MovieChat Forums > The Laramie Project (2002) Discussion > stay away, a complete waste of time

stay away, a complete waste of time


People who like this movie only like it because they're supposed to. It's a true story of a horrible murder (like there are any that aren't?), and it's a sad tale. With that said, this movie is utterly boring. If you're going to do a documentary, then make it a documentary with the REAL people. Having actors 'act' out the words that the real people spoke in the interviews is just arrogant and annoying.

I swear to you, I felt like I was watching a bad Lifetime movie. It really is that awful. It's a shame that the director and producers didn't give this movie the justice that it deserved. Ultimately, it became a promotional push for the passing of a "Hate Crime Act". Agree or disagree with the law (which I personally don't like, because all murder is hate crime), it really undermined the story of this boy and ruined what was already a terrible movie.

the hero marches alone across the highway of death

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I totally agree with you. I'm not undermining the importance of it, but really, people say they like it because they feel like they have to, and if you say you don't like the movie, all of a sudden you're a "homophobe", which I'm definately not.

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Exactly. You can dislike the movie and still appreciate and feel for the community. I actually felt embarrassed for the community watching this. I just kept thinking how I would feel having someone portray me being interviewed on camera.

Plus, the movie was just dreadfully boring.

the hero marches alone across the highway of death

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well, I don't really care about the story

however, I do like Laura Linney...is she in it a lot? And if so, is it worth the time? And I agree with you guys on your opinions about actors acting out interviews. I didn't realize that's what this is like. That's too bad!

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No one person is in it alot, or rather i should say they all get about equal time. So, you will get a fair dose of Linney, but nothing that is overly spectacular (by no fault of hers). There are some spectacular actors/actresses in this movie, but they just don't have any roles that allow them to really act.

the hero marches alone across the highway of death

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yeah i was so surprised with how many familiar faces i saw and i was like what are you doing, this is for someone upcoming or something... you're right that there weren't any roles that allowed them to really act..

~marenz

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It was done better on stage than on tv. Our college did it and the bare stage and one or two people onstage just talking or giving court testimony made it a lot more real.

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this script belongs on stage. It is much more powerful with an ensemble cast acting out many different characters. I did enjoy this version but maybe because i had been so invested in the play when i saw it. But I disagree that the dialogue is "arrogant," this is a story that was beat to death by the media and the words of the people forced into one of the most publicized stories of the century shouldn't be taken lightly, there is a level of emotion in the text that a writer couldn't duplicate. I suggest you buy the play and read it, but i doubt you will.

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[deleted]

I am so tired of people saying "all crimes are hate crimes" I need to go take a nap. Clearly, they are not--or those guys would not have had to do much to rob a 5'2 young man.

And in fact that's why those two guys told all those lies to makeshift "journalist" Elizabeth Vargas on 20/20--to make it seem like they had absolutely nothing against Matthew Shepard and he just happened to die because he was so small.

"They're all gonna laugh at you! They're all gonna laugh at you!

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the film has its pros and cons, still I have to say that it had a clear political agenda, this fact I don't like at all.

my vote history:
http://imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=27424531

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And did you notice how nobody in this film ever MOVED? The script was bad, the acting was pedestrian (though I blame the filmmakers more than the actors' skill), and the whole production was just a complete disaster, failing on even the most rudimentary levels (the repetitive dialogue was just grating, "I can't BELIEVE they used that defense, I CAN'T believe they used that defense, I can't believe THEY used that defense." or something of that ilk, but that wasn't the only time that was done).
But what completely boggled my mind was how nobody MOVED. Every scene consisted of people sitting at tables, never even shifting in their chairs. Even those rare scenes that were exteriors, everyone just stands there.
Take the scene where they go out to the crime scene. I got the point of the shot, showing how isolated the area was where they left that poor man. But it was just that one long shot, and then it dissolved into another scene of all the characters either sitting around a room or standing outside. No one walking or moving or even leaning forward. Then there's the parade scene, they show it from the point of view of the narrator of the scene, showing just a glimpse of the people walking from an obscured distance. Then the protest scene, which was shot in such a meaningless and excessive slow motion it seemed as though they might as well have not been moving.
So I guess this was meant to be on the stage, or maybe even a radioplay if that was still in style, but there's a reason they call it MOTION pictures. I'm not expecting acrobatics or anything, but even movies that are primarily dialogue, like Mike Leigh's films or, say, Glengarry Glen Ross, for instance, have some movement in the frame.
And did anyone experience the same homophobe accusation when criticizing Philadelphia? I know I did. Subject matter doesn't guarantee quality, and to make unfounded accusations on a person simply because they didn't like a terrible movie is just as bad and misguided as any bigotry.

"But, hey, that's me, I could be wrong."

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I can't believe people don't realize that the film, which is based on the Tectonic Theater Project's script, was the EXACT transcripts and dialogueof the actual people involved. When the trial occured, Andy and Moses etc went to Laramie and interviewed the townsfolk. They then took the tapes and transcribed them WORD FOR WORD, and that's the script. It's real. That's what makes the play/ film great.

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I can't believe that people don't realize that just because it's "WORD FOR WORD" or real doesn't mean it's interesting, well-done, or even watchable. It was the same problem with the movie Gettysburg, sure, everything in it is authentic and historically supported, but that doesn't mean its any good. Glory might not have been WORD FOR WORD real, but it was still a much better film.
And accurate dialogue is not going to save something this poorly made.

"But, hey, that's me, I could be wrong."

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it is very boring



When there's no more room in hell, The dead will walk the earth...

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[deleted]

[deleted]

Agreed. This felt like a circle jerk. Like they said, good intentions, bit it just didn't work. Incredibly boring.

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