Push

Rating

Director

Paul McGuigan

Screenplay

David Bourla

Length

111 min.

Starring

Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Djimon Hounsou, Camilla Belle, Neil Jackson, Corey Stoll, Scott Michael Campbell, Maggie Siff, Cliff Curtis, Ming-Na, Nate Mooney

MPAA Rating

PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, brief strong language, smoking and a scene of teen drinking.

Review

When winter’s grip is finally letting go and the early spring has begun, studios slough off their weakest performers in hope for a modest return. Push fits that mold well, easily reminding audiences of other specialty films released in the early year such as Daredevil and Elektra.

With three recognizable stars, no doubt the studio thought this film would do well in its niche genre. But, even though many would easily identify Djimon Hounsou, Dakota Fanning and star Chris Evans, none of their names are exactly marquee draws. But, what of the quality of the film? Much like those aforementioned Marvel properties, Push sports the standard visual effects and production design, but tries to give the audience a more complicated plot to follow.

With the “twist” being a prominent box office seller, keeping franchises like Saw and the M. Night Shyamalan films in regular production, it’s little surprise that screenwriter David Bourla attempted to craft his film out of the same cloth. To a limited extent, it worked. The conclusion, while not entirely satisfactory to an astute or puzzle-loving audience, provides enough surprises and turns that it makes for an enjoyable waste of an evening.

The performances are little more than perfunctory, further delaying Evans from moving into more serious fare. He possesses a self-assured charm that’s a welcome relief in films like this, but there’s nothing challenging for any actor within. Evans is, for me, a lot like Ryan Reynolds. He’s an actor that has potential if he could ever escape the tedious lightweight roles he’s become famous for. Reynolds had The Nines, but Evans has yet to find that film that can show he has a range and is more than just a beefy sex symbol.

On the other side of the spectrum is Dakota Fanning who chooses some decent films, but can’t help but play hard on the “smarter than her age” quality that plagues child stars in modern cinema. She’s certainly no AnnaSophia Robb (sublime in Bridge to Terabithia) and even her little sister Elle has the capability of being more believable, but even so, she can give good performances (see War of the World) when she gets away from the smart aleck routine. Here, her role fits well into the story, but there’s little more than scene-to-scene meandering to her performance. It has a few moments of quality, but mostly it’s just a pale imitation of every other performance she or other kids of her age have given.

For all its successes and foibles, Push fits its purpose fairly well. It entertains without being cringe-worthy, and in this era of big bangs and mindless drivel, it’s a welcome relief to sit down and enjoy a film without having to really care if it’s any good.

Review Written

June 10, 2009