Good concept, poorly executed.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

*Contains spoilers - please read carefully*AS a huge fan of chaos and 'cause and effect' stories, I was intrigued when my wife pointed out this movie. Having just watched it I come away with mixed feelings.Overall I enjoyed Bug, I thought Hay's direction was solid and the acting was good all round. However, after discussing the movie with others, we all agreed that it would have been a much stronger story with a few less characters so that we could focus more on the development of the more compelling themes (Cy's obsession with germs, the couple debating the baby, the woman who can't do anything right for her husband, the guy who loses his job and his world falls apart).Having said that - I do of course realize that Bug is a comedy and needs the more frivolous characters for light relief. There, you see me bending back and forth? Conflicted views!! Oh dear.Hay can take comfort in the knowledge that he has made a solid little movie, and it most certainly will not be the worst cause and effect film ever made if the trailers for 'A Sound of Thunder' are anything to go by!By the way, the best cause and effect moment ever committed to celluloid is still in 'City of Lost Children'.

Spoiler alert! (Sorta.)I thought this film was really interesting, fresh, and thought-provoking. I thought the relationships of the characters were clearly developed and, with the possible exception of the closing moments, so was the plot.My only problem(?) with the movie comes in the music montage in the middle in which all of the sleeping characters are shown, along with their airplane seat numbers. This is a neat scene, but it occurs before it has been revealed that all of these characters are going (or as the case may be, not going) to Hawaii. I have to believe that this was intentional, given the care that was put into the rest of the film, but I can't really figure out for the life of me why it occurs.The only possibility is to imply that it is fated that these characters are going on the trip even before the decision has been actually made and regardless of what happens next, but this seems to rob the movie of its powerful motive and moral that any of a person's actions in life have countless ramifications far beyond what they can see. Perhaps this, in the end is the true point of the movie, to illustrate the tense dichotomy between the power of the free will of man to make the choices he pleases and that of "fate" or as I see it divine sovereignty.

Spoilers herein.I have a particular fondness for films that spread out over many plots and characters. There are all sorts of reasons to do so. Scoping out why one would do this and figuring why it works if it does is a sweet pleasure. Often (not here) the stories include stories about just such figuring.One reason to spread the story is simply because you can and that you can make the mechanics of passing the thing we watch. In its time, `Nashville,' then `Short Cuts' was shocking just because they had short cuts. We noticed the varieties and switching more than the episodes themselves.`Bug' follows that tradition but these days you have to really emphasize the transitions because we have gotten so used sliced and diced narrative. So we have this Rube Goldbergian machine that is itself the focus of this project. Life is as much a matter of passing energy as it is at stewarding. Okay as an idea, but after an hour, the novelty doesn't grab us any more.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

It is hard to describe Bug in words, it is one of those films that truly has to be seen to be understood. It follows a narrative that is more fluid and interesting than anything I have seen lately in a Hollywood release. As its characters react to the chain of events in different ways, and as the events dictate different paths for the characters to follow, the audience is merely an observer. The almost Proustian narrative flow of thought to thought, the very spontaneity in the script will have you glued to the screen, waiting anxiously to see how it all works out in the end. And as far as the thematic elements...there is a particular sequence in the film that goes from melancholy, to bright and beautiful, and then to tragic, all within the span of about a minute. And it works.This movie is pure magic. It reminds one why independent film is perhaps the brightest star the film industry currently has. Perhaps with more movies of Bug's quality, people will start to take notice.