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All Movie Info
Starring:
Bruce Willis, Matthew Barry, Emile Hirsch, Vincent Kartheiser, Justin Timberlake, Shawn Hatosy, Alex Solowitz, Harry Dean Stanton, Ben Foster, Laura Nativo, Fernando Vargas, Alec Vigil, Frank Cassavetes, Nicole Dubos, Regina Rice
Directed By:
Nick Cassavetes
Written By:
Nick Cassavetes
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Alpha Dog (2007)
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Movie Review by Zara 
May 4th, 2007
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Ugh
I guess what bothers me most about this movie was that it was based on a case that was going on in the area of California very near to where I live. I'm from Ventura County and this situation came out of Santa Barbara County, just a half hour drive from where I am.
I'd known a lot about the details in the Jesse James Hollywood case because they were plastered all over the local news and papers. We were all familiarized with his mug shots and told which features to look for. There wasn't a day that went by for about 3 years when we didn't hear his name on a daily basis. The only case around California that got more press coverage (in a shorter amount of time) was the Scott Petersen case.
So, knowing all that I know about what went on, this movie disturbs me. Firstly it disturbs me because the Deputy District Attorney of SBC helped give all of the case files to the filmmakers before Hollywood was captured. He cited his involvement with the production as just another branch of attempting to capture and secure Hollywood.
But I also know that the Deputy DA is a showboater who will do anything for attention. So while SOME of the facts within this movie are correct, a great deal of it was played up to make it seem more fancy than it really was. Hollywood was not the son of some rich drug dealer. While a kid of privilege, he wasn't unlike any of the other brats out of SBC. That's probably where the story is the most correct. They do portray most of the people involved as being affluent dickwads with no concern for anyone other than themselves.
Putting all of that aside, the movie just isn't as entertaining as watching all of those news bulletins. Laced with excessive profanity (something that I can tolerate most of the time but was irritated by as it was simply a representation of how filmmakers believe that every young person these days sounds like an idiot) and grandiose dick waving, this might have been the Deputy DA's idea of helping the case but all it really served to do was bore and repulse me.
I couldn't care less that any one of these people, even the grieving mother, was going through anything traumatic.
I'll say that my rating is high and that it due largely in part to the strong performances by Ben Foster and Justin Timberlake. Yes... Justin Timberlake. While you can see him stretching in quite a few scenes, he's one of the few people who isn't screaming for the sake of screaming or dialing in the performance (Hirsch - I'm looking at you. I'm incredibly disappointed in you for this. Hatosy, you too.)
But Ben Foster, more commonly known from 2006 as being the angelic Angel from X-Men 3, is the one to watch here. Granted, most people haven't witnessed a full fledged breakdown of a guy strung out on crank, but I have. And let's just say... I was *this* tempted to believe that he wasn't acting.
Mostly this is an overly long, overly melodramatic and entirely all too boring flick. I'd check the archived Dateline stories on the case if you're interested. Sure, there are a sh*tload of names in here, but that's all you'd be watching them for.
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 | Zombie Boy
May 4, 2007 4:11 PM
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| Does JT do Dick in a Box at any point? Because that is what it will take to get me to watch it. |
 | Tim
May 4, 2007 5:58 PM
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| Justin Timberlake actually wasnt the worst in the movie, I thought Emile Hirsh was the worst casting pick ever for a "drug dealer." |
 | Misty
May 7, 2007 1:11 PM
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| I just watched this flick night before last and I was almost impressed...until the end. I just didn't like the ending...not knowing the "real story" and just thinking of this as a movie probably helped me start to like it. I only borrowed this movie to see how well Timberlake would do and because I liked Hirsch already from previous roles, but I have to agree that he totally disappointed. Meanwhile, Timberlake rocked a lot better than [anyone] thought he would. Great review! :) |
 | Penny
May 11, 2007 3:25 AM
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| I remember the case too. I think that DA screwed up in getting involved with this. |
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May 4, 2007 6:38 PM
I'm only giving the movie credit for the performances listed above.