Justine
(known affectionately as JJ), Monica, and Selena are three
attractive young women who are tired of being "played"
by men. They're tired of the bad pickup lines, the phone
calls that never come, and the promises that are never
kept. So they've come up with their counterattack: Game
Night. They get all dressed up, go to the clubs, and play
the men; the women believe they're entitled to "teach
men a lesson", as they see it, and get even for their
disappointments.
But
one Saturday evening, JJ realizes that she doesn't want
her school-age son Michael to turn out like the desperate
men that keep hitting on her; she decides that she must
find a way to teach him to become a better man. In doing
so, JJ becomes a Christian, which strains her relationship
with her friends. Meanwhile, Selena meets a wonderful
gentleman named Daryl. As they spend more time together,
it appears that Selena may have found the right man; then
she finds out that he's already married. And what happens
next is something none of them expected.
Content
I will say this here at the very beginning: this film is
a Christian movie, is billed as such, and thus is geared
toward a specific viewing audience. There is nothing wrong
with this, but it should be noted that because of that,
this film isn't for a general wide audience.
The
writing and character development in the movie are well-done.
The dialogue is well-written and evolution of the characters
is believable. However, Bo Harris' writing is greatly limited
by the performances of the main characters. In the beginning
of the film, the acting of all three leading women (Ronina
Cruz, Vanessa Major, and Vanessa Velez) felt very stiff
and forced. As the movie progressed, Cruz's performance
improved significantly. However, Major's portrayal of Selena
had an unnatural delivery, as though she either wasn't sure
how to pull off the character or wasn't familiar with her.
A
night night out with the
girls leads to...
...JJ's
life getting turned upside
down and her values questioned.
The
continuity was consistent throughout the movie, and except
for one scene in which you can clearly see the cord for
the lavaliere mic hanging from JJ's hand (after she puts
Michael to bed), there is no equipment visible in any of
the scenes. (While this may seem like a stupid thing to
cover, it's surprising how often such things as shadows
or reflections of equipment or the equipment itself will
show up in the final cut of a film!)
The
scene of JJ at the beach toward the end is beautifully shot
and mixes well with the music that accompanies it. However,
the scene is much too long and its meaning is enigmatic.
While it is obviously a dream sequence that takes place
while she is in a coma, its significance is unclear. JJ
is sitting on the beach when a basketball rolls over to
her; there is no one else around. JJ picks up the ball and
playfully runs to the ocean and throws the ball in. She
then stands there waiting as day progress to evening, night,
and then the following morning. Finally, we see the ball
come floating back on the waves, and she joyously retrieves
it, and then looks up to see half a dozen more basketballs
bobbing up and down in the water. She then proceeds to laugh
and run and jump around in delight. While it is obviously
an analogy, this entire sequence is never explained, and
its significance is not apparent; this is very distracting
and confusing for the audience.
Visual
Look
There are some very creative shots used at the beginning
of the movie, specifically a couple of nice POVs on the
gurney as JJ is being wheeled in to the hospital. I also
noticed that the lighting in dark environments (specifically
in the club and outside with the ambulance) was very well
balanced. Usually bright lights (like those on an ambulance
or in a club) in a very dark setting will be harsh, glaring,
and overexposed in the camera, especially with digital.
But this was not the case, which helps the overall quality
and look of the movie.
