Ashby (2015)

I love this movie so much

Excellent, a Must See

For having a relatively low budget, the film's style and overall art direction are immensely impressive.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

The chemistry between Mickey Rourke and Nat Wolff felt genuine and was embracing. I found myself smiling and wished the MRI inside the basement was a second opinion and Mickey wasn't dying. Quite a balancing act achieved considering several life altering themes throughout the film. I then hoped he would pull out a gun and eliminate his assassins. The high school teacher Mr. Mark kept delivering great lines like Kubricks characters in Dr Strangelove, Major King Kong , the cowboy riding a nuclear bomb and George C Scott as General Buck Turgidson. Dark comedy done with great style and pulled off by great acting from Mickey and Nat. Best performance yet by Mickey Rourke.

'Ashby' is yet another film lacking any sort of direction, structure, and storytelling. Is it a character film, a teen drama, or redemption story... perhaps all three? Tony McNamara brings a lot of different ideas into a script that lacks anything important to say at all.Mickey Rourke portrays the titular character Ashby, a former CIA assassin who has killed for his government because quote; "That was my job... sigh..." I suppose as a younger man he must have been a patriot and a soldier, but all that has changed over time, when he has his first heart attack and finds out he has very little time to live. His neighbor (Nat Wolff), a rather bland teenager who just moved into town with his single mom (an equally bland Sara Silverman), asks Ashby if he can write an essay about him... because quote; "You're old." And so the film unfolds at a slow and steady pace with nothing really to offer the viewer and focuses solely on a teenager who literally has nothing to complain about, yet still finds the time and energy to do so.What really upset me about this movie's direction and writing, isn't the awful story line itself, but the real lack of any message for the viewer. Outside of Micky Rouke's character coming to terms with who he was and the horrible things he'd done during his career, every single character in this movie is exactly the same at the end, as when it started out. The idea of an assassin seeking redemption through a kid writing a high school essay is laughable at the least, but putting up with the most annoying teenager in the world, makes me literally weep for future generations of screenwriters and directors. It's predictable at most times, ablaze with platitudes, and lacks anything worth watching for an hour and forty five minutes.This movie has absolutely nothing to teach anyone except that murder can be part of a geek coming to age film. He also becomes an accessory to murder, but hey... that's fine if you're friends right? I wish I could get my time back.4/10

Uneven Blend of "Coming of Age", and Crime Drama that in part is Quite Good, in others Not So Much. The whole Football Thing is a Complete, Clichéd Bore with Clunky and Unfunny Attempts at Humor and Machismo vs Intellect.Mickey Rourke is OK if Not on His A-Game, and Emma Roberts is Fine and maybe the most Interesting Character that is Not a Retread. Matt Wolff is Irritating Most of the Time and this is Basically seen from His Point of View. Worth a Watch but Be Prepared for some Cringe-Inducing Scenes that are just Embarrassing. When Rourke is on the Screen it is Better than Average, but Overall the Movie is Let-Down by some Unfunny Stuff, is All Over the Map in Terms of Story, and the Limitations of a Lead Teen Actor and a Director that can't Seem to Find a Tone that works Consistently.

Geetings from Lithuania."Ashby" (2015) is a bit predictable yet enjoyable little flick. The story is not fresh, but there are some welcome surprises, although there aren't much of them (and don't want spoil them), they still are welcome. Mickey Rourke III (i started to call him III because this movie features the 3rd Mickey Rourke's face (and hopefully the last) in his life). Although face is new, acting doesn't changed (just don't compare anything he is ever done with "The Wrestler", because there is a performance in "The Wrestler" and in "everything else"). I did like his acting in "Ashby", but he is more of a screen presence in here, although there are some good dramatic moments near the end. Other were pretty OK. Isn't Emma Roberts a bit to old to play school student?Overall, "Ashby" is enjoyable coming of age story with some predictable and sweet romance and with some unlikely hero figure. Pacing is good in here, movie doesn't drag and while it adds nothing new to the table, i kinda was waiting for a bit straightforward criminal comedy, but what i saw was bit more serious and mature - and i liked that.