornsby) who also serves as her ecstasy dealer.

Meanwhile we meet Tom (Stephen Rea) a down on his luck middle aged man who was the victim of downsizing and can't seem to catch a break. He's kicked out of his apartment with only as many clothes as he can grab in his arms and run from his landlord with. The temp agency he applied with has lost the record of his application. And finally he has no place to even stay the night.

Of course things only serve to get worse when Brandi, who is drunk as well as incredibly high, hits Tom lodging him in the windshield on the passenger side. She then locks him in the garage and then just hopes he'll die eventually taking matters into her own hands when he proves too stubborned and makes several attempts to escape.

Stephen Rea reaction to hearing about "The Scorpion King 2"

Stephen Rea is great in this movie. You really feel for his character and though he doesn't do much more than spend the bulk of the movie lodged in a broken car windshield you feel for this poor down-on-his-luck bastard.

Mena Suvari is fittingly bitchy and just annoying. She is the epitome of self-entitled rich girl with no sense of accountability. Throughout the entire film you want nothing more than for her to get her comeuppance.

Oh no I'm going 30 miles an hour on an empty street, what do I do to miss this guy?

"Stuck" is a story that is very relevant to today. Each character is a carefully crafted social archetype with Tom Bardo representing the middle aged generation that is being slowly phased out by the self important whiny 20-somethings like Brandi, as well as the Mexican family across the street who know bout Tom's situation but won't do anything for fear of being deported.

The film plays like a Stephen King novel along the lines of "Misery" only focusing more on the tormentor more than the tormented. The brief moments with Tom are filled with suspense that will keep you at the edge of your seat as you truly want him to escape from this crazy bitch and go to the hospital.

It's a very simplistic movie and doesn't leave much to talk about other than that it's wonderful. It manages to be suspenseful and very darkly humorous at the same time. It does what "Teeth" attempted to do and actually succeeds.

And for those of you who are just reading this going "DO WE GET 2 C MENA SUVARI TITTIES?!" *sigh* Yes. There's a sex scene midway and so long as you don't mind Stephen Rea's bloodied wrinkled face popping into frame and going "HELP ME!!!" Also if that's your only reason for reading this review then you probably wouldn't like this movie because it doesn't have a character named Stifler or a fart joke. Sorry.

White Girl + Corn Rows = Douchebag

"Stuck" is probably Stuart Gordon's best feature-length film since "Re-Animator"

I give "Stuck" a 5 out of 5.