Uncertainty (2008)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Carlos M

  
  Uncertainty is actually a metalinguistic film, where it's the characters who have to decide, by flipping a coin, if they should be part of a sensitive family drama or an action thriller. An interesting indie experiment about uncertain paths, though sometimes a bit bland.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"I'm not afraid of either scenario, but it's just - I want this to be something we're doing, not something we're not doing."</i> A young couple, in love and facing a life-changing decision, find one seemingly ordinary July 4th cleaved in… More
  <i>"I'm not afraid of either scenario, but it's just - I want this to be something we're doing, not something we're not doing."</i> A young couple, in love and facing a life-changing decision, find one seemingly ordinary July 4th cleaved in two by the flip of a coin on the Brooklyn Bridge. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> What struck me was the lopsided feel and disunity of the whole enterprise. The stories in the two alternate-universe flip-of-a- coin worlds do not really complement or enrich each other; rather each destroys what momentum the other has built. In addition neither thread is particularly compelling in itself, and switching from one to the other does not make them more so. The two principals do fine - Lynn Collins in particular is an actress I would love to see get more significant roles (she was excellent as Portia in the Michael Radford version of "Merchant of Venice" with Al Pacino as Shylock), and Joseph Gordon-Levitt has charm and believability. However they are stranded in an unconvincing dual narrative. Perhaps in addition to improvising their dialog (as they did) they should have been allowed to scrap and rewrite the entire scenario! Many people have mentioned the similarity to the movie "Run Lola Run". I am surprised no one mentioned a film entitled "Sliding Doors" starring Gwyneth Paltrow that, while not a masterpiece, utilized the same alternate-universe framework to better effect.

• Jake .

  
  So, I understand that Uncertainty is a "bad" movie, but I absolutely loved it. I'm not even totally sure why, but the whole thing is intoxicating and tight. For a micro-budget film, it looks incredibly stylish. It is incredibly realistic and there is a total lack of… More
  So, I understand that Uncertainty is a "bad" movie, but I absolutely loved it. I'm not even totally sure why, but the whole thing is intoxicating and tight. For a micro-budget film, it looks incredibly stylish. It is incredibly realistic and there is a total lack of effects, but at the same time it is not tacky at all. Really, the whole film is realistic, making an exception for the obvious. Bobby and Kate's relationship seemed plausible and tender. The family relations and even the "thriller" storyline carried a lot of gravity. They were pleasant, but also plausble. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lynn Collins really hold up the film. They truly become the characters they play. Those characters are also great. They are fully rounded, they have virtues, flaws, convictions and peeves. I guess, a lot of what I loved in Uncertainty is that ultimately it is believable. It is not placed in the pleasant fantasy land of the cinema. This is our world, and Bobby and Kate will not have a picture perfect relationship. There would be bumps in the road, but the promise of a happy ending doesn't seem far-fetched. Both stories come together to bring the realization that they have what it takes to take of each other, to raise a child, and ... live.

• Curtis L

  
  They had a cool idea, but didn't know what to do with it. About half way through I stopped caring if the familiy liked the guy or if they get killed by phone man.

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT, LYNN COLLINS, OLIVIA THIRLBY, ASSUMPTA SERNA, NELSON LANDRIEU A young couple, in love and facing a life-changing decision, find one seemingly ordinary July 4th cleaved in two by the flip of a coin on the Brooklyn Bridge. Uncertainty.. Well after watching… More
  JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT, LYNN COLLINS, OLIVIA THIRLBY, ASSUMPTA SERNA, NELSON LANDRIEU A young couple, in love and facing a life-changing decision, find one seemingly ordinary July 4th cleaved in two by the flip of a coin on the Brooklyn Bridge. Uncertainty.. Well after watching this movie, that is were it leaves me.. With uncertainty if I liked this movie or not. Definitely didn't love it, but I guess I did like it. It wasn't a bad movie. Just slow and boring at times. I hate saying that about any film Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in, but this wasn't his best movie. Great acting, just an OK film. Nothing special. Plus I have read some reviews that it is like another movie called 'Run Lola Run'. I have never seen that movie so I can't make the same accusation. The concept is interesting though. Flip a coin and then play out how either scenario would have went. Of course one having an better out come then the other. A movie about the 'what if''s'. The performances by both JGL and Lynn Collins were great. Just the movement of the movie was slow for my liking. Still a movie worth watching. But not one that would probably be watched more then once. This movie has action, romance, a touch of comedy, and a little bit of suspense. Just wish the flow of the movie would have been a little faster and the ending wouldn't have left me unsatisfied. Still in the end great performances by the leads and a good concept.

