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August 18, 2008
Ladder 49 (2004)
Should I see it?
No.


Short Review: The cool thing about casting John Travolta is that it sets the bar low enough so no one else in the production need to bother trying.

Ladder 49

You know you’ve really made it in Hollywood when you can stop acting and no one complains. Travolta has been too busy for the past ten years to take the time to get into character. Once again, we are treated to his “Guy In Charge” role. You know this guy from The General’s Daughter, Swordfish, Basic, Broken Arrow among others. Producers pay this guy millions to show up, wear collars that emphasis the thickness of his neck and prattle his lines with a emotional vocabulary usually reserved for comic books.

This movie is so predictable it doesn’t even count as a paint-by-numbers plot. The math involved in painting by numbers is too intelligent for this melodramatic stew. I loathe movies like this. They are so unoriginal I get headaches trying to citing all of the other films this movie pulls from. There are some very talented people involved here – including Travolta (the reason I complain about his acting is because he’s shown he can do far better and doesn’t seem to be trying,) and they are all wasted on this heap.

Now that I have done enough snarling to cement the idea I didn’t like this film, I should point out some of the brighter points. This movie does show blue-collar people as real humans with lives. This is worth noting since Hollywood goofballs usually are in a rush to slam middle class folk as mouth-breathing dimwits. This film respects its characters and does not mock their “normal” lives. The filmmakers understand that while firefighters will never be rich or famous, they are vital to their communities. They deserve the same admiration we reserve for the military or police. The filmmakers also took great care to try to show the life of a firefighter. While it was clumsily handled in many areas, I liked the fact they made the effort.

In closing I can’t recommend this all too common movie. There is hardly anything new here in regards to the plot. Many people who can watch films without a critical eye (and I am often jealous of that ability,) will enjoy this flick. This movie is not worth the rental – if you see it on cable, check it out if you’re bored. Worst case scenario, you can make a drinking game out of it. Take a shot every time you see John Travolta looking at his watch, waiting for his scene to end so he can cash his fat paycheck.


Related Reviews:
John Travolta films
Get Shorty (1995)
Be Cool (2005)


Other Critic's Reviews:
Zertinet Reviews
Silver Screen Reviews


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posted by Michelle Obama's Left Nut at 9:00 AM




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