Reviewed by Melissa Antoinette Garza
I’m most definitely a girly-girl at times. When the hubby is sleeping, I’ll peruse the romantic catalog of Netflix, Hulu and Amazon to see if anything jumps out at me.
Today as I was looking, I came across a film I had never heard of. I read the synopsis and it seemed interesting. I watched the trailer which sold me. I almost purchased it right there, but instead I just rented it. I wish I had bought it as I know now I’m going to be.
The movie starts with Jay (Scott Speedman) who for all intents and purposes is a complete jerk. Though his family is extremely wealthy, they have all but disowned him as he is out on parole, lives in a trashy little apartment, gambles away money he doesn’t have, frequents strip clubs where he gets so drunk that he gives unamused patrons lap dances.
Jay is confronted by a mobster who he owes over 35k to that he better have the money by Friday or he’s a dead man. This coincides with Jay’s brother getting married. He sees that as an opening and though he wasn’t intending to go, decides last minute to show to try and weasel cash from his father to pay his debt. When he talks to his father (Treat Williams), in an attempt to defend his lifestyle he says he has a girlfriend who is a nurse. He also lies and says he works as an associate at a Psychiatric Hospital where he really mops floors as part of his probation.
That night as he hits on the nurses to try and convince one to go to his brother’s wedding, he hears a patient yell “no.” He runs in to see one of the other maintenance attendants attempting to rape Daisy (Evan Rachel Wood) a newly admitted patient. Jay fights the guy off of her and then knowing he was in trouble escapes.
Daisy grew up with her crazy mother and was isolated completely from the outside world. She is believed by doctors to hear voices and be schizophrenic. When she’s rescued by Jay she runs out of the hospital and asks to go with him. He resists at first, but then eventually decides to use her in his plan to trick his parents.
Of course, little goes as planned and Daisy instantly falls for Jay. She understands him in a way that he has never been understood before, and he begins to realize that Daisy isn’t crazy but misunderstood herself.
They go on the run together and Jay slowly shows Daisy how to live and Daisy shows Jay how to feel.
The chemistry between the actors is phenomenal and the characters have so much depth. The story is fantastic and I love that it takes place in modern times. So many romantic movies either take place in different centuries. Those that do take place now are generally either about dark disillusioned people who come together or raunchy comedies without a soul.
This is certainly a gem that I’m glad I found. It’s a movie that after its done will leave you smiling and one that won’t soon be forgotten. It’s a classic that certainly deserves more recognition.
Scared Stiff Rating: 9/10
