Cinema Crazed

Buy This Film

2004

Rated: R for strong sexual content, graphic language, and graphic violence.

Genre: Comedy Drama

Directed By: Kyle Bergersen

Running Time: 1:30

Review by: Felix Vasquez Jr.

Review Date: 11/06/06

DVD Features:
Cast Interviews
Outtakes
Trailer
Trailer Gallery

LOVE COMES TO THE EXECUTIONER

I’m surprised Ginnifer Goodwin has never voiced her anger about being downplayed as a frumpy rotund girl early in her career. With films like “Win a Date with Tad Hamilton” and “Mona Lisa Smile,” Goodwin was portrayed as a pretty homely somewhat gawkish girl you’d never give a second glance at. And then you watch her in shows like “Big Love” showing off her utterly gorgeous assets, and you can tend to be surprised at her earlier roles. And then you see her in “Love Comes to the Executioner” and you realize that in actuality she’s very good looking and presents an enormous amount of sex appeal that filmmakers never took advantage of.

It’s a bitch growing up in a family where your father and brother are psychotic serial killers who murder without conscience, isn’t it? Heck just returned home and now has to deal with the preceding reputation for being in a family of serial killers. Just like real life, eh? And what’s worse is having to sit through “Love Comes to the Executioner,” a film that reminds us what utter use the fast forward button serves. I really hated this movie, and I’m not ashamed to admit that in a blunt fashion.

“Love Comes…” is a movie clinging for life and value from the start, and I couldn’t understand why it wanted to torture me. Bergerson’s film has originality but that means squat in a film that has no idea what it’s trying to accomplish. It fails at spoofing capital punishment, it fails to create a twisted look at romance, and it fails poorly at dark comedy.

Jonathan Tucker explores my theory that the only thing he’s good for are supporting roles, hamming it up yet again as the put upon Heck in a family of nut jobs and delinquents, and has to go back into the prison where his brother is to teach prisoners on death row. “Love Comes…” is an awfully ridiculous “comedy” that anxiously reaches for comedy, especially when Tucker chews the scenery alongside co-stars Jeremy Renner, and Christine Ebersole.

“Love Comes…” is reliant on clichés and stereotypes, and when those don’t work, Bergensen becomes desperate and tries for the vulgarity that fails in every way possible. “Love Comes…” is never as dark as it wants to be and ends up forced as it tries to be a commentary on death row, and ends up as just as grotesque display of wasted talent, and time.

I really hated this movie. I loathed it. In spite of the utterly unique sex appeal Ms. Goodwin drips from her body, “Love Comes…” is a crude, irritating, and hateful spectacle, a wannabe dark comedy with a cast of actors who aren’t talented enough to support the weight of its own feeble attempts at humor.

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