Movie: The Shape Of Things
Starring Rachel Wiesz, Paul Rudd, Gretchen Mole, Frederick Weller
Written & Directed by Neil LaBute (Working Title Films)
Reviewed by Rusty Pipes

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The Shape Of Things starts out as a quirky love story. Artsy girl Evelyn (Rachel Wiesz) meets dorky guy Adam (Paul Rudd) in a college town museum. They argue about art, but Evelyn eventually decides that there's potential in him. Evelyn begins a makeover of Adam and does a great job on him; Adam slowly but surely becomes desirable. Even the girl that Adam always wanted, Jenny, played by Gretchen Mole, is attracted in spite of her engagement to Phil (Frederick Weller). Jealousy rears its ugly head.

I don't want to give too much of the plot away but suffice it to say that one character turns into a bit of a monster and I didn't see it coming, so that part was very well handled. Also Paul Rudd really does pull off an amazing transformation as Adam; he looks and acts a lot different by the end of the movie. However, during the first half of the movie I found myself thinking the dialogue was a little tedious, too much of a standard love story for my taste. But somewhere in the tediousness were all the clues to the finale, so kudos to writer-director Neil LaBute, who wrote this originally for the stage and the same cast.

LaBute directs the four with a very economical style and certainly does have a lot to say about art and love and what we are willing to do for love but still, when the curtain came down I felt a little used.

The Skinny:
Am I glad I saw the film? Yes
Would I go to see it again? Maybe.

© 2003 - Rusty Pipes