Electric Slide (2014) Reviews

• Ultimately bland and soulless biopic.

  mac-ginty2014-12-22

  Dodson owns a furniture store and aspires to a glamorous lifestyle he cannot afford. He borrows money from the bank and then a loan shark. As repayment pressures mount he resorts to bank robbing to fund his debts. He also teams up with a vacant blonde who likes to spout movie dialogue rather than talk with real feeling and their love story is a meaningless sidebar. The problem for me is Dodson is an unlikable man, he steals from friends and wants things without working for them. Sturgess portrays Dodson as ineffectual rather than charismatic which leaves you wondering why the bank tellers he robbed all liked him. I felt no emotional attachment to any of the characters. The score also misses a trick opting to use generic synth music rather than some of the definitive 80s tunes. Its a stylish enough film but has no emotional core. The period is evoked sufficiently to feel like a period set piece. Could have been better with the talent involved.

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• NO SPOILERS - Beautiful Cast Carries the Show

  knoxiii2014-12-31

  I enjoyed this movie for a number of reasons. The cast had some of my favorites with Patrica Arquette (True Romance), Chloe Sevigny, Vinessa Shaw & a relative newcomer, Isabel Lucas. Isabel was so gorgeous in her role, I found myself asking the age old question, "Who's that girl?". The male lead was a slime ball with good intentions, and he was based on a true character, a biography of sorts. A cool aspect of the movie is the countdown from 10 to 1 splashed across the screen between vignettes. It is a single story but this effect builds intensity & suspense. The supporting cast was woman after woman, all beautiful. One tip I will gladly share is to turn the volume up because the male lead is consistently mumbling. It could for a number of reasons (to look cool?), but none justified it. It was a most entertaining movie to be sure. I rate it 7/10 stars because it was interesting which made it engaging which made it memorable. It was an exciting biopic, allowing the viewer to live vicariously through the characters. Knox D. Alford, III

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• Style over substance

  Seth_Rogue_One2016-05-20

  When I saw the trailer and the cast-list I thought that this looked really promising, when I saw the IMDb rating my hopes of it being great went down a bit but I thought maybe it could still be alright. But it was just incredibly bland and initially extremely confusing to the point where it was barely comprehensible, 30 minutes in or so it gets slightly more focused telling a more linear story. Jim Sturgess in the lead can be great but not in this movie, him speaking as if he's nose is constantly clogged up doesn't do him any favours. Isabel Lucas is the female love (?) interest and I was surprised that she had so many credits on IMDb cause frankly she's like a empty vessel in this movie, I thought she was a model and was gonna write that she should stick to modelling but yeah she's actually a full-time actress. Chloe Sevigny is in it for a couple scenes, she plays someone who had a thing with Jim's character prior to Isabel Lucas entering the picture she barely has any dialogue. Christopher Lambert plays the mob (?) boss with a really fake-looking prosthetic nose Jim's character owes money. Patricia Arqutte is in it for a couple scenes as well as some random milf with a look inspired by Brigitte Nielsen. You don't really get to know any of the characters or given much info on what their relationship to one another is or given a reason why you should care for the fate of any of them for that matter. It makes some half ass attempts at some comedic moments as well. So yeah not terribly impressive.

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• There could NOT be a spoiler: I JUST watched this film, and I have NO IDEA what happened, nor how it ends.

  bstengel-051942015-04-21

  OK OK. I cannot totally trash this movie. On the other hand......... YES, I watched it pretty much because of the "name" JIM STURGESS. I have admired him for his work in various films. I was anticipating good things. OK OK. I blame the director. WHO apparently OK'd Jim's silly costume, as well as that ridiculous mustachio, BUT. Here's the WORST: I always note that the Really BAD Actors wander around "expressing" emotions by keeping their Mouths OPEN ! what ??? WHY ? Sweet JIM, in this role, kept his mouth open throughout PLUS had a scene of chewing gum......I mean CHEWING gum.......what? why? As an actor, Jim should've protested. As a director ? I'm sorry, it was a waste of supreme talent.

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• If you knew Eddie

  artrouble212014-12-23

  One could write the entire plot of the movie in here and it wouldn't be a spoiler. Thats because this film is not about Eddie Dodson, it's about who ever the character called Eddie Dodson in this film thinks he's portraying. Dodson was a bit more than a furniture salesman, his shop on Melrose wrote the script for a hundred quirky 20th century/retro/moderne shops that followed in his wake and that includes all the original 70's Hollywood funk and fun. Out and about you might have caught Eddie cruising Melrose in a 1930's convertible with a bevy of gals or run into him at a party in the Hills. Three things one can credit the film with are the Hollywood pretty people which was spot on for that time- probably still is- the excellent soundtrack and the resemblance of Jim Sturgess to Eddie, but there it ends character wise and with the absurd fedora. Eddie was famous not just for the number of bank robberies he pulled but also for the Yankee cap he always wore to a bank giving him name he was known for, the Yankee Bandit. Eddies story is far more Hollywood insane than this film can deal with it seems, his connection to some big Hollywood names, his drug addiction- Its not hard to find with google- is not touched upon. What this movie is however is an effete homage to a time and place that was a lot more brash and impulsive. It's main character may have some interesting aspects but they don't add up to the type of person that drove Eddie to do what he did. Can the movie stand on it's own given the absence of any real motivation on the protagonists part? Maybe but it's point is the people and the period and it barely goes there. If you view it knowing nothing of Dodson it might work for you but if you knew Eddie you are in for a disappointment. And if you find out about Dodson after you watch it you'll be miffed they didn't make the actual Eddie Dodson story. The directors seems to have had the components but not the story. Throwing in John Doe of the LA period punk band X playing a cop only underlines this point.

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