"Stop-Loss:" A Focus Group TR

[RunDownHouse]

The other weekend the gf and I went to see Ocean's 13 (better than the second one, not as good as first, worth a matinee viewing). As we come out, this guy with a stack of fliers walks over and I think, "Oh, great, solicitor." He asks us if we want to go to a free screening of a movie and I am about to tell him no thanks when he mentions its at a theater one block from my place. I figure that I may as well look at the flier, and he hands me one and explains that I have to RSVP, I have to bring the flier, no more than four people can get in with one flier, and that there are other restrictions which are listed on the sheet.

So as I read the flier, it had the name of the movie, "Stop-Loss," the actors, Ryan Phillippe and Abbie Cornish as the leads, a plot description, and then the list of disclaimers. I figure out pretty quick that its some kind of focus group and get excited, because I've never done anything like that, its a free movie, and it hasn't come out yet.

Spoiler/plot info:

Decorated Iraq war hero Sgt. Brandon King (Phillippe) makes a celebrated return to his small Texas hometown following his tour of duty. Brandon tries to resume the life he left behind with the help and support of his loving family, and his best friend, Steve Shriver, who served with Brandon in Iraq. Alongside their war-time buddies, Brandon and Steve try to make peace with civilian life. Then, against Brandon’s will, under a measure called “Stop Loss,” the Army indefinitely extends Brandon’s enlistment and forces him back to Iraq. This upends Brandon’s entire world, and sends him to one of the only people he can trust: his childhood friend – and Steve’s fiancée – Michele. Michele becomes Brandon’s confidante and accomplice as he races across the U.S. – a fugitive from justice in the country he fought to protect – in search of a way out of his predicament.

At the start, Ryan Phillippe's character leads a squad into an ambush in an alley and several guys die. Pretty graphic battle scene, but good. He blames himself heavily for the death of his guys.

The rest of the movie is split between him and his buddy's wife driving around the country searching for a way out and scenes of other guys from his unit back home in Texas. Phillippe isn't the only one psychologically damaged: just about every other soldier in the movie is [censored] up as well. They get in fights, or can't stay sober, or have hallucinations and flashbacks.

After the movie, they handed out questionnaires asking things like our favorite/least favorite scenes, what we thought of each actor's performance, whether we thought it was political, etc.

Overall, I thought the movie was just way too slanted and left-biased. I mean, I know guys that have served, including family, and while it definitely leaves an impact, its not like its impossible to be normal. Of the soldiers portrayed, the only one that comes close to normal is Phillippe's buddy, who's lucky that the worst thing to happen to him stateside is that his wife dumps him. Phillippe's ramblings around the country once he goes AWOL are to go visit the family of one of the guys that died and then visit a guy who lost two limbs and his vision. Its incredibly depressing and I felt like I was getting pounded over the head with the message. One motif throughout was the soldiers singing that country song with the "We'll kick your ass courtesy of the red, white, and blue" lyrics. I couldn't help but compare the films sardonic take on that song and attitude with the way Matt Stone and Trent Parker did it in Team America, so the movie came off badly again there.

Overall, the movie wasn't poorly done, just so incredibly depressing, so heavily biased you want to roll your eyes at times, and a little bit off that I wouldn't quite recommend it. It was kind of neat to be able to see a movie still in production, but I'm not sure I'd pay to see it again and see if they made any changes based on the (likely) feedback they got.