Impulse

"Weak"

Impulse Review


Self-obsessed pop star and Dancing with the Stars also-ran Willa Ford makes her debut star turn (not counting the title role in Anna Nicole, I mean... how could you?) in Impulse. What must be a tragic heartbreak to Ms. Ford, the movie went straight to DVD. One wonders, if she had known it would turn out so poorly, if she would have agreed to spend so much time in the film with her clothes off.

There's a glimmer of cleverness in the story: Claire (Ford) finds her marriage to her puffy, stuffy husband Jonathan (Angus MacFadyen) is starting to fade, so she's constantly experimenting with role-playing to try to get some fire back in the sack. One of her games is for them to pretend they don't know each other at all, which makes for a fun roll in the hay. Claire is surprised when Jonathan shows up to meet her on a business trip out of town, and he plays along in the hotel bar, pretending he doesn't know who she is when she makes a pass at him. After a roll in the hay, she's reinvigorated. She gets a strange text message and agrees to another fling. Only later does she realize the impossible: It's not her husband at all, but a dead ringer for him named Simon. (And of course they look alike: Macfadyen plays both characters.)

The film is doomed from the start by the obvious lack of chemistry between the 27-year-old Ford and the 45-year-old Macfadyen (in either role). The whole "the romance is dying" bit works better when both characters are a little more mature. Ford comes across like she's never even had a steady boyfriend before shooting this. Macfadyen hams for the camera on both sides of the fence. As Jonathan he plays the stereotypical cuckold who's more concerned about the burning dinner than his half-naked wife trying to seduce him. As Simon he embodies the goofy "who me?" character caught up in some intrigue... only to abruptly turn into a psycho who becomes obsessed with the sexpot Claire. Hard to blame him on that front, but the inevitable violent turn rings totally hollow.

Writer/director Charles T. Kanganis has a smattering of credits that range from 3 Ninjas Kick Back to Dennis the Menace Strikes Again! to six episodes of According to Jim. None of that indicates someone that would have a real knack with a tricky mistaken-identity thriller, and sure enough most of Impulse is filled with mere passing time as we wait for Simon to show up at the next unexpected location and for Claire to wrestle with how to break the news to Jonathan. Meanwhile, we're merely left waiting to see when the Fatal Attraction plot points will finally take over and what creative way Kanganis will come up with next to get Ford out of her top.



Impulse

Facts and Figures

Run time: 101 mins

In Theaters: Tuesday 15th April 2008

Budget: $2M

Distributed by: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Reviews

Contactmusic.com: 2 / 5

IMDB: 4.9 / 10

Cast & Crew

Director: Charles T. Kanganis

Producer: Jack Nasser

Starring: as Jonathan Dennison / Simon Phillips, as Claire Dennison, Robert Moloney as Elliott, as Hector, Pablo Silveira as Che

Contactmusic


Links


New Movies

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

After the thunderous reception for J.J. Abrams' Episode VII: The Force Awakens two years ago,...

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Like the 2015 original, this comedy plays merrily with cliches to tell a silly story...

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

There's a somewhat contrived jauntiness to this blending of fact and fiction that may leave...

Ferdinand Movie Review

Ferdinand Movie Review

This animated comedy adventure is based on the beloved children's book, which was published in...

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Director Dave McCary makes a superb feature debut with this offbeat black comedy, which explores...

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

A dramatisation of the real-life clash between tennis icons Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs,...

Shot Caller Movie Review

Shot Caller Movie Review

There isn't much subtlety to this prison thriller, but it's edgy enough to hold the...

Advertisement
The Disaster Artist Movie Review

The Disaster Artist Movie Review

A hilariously outrageous story based on real events, this film recounts the making of the...

Stronger Movie Review

Stronger Movie Review

Based on a true story about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, this looks like one...

Only the Brave Movie Review

Only the Brave Movie Review

Based on a genuinely moving true story, this film undercuts the realism by pushing its...

Wonder Movie Review

Wonder Movie Review

This film may be based on RJ Palacio's fictional bestseller, but it approaches its story...

Happy End  Movie Review

Happy End Movie Review

Austrian auteur Michael Haneke isn't known for his light touch, but rather for hard-hitting, award-winning...

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Seemingly from out of nowhere, this film generates perhaps the biggest smile of any movie...

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

A Victorian thriller with rather heavy echoes of Jack the Ripper, this film struggles to...

Advertisement
Artists
Actors
    Filmmakers
      Artists
      Bands
        Musicians
          Artists
          Celebrities
             
              Artists
              Interviews