Remarkable Power (Brandon Beckner 2007): USA

While some films are great, classics and amazing, the film “Remarkable Power” lacks the ability to be just that. It’s neither powerful nor remarkable.

The director and screenwriter Brandon Beckner had an idea in mind of a smart, laugh out loud dark comedy, and he did succeed in bringing some laughs. Smart is not the case however. This film takes on the interconnected stories of various characters in Los Angeles, it casts some of Hollywood’s familiar faces, but none are close to being on an A-List aside from Tom Arnold. The filming is plain and similar to just about everything else. While this could have possibly been a sleek American Guy Ritchie Esq. movie it is nothing close. The characters all play stupid, sun soaking, over weight, rejects of society.

Tom Arnold, the most recognizable actor, plays Van Hagen, a sweaty private eye that rarely leaves his rusted panel van as he videotapes his subjects. His comedy is never really right nor could it have been.

Kevin Nelson plays Jack West, a T.V. talks show host whose career is on the out. His performance is the highlight of the movie but nothing close to whom he plays in the real T.V. show “Weeds.” Nelson plays West with a silent and acute comedy that the film needed as his life spirals downward.

Most of the acting was none to good. Whitney Able plays the coked up hot blonde in a denim mini skirt as her portrayal of the dumb girl. Oh, and her name is Candy to top it off. Even Peters plays the baked college drop out who believes that an infomercial he saw on late night television, called Remarkable Power, a self help set, will change his life. It only leads him down a path of crime and adds to his mediocre life.

The script contains lots of cursing, which is usually fun and necessary, but in this film it makes everyone look and sound, again, stupid. While the dialogue is quick and snappy, the characters seem to get lost and miss the deliverance. Blood use and violence is neither stylized nor very entertaining. The bloodiest part doesn’t make you squirm or cringe. It’s just a lot of blood. With all this said the acting, writing and directing gave an admirable try at trying to do something that would get them noticed.

This film could have been smart, but the script and deliverance caused it to be dragged down to something less. A dark comedy should make you laugh, cringe and maybe even become appalled. Well, the appalled part came but not in the feel good way you want to experience.