THE RETURN: D+
While many films have suffered from too much exposition, The Return suffered from a lack of it. It was a very difficult story to follow. Show, don't tell is the language of film, but in this case the visuals didn't make up for a lack of dialog. While they were appealing, they did not help to tell the story, fill in the gaps or answer the questions. Instead if anything, they left us more confused. The one saving grace this film did have is strong performances. Sarah Michelle Gellar, Adam Scott, Sam Shepard, Peter O'Brien, I saw no flaws within the cast who did their best despite a screenplay that spun its wheels just shy of two hours. This film asked a lot out of its audience. You had to do a lot of guessing. What's happening? Why is it happening? How is it happening? There are times when films hold your hand throughout the entire experience. In this case they blindfolded you, dropped you off in downtown Manhattan, deprived you of GPS or a map & wished you the best of luck. Film had potential to be good, but sacrificed what could have been a good story in an effort to be edgy. It did not pay off.
