Go Review
by DeWyNGaLe (dewyngale AT aol DOT com)April 10th, 1999
GO by DeWyNGaLe Rating: A
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Almost every weekend now, teen movies are released. Most of them are mediocre, such as Ten Things I Hate About You (C+) and Wing Commander (F), but some of them are very well done, such as Cruel Intentions (A-), Never Been Kissed (A), and this film. Once in awhile, just like in this film's case, the film will be much more than an attempt to bring in money from teenagers. They will appeal to not only teens, but adults as well. That's that way I feel about the film Go. This film is from the director Doug Liman, who also directed the hit movie Swingers, starring Vince Vaughn.
The film is actually three short films in one. Each section follows a different character and what they do on Christmas Eve. In most cases, drugs are the main idea. The first section of the film is entitled "Ronna." Sarah Polley stars as Ronna, a rude grocery store worker. There, she hangs out with Claire, played by Katie Holmes, Mannie, played by Nathan Bexton, and Simon, played by Desmond Askew. All three are really into drugs. At the grocery store, two men (Jay Mohr and Scott Wolf) make a drug deal with Ronna. Ronna must get the drugs from a dealer, who also deals for Simon. The dealer is Todd, played by Scream 2's (A-) Timothy Olyphant. She is on her way to a party, where she makes a lot of money selling allergy medicine to pay back drug debts.
Ronna's story is a very interesting one. Ronna is a very confused character. Sarah Polley is very good as the character. The best character in this story is Claire. Katie Holmes is absolutely wonderful as Claire. Holmes will have a huge career ahead of her after this film. Mannie and Simon are not the main focuses in this story, but they will be seen later on. Timothy Olyphant is also superb as Todd. All of the characters seem very realistic and strange in this part of the film.
The second section is called "Simon." We know Simon from earlier, in the story of "Ronna." Once again, Desmond Askew plays Simon. Simon's main hobby is drugs. Right now, he is in Las Vegas with Marcus, played by How Stella Got Her Groove Back's Taye Diggs, Singh, played by James Duval, and Tiny, played by Breckin Meyer. The three get into big trouble in Vegas, and now they are being chased by two men who are willing to kill them on the spot.
This part of the film was probably the most unlikable. Simon is not a very likable character, but what do expect from a drug crazed maniac? Askew is fine as the role, it's just the character. Taye Diggs was good when he was on screen, but he didn't get half the screen time he needed to develop his character. Meyer and Duval are not seen enough to decide whether they turned in good performances or not.
The third and final section is called "Adam and Zack." These two characters were seen earlier in the film, during one of the first sequences in the grocery store. Adam is played by played by Party of Five's Scott Wolf, and Zack is played by Playing By Heart's Jay Mohr. The two are soap opera actors. This third section of the film was good. Mohr turns in a type of performance that I thought he could never pull off- A non-annoying and even good performance. Scott Wolf is also good.
The way Go was done was very impressive. I really enjoyed the technique, and especially the way everything tied together in the end. Maybe the makers of the film 200 Cigarettes (D) should have used this form if film making, rather than making the film very confusing.
Another thing that I really loved about Go was the amount of sub-plots it had. There was no definitive plot, which gives you a variety of different plots that are all developed very nicely. The performances turned out by everyone are good. Katie Holmes and Timothy Olyphant are the two performances that are still in my mind though. They were both very exceptional and a lot more than I expected.
Go is a very funny film. It isn't pure comedy though. There are a lot of themes, mainly drugs, that are darker and disturbing. The drug usage plays a main part in the film, so I don't think younger teens should see this flick. Many sequences are hysterical. Mannie turns out many laughs after taking too many drugs. The sound also adds a lot to the content of the film. The soundtrack is fun and fast. A young teen cast, a fresh soundtrack, and the funny scenes should make this film a cult hit. It was much like Trainspotting, (C+) only a lot more light and fun to watch. Expect wonderful word of mouth for this great little film.
The Bottom Line- Do not pass Go! Go to Go as soon as you can go because it is a great movie to go to!
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