Back Soon (2007)

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

The opening mood of this picture -- the depression of a widower numb with grief -- pretty much sums up the entire film.The main character is both figuratively and literally sleepwalking through his life, and the director and actors do the same. How can a movie with supernatural aspects be so unengaging?Every scene plays out slowly, as if the somber subject matter requires it. Characters interact, but the actors fail to connect with each other, even in scenes where emotions should run high. A livelier or more varied approach by the director and/or actors would have helped. As it stands, "Back Soon" stays stuck in slow motion.

I'll confess I have a thing for the movies I've seen Matthew Montgomery in over the last few years. Gone but Not Forgotten, while not brilliantly acted, is such a strong story, with heart-felt acting, that it is difficult to not love. Part of what makes that movie so engaging is the character M.M. plays as the man with no memory running from his former life. He carries it off brilliantly, and strengthens the rest of the movie with his effort. (I also think that Aaron Orr does a great job - both actors seem to suffer from less-than-optimal writing and some limited directing.) So it is difficult then to watch Matthew and his co-star Windham Beacham struggle through both Long-Term Relationship and Back Soon. Both stories should work (although Back Soon is too willing to explain things not needing explanation.) Both actors (whatever else you've read here in the reviews for Back Soon) are solid, even gifted actors. But in both films they seem to, at points, limp along, again (I assume) crippled by directing issues and some dialogue problems.Which is not to say that I don't respect Rob Williams for his story-creating skills! As stated, both movies should work. It feels like (to this indie and gay-themed movie fan) that Mr. Williams doesn't always trust what should "gel" and what shouldn't in a movie. Both actors, in both movies, needed more fire, more energy, more passion for their characters. I would argue that Matthew Montgomery is better in Back Soon than Long-Term Relationship precisely for (a great deal of the movie)this reason: he is more involved, more "wearing the head" of his character.Bottom-line: watch all 3 movies. See the interesting stories, grieve for the lagging moments, and wish for vehicles and directors that will give these actors and these kinds of stories the platform to achieve lift-off. Looking forward to both men's future work. And to Rob Williams too!

This was a first for me. A movie that was about equally good as it was horrendous. The story of two guys who find themselves in love. It's nice. The two actors have really great chemistry, which is pretty rare when you get straight guys playing gay roles. (I just have to assume both actors were straight, because they almost always are in this type of movie.) The story is interesting and wants so badly to be heartwarming, but then the writers and actors take turns messing it up. The two main actors are pretty good. The supporting cast, specifically the gay best friend (Bret Wolfe) and the wife's former working buddy (Kelly Keaton) were not so great. Wolfe took the gay stereotype into the offensive and Keaton just didn't play emotion well at all. The bad acting by those two, as well as by the prostitutes and the wife of the dead wife's brother (Bethany Dotson) lifted me entirely out of the flow of the film. I can't necessarily blame the actors. It looks like the film was very poorly directed in some spots and very well directed in others. The writing followed the same some bad/some good path. The ending was a let down and couldn't have been more predictable if it had been typed on the box. Not a great movie, not a horrible movie. I'm glad I watched it, all I can say is that I wish it'd been better.

Two people involved in fatal accidents on the same day (a woman in a car wreck and a man in a drive-by shooting) simultaneously end up at hospital emergency rooms, and their spirits meet with the proverbial white light in the background. The woman dies, but the man is brought back to life. However, their spirits become intertwined, and her spirit influences his subsequent actions. This is the main premise of the story, and it is a decent concept.The idea is set-up fair enough: the first two-thirds of the movie lead up to that ah-ha moment where the underlying premise is revealed via flashbacks (yet the remainder is predictable - the spirits eventually become unintangled). But, the movie just doesn't work primarily because the characters (Logan - the woman's husband who becomes attracted to Gil, Gil-the man brought back to life who is drawn to Logan by the woman's spirit, Spencer - Logan's friend, Jamie - Gil's friend and the rest) aren't that believable. Their credibility is ruined partly because the dialogue and direction are horrible and partly because the actors are just really bad. It was frustrating and annoying to keep watching them try to make this story work. For example, in one scene with Logan, Gil and Spencer, Spencer goes on a bigoted tirade directed at Gil but it elicits very little reaction from either Logan or Gil. Here, the actions and reactions are unrealistic.When the issue causing tension between Logan and Spencer is revealed, Spencer's performance is over-the-top and Logan's reaction is just flat. The sleep-walking booty call scene is so far-fetched and ridiculously acted that one simply watches in utter disbelief. Toward the end of the movie Gil is nearly killed again, and this time the woman's spirit separates from him. In the hospital recovery room He and Logan ponder whether their relationship has any future now that their former menage a trois has become a twosome. This is the final scene and one of the most dramatic parts of the story but the performances are so weak that it seemed like I was watching a shoddy high school play or at best a third rate community theater production. The funny/sad thing is that within the movie a clip of a sexploitation flick that Logan acted in is shown, and he and Gil joke that the acting was horrible --- yet, it's not that different from the rest of the movie.The notion of spirits lingering around after death has been done before in dramas, and done well in films like GHOST, HEAVEN CAN WAIT/ HERE COMES MR. JORDAN and TOPPER. The idea underlying this film provides an interesting twist to the spirit-lingering concept, but it's an idea that's very poorly executed.