MovieChat Forums > Nightingale (2014) Discussion > These "One man show" Movies Really Bug M...

These "One man show" Movies Really Bug Me...

posted 9 years ago by MovieHoliks
4 replies | jump to latest

I just saw this new film, which I "think" is an HBO original, off HBO GO over the weekend, and despite some good reviews, I just was not terribly impressed.

David Oyelowo, who just portrayed Martin Luther King, Jr., in last year's "Selma", stars as a lonely war veteran who psychologically unravels ahead of an old friend's impending visit. This is a real downer of a film. That in and of itself is not a deal breaker for me, but this is one of those "One Man Show" movies that really bug me. I think it's because they just seem so staged-?? Oyelowo is good in the role, no doubt about that, but watching 80 minutes of this was practically tantamount to torture! LOL

For me, a good instance of taking a one man show, and converting it into film was Chazz Palminteri's wonderful "A Bronx Tale", which the film version was directed by Robert DeNiro, and Palminteri had a key supporting role. You take the one man show, and you expand upon it to make it more "cinematic"... I would say check out THAT film instead if you haven't seen it already...

[–] EmmaPopell 9 years ago

Personally, I found the 80 minutes riveting. Watching a sociopath unravel is interesting, to me. Shades of Crazy, shades of Nostalgia, shades of Delusion, shades of Evil, shades of Total Bitterness, shades of Hope, shades of Grandeur.

How anyone could watch David Oyelowo's superb performance and compare it to torture just leads me to wonder why it bothers you so much....You don't take care of YOUR mother, do you? Just wondering....LoL

With our thoughts, we make our World.

[–] MovieHoliks 9 years ago

LOL- I admitted he was good in the role- I think like I said, since these one-man show movies bug me due to them being staged might have something to do with having been an actor myself, and yet not really enjoying sitting around in a theater watching someone else perform since I know all the ins and outs of the whole thing. A film with multiple characters plays out to me like more authentic storytelling. But valiant effort no doubt...

[–] IMDB_Vits 8 years ago

I agree with you that movies shouldn't feel staged. I was surprised this wasn't based on a play.

[–] activista 8 years ago

Actors have been doing "one-man" or "one-women" shows since before movies were invented, and well after. I would think a one-person show is harder to do simply because it's all on that one person in front of the camera, or on a stage,to keep the audience interested in everything you're doing, with no one else to play off of and pick up the slack for you,actingwise. That being said, this film while not great, definitely kept me interested the whole time as it gradually revealed who this man really was, what his real problems were, and how the disconnection between his delusions and the reality of his situation started to unravel. I didn't see anything torturous about NIGHTINGALE, in fact, it kept me almost riveted until the end. That's all I require of a film, whether it have only on person in the cast, or whole bunch of folks, period. It's also a pretty good showcase for Oyelewo, who I just saw in the slow-moving thoughtful indie drama MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.