recommended

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Not the most reasonable. but fundamentals. shadows. and faith and trust and options. good performances. a touching story. and something more. a state who escapes from easy definitions. because it reminds known stories about sad love stories. and impressive thrillers. and good dramas. all in the admirable manner. the performance of Patrick Wilson is real great. maybe, because his character remains a gray one . Charlie Hunnam did a splendid job as a young man looking for sense to a life dominated by past. Christopher Gorhan gives the necessary spice to a story who, after the end of film, remains fresh and powerful. so, a special film. more Christian than you expect.

****SPOILERS**** It's after Shanna's Harris', Liv Tyler, boss hotel manager Gavin Nichols, Charlie Hunnam, was introduced to her born again Christian husband Joe, Patrick Wilson, the roof caved in for all three of them. It was Gavin's live-in roommate gay and HIV infected Chris, Chris Gorham, that had Joe feeling that the two were living in sin, not really knowing that Gavin in fact wasn't gay, and tried to get both of them to see the light by turning to God and accepting Jesus as their lord and savior before it was too late. What Joe was later to discover in that his born again wife Shanna was having an affair with Gavin that drove the poor man off the deep end and forced Gavin to either kill himself, by jumping of a 15 story building, or he'll murder his two timing wife instead!This insane scenario is played with Gavin on the ledge of a 15 story building with him threatening to jump and with Det. Hollis Lucetti, Terrence Howard, who has serious problems of his own back home pleading with Gavin not to do it. It was Hollis who found out that he couldn't have any children yet somehow had two of them realizing that they weren't his! They in fact were that of his younger-and more then willing to accommodate-brother Seymour whom his wife Consuela, Maxine Greco, had-if you can call it that-an affair with to make Hollis think that he was really their father!***SPOILERS***It all boils down to who Gavin or Tom in right in seeing the world for what it really is: A belief in a God or belief in doing you thing and not suffering the consensuses or as Gavin proudly calls himself in being a die in the wool God disbelieving atheist. In the end both ideas fall apart together with those, Joe & Gavin, expressing them losing out. Joe in breaking the very rules he's been following religiously since he kicked a drug drinking and gambling habit that destroyed his life and Gavin who was forced to choose between his life and that that of his lover Shanna. Who by him having an illicit affair with her put her, with a gun pointed to her head, in the position that she now finds herself in! As for Det. Lucetti after all this was over came back to his wife whom he just left and realized that what she did was if you can call it in his best interests. Since not having children would have only drove him to get committed or even worse blow his brains out!

The British guy from the biker show did a nice job here. He didn't make any attempt at a Baton Rouge accent, but they didn't tell you where it was supposed to be, and the character could have been from England for all we knew.But he has a natural screen presence that makes it look effortless. Be prepared to see Liv Tyler without makeup and getting up there in years. It happens to the best of us. She was once a great beauty and of course was made to look depressed here.I like the idea of an average guy working in a non-descript hotel in a nameless mid-sized American town. They had him living with an HIV positive gay roommate. That was to show that as a proud atheist, he has no prejudices. The roommate was actually the most interesting character in the film. He was a gentle and lonely soul, looking for love and faith.The atheist mocks the Hebrew Bible more than Christianity, so be prepared for that if it will offend you. The background stories on the Christian couple are pretty over baked, but I will allow it, because a lot of "born again" types do come from previously fallen backgrounds.In this case we see the atheist thinking very little of adultery and hanky panky at work, so his moral compass is not so admirable. But the Christian guy is the villain ultimately as you might expect from any film, and particularly by, from what I've read, a self-proclaimed atheist.Ultimately, the atheist does see the virtue in self-sacrifice and true love. Maybe we are supposed to see that you don't need God to see the light, or maybe he knew how to think and feel this way because religion and soul had trained him whether he liked it or not.No major violence and very little sex here. If you like dialog and atmosphere, like walks along the Mississippi River, then give it a try, but don't expect great depth or catharsis.

Shana is married to Joe. She gets a crush on her employer Gavin. Initially, she keeps Gavin at distance. Later on, she decides to cheat on her husband. Joe spies on the on 2 occasions. Even though he could confront them red-handed, he doesn't do so. The bad thing about this movie is that they use Joe's enthusiasm for religion as an excuse to portray him as a bad guy. He doesn't do anything wrong, except trying to trust more in Christianity. Even though I am not religious myself, this really bothered me about this movie. They try to tell the viewer that it's okay to cheat on your husband in this situation. Gavin and Shana are portrayed as the good guys. To make it worse, Shana came home after sex with Gavin and shamelessly smiled at Joe. The director wants confirm that Joe is the bad guy and Shana the "victim" because she "only wanted to cheat". The view of the story writers is really feminist and quite despicable. The guy who tries to save Gavin from suicide is also supposed to forgive his own cheating wife in the movie.I still give it a 6, because the acting is very convincing. Especially Patrick Wilson, who is a formidable actor. The flash backs and construction of the movie is also well done. I just don't agree with the huge amount of injustice in the movie.