• Jeff T

  
  Even my (considerable) affection for Joseph Gordon-Levitt can't make this too-clever-by-half indie head-scratcher more than a novelty. Two parallel but unconnected stories happen on either side of the Brooklyn Bridge at the same time with the same two lead characters. They… More
  Even my (considerable) affection for Joseph Gordon-Levitt can't make this too-clever-by-half indie head-scratcher more than a novelty. Two parallel but unconnected stories happen on either side of the Brooklyn Bridge at the same time with the same two lead characters. They don't comment on each other, intersect or have anything to do with each other, except those two people existing in both stories. I'm all for narrative experimentation but this thing just huffs and puffs along, one side of the bridge (the Brooklyn side) containing a sleepy family story and the other side (Manhattan) containing a ridiculous action-y story. Both sides made me very glad I live in Queens.

• Walter M

  
  Friday night, I was in Brooklyn. Yesterday, I was in Manhattan. "Uncertainty" starts at the Brooklyn Bridge as Bobby(Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Kate(Lynn Collins) are at a crossroads in their relationship and cannot even decide how to spend the July 4th holiday. So, they… More
  Friday night, I was in Brooklyn. Yesterday, I was in Manhattan. "Uncertainty" starts at the Brooklyn Bridge as Bobby(Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Kate(Lynn Collins) are at a crossroads in their relationship and cannot even decide how to spend the July 4th holiday. So, they flip a coin... Kate runs to Manhattan and is met by Bobby in a yellow cab where he finds a cell phone. Wanting to do the right thing, he calls numbers, trying to locate the owner. Eventually, he has success of sorts but they instead witness a murder, just before he has a chance to hand off the phone. Bobby runs to Brooklyn where he meets Kate driving a green car. Along the way to a picnic at Kate's family home for their extended family and friends, they rescue a stray dog before she gets hit by a car. Written, directed and produced by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, the thought-provoking "Uncertainty" owes a debt to Tom Tykwer's "Winter Sleepers" and "Run Lola Run" with its color coded philosophical thrills. Yellow is caution and danger, while green is go, safe and home.(Correct me if I'm wrong but Kate and Bobby even keep exclusively to the Broadway line in Manhattan. Good thing they don't have to go further north than 60th Street.) What's important is how well the halves complement each other, even while raising more questions than the movie answers. The Brooklyn section fills in the personal history for the couple, so the viewer cares about what happens to them in the Manhattan section while utilizing New York City to its best advantage. However, its themes concerning choices and how they affect not only our own lives are universal, as is its examination of the responsibilities of altruism. In being so kind, Kate and Bobby make a statement against the stereotype of the uncaring New Yorker, even if Bobby is from Calgary. But why did the lead character have to be named Bobby Thompson? And the only George Perez I've heard about is the comic book artist.

• Mike T

  
  A conceptually mixed indie film. I've been singing Joseph Gordon-Levitt's praises for a long time, so it's no surprise to me that he's excellent again in this film. The same cannot be said for his co-star Lynn Collins. I think people are often too critical of film… More
  A conceptually mixed indie film. I've been singing Joseph Gordon-Levitt's praises for a long time, so it's no surprise to me that he's excellent again in this film. The same cannot be said for his co-star Lynn Collins. I think people are often too critical of film actors, but she is really awful in this role and she drags the whole project down several notches. Some of the ideas in the screenplay are fascinating, while others feel cheap and underdeveloped. Overall, it's a fairly interesting watch.

• Jason R

  
  Joseph Gordon-Levitt has made the transition from kid actor to A-List leading man quite nicely, and Uncertainty is yet another showcase of his talents. I love the cast in the film, everyone was really great! The film itself started out with a lot of promise, but it kinda fell apart… More
  Joseph Gordon-Levitt has made the transition from kid actor to A-List leading man quite nicely, and Uncertainty is yet another showcase of his talents. I love the cast in the film, everyone was really great! The film itself started out with a lot of promise, but it kinda fell apart at the end. It is a well crafted, and smartly written film but the ending was such a let down. It basically has the viewer wondering why they even bothered watching the film in the first place. The writers have you invested in these characters stories and emotions are running high as the story reaches it's climax and then, no climax. Don't get me wrong I really enjoyed the movie, but in this instance I really needed closure on these two great characters and their story and I didn't get it so I am little peeved at the moment, but these are the kind of films that you really need to step back and examine a bit just to see if you get everything that is going on. So I say give it a look, or a second-look. If anything you get a lot of great performances in one film.

• Tom S

  
  Tonal shifts and an overall weak story, but the cast was so nice to look at and so well photographed that I stuck with them.

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