Tape

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Tape

75% Liked It
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Tape

Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, Uma Thurman

Within the confines of a tawdry motor lodge in Lansing, Michigan, three old friends come together to play out the unresolved drama of their final days in high school. John, a first-time filmmaker, is ...( read more  read more... )in Michigan to present his film at a local film festival. Vince, now a volunteer firefighter and small-time drug dealer, comes to support John on his big day, or so it seems. But after their initial greetings, an undercurrent of tension remains. Gradually, it becomes clear that Vince still resents what he sees as John having stolen his girlfriend years before, and as the two men debate, a more serious accusation emerges.

Id: 10897061

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Tape Recent Reviews
  • crackingdanio
    April 7, 2008
    crackingdanio
    The chemistry between the 3 leads in wonderful, the dvd cover says never have the 3 given a greater prerformance and I have to agree.
  • her69eyes
    March 12, 2008
    her69eyes
    I was really excited to see this, but I can't say I was a huge fan.

    The script was very well done. None of the dialogue seemed phony, and the way things were revealed was perfect. For that, I loved the first 40 minutes of the film. You kept peeling back layers and layers and lea...( read more)rning more about each character... just really intriguing stuff.

    However, it was shortly after the main "plot point" occurred that I started to dislike this. What had been an interesting character study turned into something absurd. The dialogue, although still well thought out, became really overdone and obnoxious to listen to. In fact, a lot of the conversations involving Uma Thurman almost reminded me of the whole Abbott and Costello "Who's on first?" sketch. Having three characters who are each playing their own mind games, while at the same time seemingly not being on the same page at each other, is very overbearing for the viewer. For characters whom had been so interesting and complex throughout the majority of the film, it almost seemed like they became mindless drones incapable of answering questions with more questions.

    Despite the flaws, the acting was very well done and the writing is very well constructed. However, I felt the plot became less and less believable as things became more chaotic.

    First half is great, but the last half is a headache.
  • wellmeetagain
    November 27, 2007
    wellmeetagain
    Uma, Ethan and Robert Sean Leonard meet in a hotel room, interesting stuff.
  • EarthlyAlien
    June 9, 2007
    EarthlyAlien
    Typical Linklater... Simple and real!
  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    March 4, 2007
    YLOWBSTARDreturns
    Great acting.
  • MisterTuttle
    November 20, 2009
    MisterTuttle
    Photobucket

    When old friends meet it's usually for good t...( read more)imes, but for Vince, John and Amy it's going to be for the worst reason. The entire ordeal takes place in one night in one motel room.

    Vince, at the start, is alone in his motel room waiting for John to show up. He chugs a few beers, college style, and tosses them across the room. His behavior is volatile. When John shows up they have fun, they smoke pot, relax and start thinking of the past especially one particular moment for which Vince can NOT get out of his mind.

    Amy was once Vince's girlfriend and after they broke up Amy ended up sleeping with John. Now Vince had never slept with Amy so the fact that she slept with John really makes him feel neglected? Anyways, John admits that he did sleep with Amy, but Vince heard different. In fact he heard that it was rape, not sex.

    This is where Vince gets John to confess on tape. That's where the tape comes in. This pisses John off, but something is off when Amy arrives. Amy was, at the time, so in love with John that night she slept with him that she never remembered it being rape. John however believes it was due to Vince's "eye opening" dissection of those events that he begins to believe that he really did rape her. "You didn't rape me." Says Amy.

    Much of the film is followed through this argument until it leads to a shocking revelation that may or may not imply that Amy had an abortion. The ending, however, is a special one where Amy "alerts" the police about discovering a heavy amount of drugs in Vince's motel room. Vince starts flushing all of his drugs away, even destroying the tape and by the time he's realized it was all a hoax it's all ready too late.

    "You are so fucked up!" He yells at Amy. Well, so is he.
  • melbrakel
    November 2, 2009
    melbrakel
    "I'm not high and mighty. I'm too high to be high and mighty."

    Excellent film with superb performances from all 3 of the cast. Not sure I'd vouch for Linklater's filmmaking here though - at first I thought it was someone in the film filming Ethan Hawke, it looked so tack...( read more)y... but soon realised that it was just the style of the movie. I have to say though it didn't detract from anything in the film; the dialogue was sharp and, although it has its faults, the plotline gripped you all the way through to a great ending. Very funny too.

    A brave film, especially since it takes place just within the one hotel room. A must-see.

    Photobucket
  • HenrikSchunk
    September 14, 2009
    HenrikSchunk
    A very intense "film" version of Stephen Belber's great play. I put "film" in quotation marks because it feels more like a play of film, three actors, only one room and the camera usually focusses on the face of the actors with the dialogue and subtle facial expression being the ...( read more)focal point of the take. A very good movie, although Id rather see it as a play obviously. Nice to see Leonard and Hawke reunited after Dead Poets Society, they are both good actors and underrated, especially Leonard.

    You should see this
    H.
  • michaelcorleone
    September 4, 2009
    michaelcorleone
    I'm compelled by this film's thematic component, by the nature and contrast of its three brilliant performances, and by its stage-oriented approach in general. This is a gripping and very brave film, and the script's somewhat simple structure provides room for deeper undertones a...( read more)nd nuanced character study. Really, really good stuff.
  • RThornhill
    July 21, 2009
    RThornhill
    exceptional for its simplicity and its powerful writing. recommended.
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