MovieChat Forums > The Chosen One (2010) Discussion > Not really a comedy but beautiful anyway

Not really a comedy but beautiful anyway

posted 14 years ago by hawkeyesroost
14 replies | jump to latest

While this is not a standard movie by any stretch of the imagination, it was a beautiful movie with a an interesting premise. People will hate this movie and the pacing was definitely slow in parts. Having said that, it had a wonderful theme about self redemption and rediscovery of pride and self and also healing. the last 5 minutes of this film is just sublime. I will get blasted for this, watch, and I don't care. anyone who professes that they hate this film and thought it was worthless either didn't get the point of the film or they didn't want to. The message is there and it is up to the viewer to pull it out. A better job of editing would have improved this film for many I think but again the ending saved it. Steve Buscemi was great as the "False Spiritual" person proving that there are posers everywhere and while not technically a bad guy, he is not the good guy either. Also, while Rob Schneider is not technically a good guy, he is not the bad guy either. The message is that anyone can change and find the spirituality inside them at any time if they just try. Love yourself and you will find happiness. the scenes with the hawks were especially moving for me as they are my totem animal. I am native american and was very fond of the spiritual message. I was very happy with the way they made the spirituality accessible to anyone and not just "Natives". This was well worth the watch and I found it quite enjoyable.

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] k57 14 years ago

I thought this going to be a typical Rob Schneider comedy (which isn't always bad. I enjoy low-brow humor from time to time), so I was taken aback by this one.

But what a pleasant surprise! I really enjoyed this. Not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but I was not disappointed. Rob Schneider pulls it off believably (some of the other actors not so much, thus affecting my rating), and the fact that he co-wrote kinda stunned me.

I hope to see Rob break the mold again.

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I haven't slept for ten days, because that would be too long

[–] RingDingKid 14 years ago

I agree This movie is worth watching. Its surprisingly touching.

[–] Sorse545 14 years ago

I liked it...not to sound a bit too much but it was like a breath of fresh air you know...like you just feel so relaxed and calm after watching it...its not like some action movie where you feel so pumped that you should immediately watch another movie with more action and violence in it...but the ending at least made you think about 3 or 4 different outcomes for the characters of this movie and therefore i liked it better than i thought i initially did when looking at the 'bad reviews'

[–] byor 9 years ago

Anything with Steve Buscemi is worth watching!

[–] YopoM7777777 14 years ago

I also was very pleasantly surprised after watching this. It's nice to see Rob branch out into some differing roles. It was only slow at the beginning (a little editing might have cured that), but the rest flowed very smoothly. I say that if this has been 'typical' Schneider-esq comedy, it would NOT have worked as well as it did, but the very light humor along with some soul-searching drama made it quite an enjoyable flick. I felt the same way when Jim Carrey did some "un-typical" flicks. Whilst I still think Adam Sandler has some definite classics (Happy G being my favorite), it would be nice to see him in a similar High-Drama Low-Comedy movie; I know he could pull it off. For any Actor, it is dangerous to one's career to keep tossing out pure cheesy comedies (Norm M., take note).

I know this isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I sure liked it and so gave it a 7/10.

[–] bourg000 14 years ago

YopoM7777777:

Adam Sandler has been in several dramatic roles:

- Reign over Me
- Spanglish
- Punch Drunk Love
- Funny People
- Click )to a lesser extent)

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] kaufmeisterin 14 years ago

I am not familiar with any of these actors, so I had no expectations of funny or so. I was under the assumption this would be s drama where the main character, a loser, is being chosen to be a leader of a sect (or so). This is what I was told by Blockbuster's description (where I rented it).

I am glad I watched it, because I did like it. I am a neopagan from Germany (meaning, not an american christian!), so I had a different approach to the issue than most average americans, I think. Maybe the native poster above can relate to me, as I understood your point as well.

From some reviews I took that this actor must be some kind of action hero or comedy star or so, and so his regular fans were disappointed? Maybe he is out for a new audience now? I would watch another movie with him again, but only if my brain cells wouldn't die during it. I mean, if he is taking a new path, I will be interested in seeing something else with him. If he makes more action movies, I will not see anything else with him.

I agree that there were some unnecessary scenes in it (the chair transported to Mother's house, the bow tie), but the movie itself was very enchanting to watch. The end was very touching. It came all together indeed. And no, it was not boring at all!

I will give this a 7 in my rating.

[–] Frank_Grimes_Sr 14 years ago

Rob (the main actor in the film) is usually cast as a (lowbrow) comedic actor...and I don't think his fans are disappointed...rather they're more surprised, I'd say (I sure was)...and for whatever reason, this movie is being advertised as a comedy (even the poster sort of has that Rob/comedic look to it), when it clearly isn't...I think that's what gets people the most, since they're expecting the usual antics from his films but end up with a more serious film.

If you like lowbrowish comedy, that's where Rob usually has major roles in (films like Grown Ups, Deuce Bigalow, The Hot Chick, etc.)..if not, this will probably be the only film you'll see from him in a while.

How'd you feel about Steve Buschemi (the brother in the film)? Steve has a better range of roles, both serious and comedic.

"I'm better than okay, I'm Homer Simpson."

[–] chismjer 13 years ago

The movie wasn't bad. I have seen almost all of Steve Buscemi's movies from the past 5 years and I can say the same about Rob Schneider's as well.

It was nice to see Rob break into a different role, and he did it well.

The movie had bad pacing and it was painfully slow at times and the scripting was sketchy.

That said - I will give this a 6 - it ended well...a tad cliche, but well. It was a fun story with some deeper meaning, if you gave the movie your undivided attention. Symbolism is fun.

There are going to be people who hate EVERY movie, as they think it should be more than it is, instead of just enjoying it at face-value.

I liked it, but don't really know who I would recommend it to.

[–] LostSok0523 13 years ago

I agree with the OP. This wasn't "funny" in a way most Rob Schnieder fans will be expecting, and its a shame if they don't at least give him the due for doing something deeper than The Animal.

I liked it, although I wish it had a couple more layers to it. It was CLOSE to being great, and while it didn't miss by much...it's enough that it will certainly be shrugged off by most people.

That said, I agree with the OP's assertion that the finale is sublime. I found surprisingly, and deeply, moving. There is a genuine warmth to the movie in general. No pandering. No fart jokes.

Big props to Mr. Schnieder for (pun intended) spreading his wings.

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] indranee19 9 years ago

@hawkeyesroost:

I just saw this movie for the first time (first time I've heard of it) and I completely agree with you.

It's a mesmerizing movie, editing issues notwithstanding. And the message is for the viewer to see and feel and understand.

Btw, I'm the other kind of Indian. Nice to meet you :)

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Fear not for the future; weep not for the past -- Percy Bysshe Shelley
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