Shed a tear, if you will, for Hilary Duff. Having finished her stint as Lizzie McGuire five years ago, she's too old for the Disney Channel factory and can't compete with shinier, newer models like the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus. But this is rock bottom: I've seen a lot of terrible movies in the line of duty, but What Goes Up might be the only genuinely unreleasable one. Co-writer/director Jonathan Glatzer makes dark allusions in the press kit to losing much of his budget and shooting time just a few weeks before starting. I feel for him. But the result is that a movie starring Hilary Duff is nearly as cubist as, say, Alain Resnais's Muriel—and almost as hard to follow. I think this was supposed to be a standard-issue Sundance comedy, but I have no idea what's going on. Suffice it to say that Steve Coogan is a cynical reporter who comes to a small town and starts lusting after teen girls and tries to get into Hilary Duff's pants in a parody of the Romeo & Juliet balcony scene, and is redeemed. Or something.
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Fenster Itsky 06/22/2009 10:24:44 PM
This guy is so certain of his utter correctness. Let's take a look at what other smart people thought... Either they're wrong or this critic is. “A 2009 Sleeper. A complete original and definitely not your typical teen comedy. It’s a darkly funny, wonderfully twisted story that marches to its own surprising beat. The entire cast is superb!” - Pete Hammond, Hollywood.com “A wonderful little film!” - Jeffery Lyons, NBC “A nifty little tragicomedy. Director and co-writer Jonathan Glatzer handles his talented cast well, and the movie is dark, droll and sentimental in roughly the correct proportions.” - Andrew O’Hehir, Salon “Glatzer and [co-writer] Lawson show a deep understanding of how common ideals can hold even a community of outsiders together. And it has a one-of-a-kind character in Coogan, a cynic with a savior complex, who lies partly out of convenience, and partly because he knows – as Glatzer and Lawson know – that even a messy story can still inspire.” - Noel Murray, The AV Club / The Onion “The wit is sharp and the performances are amazing. Hilary Duff will definitely get more and more ‘real’ acting roles thanks to this. And Molly Shannon has rarely been more manic and hilarious… If you like your comedies pitch black… you will enjoy this dark little jewel.” - Alex Dorn, UGO.com It’s wonderful because it’s so true to life. It’s exactly what WHAT GOES UP strives to be – a funny movie about death, a sad movie about life… It works. Olivia Thirlby exceeds all expectations lending her performance a gutsy rawness…” - Kate Erbland, Gordon and the Whale “The performances were incredible. I was blown away by them.” - Ted Ott, Real Talk LA “The film is touching, truthful, and, more importantly, an absolute blast to watch, thanks in part to smart performances from Coogan, Molly Shannon, and Hilary Duff in a role that might rub some of her loyal fans the wrong way. What Goes Up is about the lies we tell and the truths we keep hidden deep inside, a theme I'm sure most of us can relate to on one level or another. Thoroughly impressive stuff.” – The Film Fiend