Sorry, this movie sucks

A Disappointing Continuation

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

I noticed that IMDb lists this as belonging to three genres--comedy, drama and romance. Well, this is a strange combination and the film is NOT a comedy. Folks should be aware of this, as the movie could seriously depress you and make you feel miserable when you're just looking to have a laugh.Wilbur (Jamie Sives) is a screwed up guy. Again and again and again he tries to kill himself but each time he's discovered and rushed to the hospital. It's happened so often that the support group at the hospital doesn't want him back! And, during all this, his very decent brother, Harbour (Adrian Rawlins) is there for him--and amazingly patient in spite of all this--perhaps too patient. Part of this might be because he loves Wilbur, but later you find that it might have to do with the reason Wilbur feels a need to die.Despite all this chaos, Harbour decides to marry and he brings a woman and her young daughter into the household. What's to happen with Wilbur? And, what's to happen to everyone when Harbour learns some very, very bad news?The acting in this film is very restrained but good. However, I cannot score the film higher because the script is so odd--starting off somewhat like a comedy and then leaving the viewer wanting to kill themselves as well! Dark, depressing and definitely a film that will only appeal to a narrow audience.

I liked this film but I would've liked it much more if the dialog had been kicked up a few decibels and the musical score had been nearly killed off. I watched on DVD, so fortunately, I had the option of pressing hard on volume up during the dialog and pressing hard and fast on volume down and sometimes even mute during the music. Not that the score was distasteful at all, in fact, I thought it was good and very appropriate for the film. It was just that the volume itself was inappropriate. Perhaps the sound editor was afraid moviegoers would drift off asleep and s/he felt it dutiful to blast the sound out to ensure viewers wakeful alertness. At any rate, movie-good, sound editing-bad, very bad.

I get suspicious when movies push lessons about life, as if movie realities can substitute for, rather than amplify, actual experience.In this, you're seeing the Genesis story of Jacob and Esau...this includes the parents who 'played favorites', the 'elder brother serving the younger', and the behind the scenes double cross ("Is that why he is called Jacob, because he has deceived me these two times?"). When Sives fails to suicide, his description of the nothingness is the revocation of Jacob's dream of the glorious ladder to Heaven. He wrestles an angel (the water rescue), and thence receives his blessing.So that's *what* it is -- can one launch a dark comedy off this platform?I think this was a shameful missed opportunity to stick to just that -- notions of comedy. It is crushed by the self-important tone of the drama, and the utterly unimaginative camera work. Also, there was a chance to augment this with borrowings from Kipling -- who knew how to be darkly self-effacing -- but all we get are the collections of dead writers (the bookstore).

"Wilbur" is a pretty hard movie to describe. It has many redeeming qualities, but in the end, I just didn't like it and wished I hadn't seen it.It's another quirky comedy/drama, and it fits well into that category. I thought the writing was very good, and the comedy made me laugh out loud several times. However, the movie tries to get you to connect with the characters, and for me, it was impossible to do that. Although they're all likable people, the only one who really got to me was Wilbur's brother. If you have seen or will see the film, I'm sure you'll know why.I wanted to like this movie, and I still just couldn't. It's very funny at times, and sometimes touching, but I left the theater being more angry and repulsed than relieved and entertained.It's close, but unfortunately, no cigar.5/10