Rating: R
Starring:
Casey Affleck as Gerry
Matt Damon as Gerry
Special Features:
Salt Lake Van Sant Behind The Scenes
Other Info:
Widescreen (2.35:1) Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions
Running Time: 103 Minutes
Synopsis:
Two friends who have nicknamed each other Gerry go out in the desert for a day hike. When they wander off the trail, the soon find themselves lost in the wilderness. Lost and unprepared, the two guys find their friendship put to the test in this life and death journey through beautiful landscapes.
Gerry is rated R for language.
The Movie:
Looking at the case for this DVD, I was very interested in seeing this film. It stars Matt Damon, who I like, as well as Casey Affleck (brother of Bennifer). It is also directed by Gus van Sant, director of Finding Forrester and Good Will Hunting. Besides this excellent pedigree, the film features quotes on the cover like One of the years 10 best films!, Visually spectacular!, and A Triumph! Sounds like a sure thing, right?
Wrong.
This has to be one of the most boring films Ive ever seen. It features endless scenes of these two guys walking wordlessly through the desert. Theyll go for minutes on end saying nothing intercut with scenes of clouds rolling by. I literally watched this movie in fast forward and didnt miss a thing. And when Damon and Affleck do deliver lines, every other word is f**k. Yes, the scenes of the wilderness are pretty, but Gerry has nothing else going for it. The characters are boring and not really sympathetic. They pretty much get what they deserve for going off of the trail. They also call each other Gerry for no apparent reason and then use the name like a verb (think how the Smurfs call everything they do Smurfy).
Overall this film is a terrible waste of time, money, and film footage. The talents of these guys are better used elsewhere.
The Extras:
There is only one extra on this DVD. It is entitled Salt Lake Van Sant and is a behind the scenes feature on the making of one of the scenes of the movie. I didnt think the extras could possibly be as boring as the movie. I was wrong. Movie sets are notoriously boring and this captures that beautifully. You see a dozen or more people setting up elaborate rigging for hours on end in order to do nothing more than film Damon and Affleck walking across a dry lake bed. All in all it seems like a bit of overkill for this story. Thankfully, it is blissfully short.
The Bottom Line:
Stay as far away as you possibly can from Gerry. This film is only for the art house crowd (and they can keep it).
