Neo Ned (2005)

Thanks for the memories!

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Wow! What a pleasant surprise! Don't let the neo-Nazi/Hitler/racist premise scare you off from enjoying a well-written and entertaining character study -- a really solid little piece of cinema. Great performances all around: Jeremy Renner's star is guaranteed to continue rising, as evident in his work as the troubled but likable Ned -- and even Gabrielle Union (who I usually find rather flat, predictable and ultimately uninteresting despite her prettiness) succeeds here as well. Union, thanks to the tight script and adept directing, perhaps puts in the best work of her career. And I agree with another reviewer's observation: there's great chemistry between the two leads, empowering the notion of their characters' profoundly unlikely romance. Overall, the film is at times dark, humorous, genuinely touching and never heavy-handed or unforgivably false. I consider Neo Ned a more insightful, true and telling treatise on racism in America than 2009's laughable and embarrassing The Blind Side. I highly recommend Neo Ned!

I saw this movie at the San Diego Film Festival. It was absolutely incredible. Neo Ned is a romance-drama-comedy wrapped up all in one. It offers unique ideas on racism, love and making choices that are revealed through the talented actors in this film. Jeremy Renner and Gabrielle Union put their heart and souls into this film and their breath taking on-screen chemistry is captured. This is a movie that can be appreciated by people of all shapes and sizes (except children, there is profanity). The director, Van Fischer, did an awesome job with this film. His plot style is disarrayed characters who wind up in odd situations, a dynamic duo that results in entertainment. During the film festival he answered questions from the audience. We shall be expecting to see more of his movie magic soon. He did a lot with his budget that was so small. I give it five stars(*****)! I also recommend getting familiar with the independent film festivals.. you might just find a diamond in the rough!

At it's heart this is just a simple tale of star-crossed lovers given a new twist, and depending on it's actors to pull you into the movie. Luckily for all of us the managed to get two incredible actors in the lead roles.The performance of Jeremy Renner in this movie is incredible, bringing an innocent charm to a very misguided neo-nazi called Ned. Even when he's spouting racial epithets towards Rachael (Gabrielle Union in a terrific part) early in the film it comes through in the performance that he's interested in her rather than hateful towards her, but just doesn't know how else he should behave. It's a difficult thing to describe, and deserves to be seen. Gabrielle Union is particularly good in some of these early scenes.There are some incredibly funny moments in the movie with a number of them purely visual plays on the happy couple walking around together. One of my favourite comedic scenes takes place in the hospital where Ned tells Rachael about what he'd like to do once the great racial war has split America into quadrants. It's in moments like these where you really see Ned for what he is - lonely, and desperate for human connections.While the ending of the movie may be no great surprise, the final scene with Ned is an uplifting and touching moment of comic genius.Seeing this at the Edinburgh Film Festival we were lucky enough to see a Q&A with the Director Van Fischer, Jeremy Renner, and one of the producers, Mark Borman. The movie does not have a distribution deal yet, and Mark Borman believes most of that is that distributors aren't sure how to market the movie. It's an understandably difficult sell, but one I hope some brave distributor will run with.I look forward to the release on DVD.

This is the best work I have seen Jeremy Renner do. I didn't think he could top his performance in "Dahmer" but this performance is even more exceptional - powerful, humane and heartbreaking. Gabrielle Union who plays opposite Renner's "Ned," is equally good, and it as much her character's story as it is Ned's. I don't want to reveal any "spoilers" but suffice to say, this is an unpredictable movie with a lot of unexpected surprises. I hope this film gets a bigger release, as it is really a movie that might change peoples' minds about prejudice and how love can heal the most wounded of hearts. And it's a good example of how an independent movie with a low budget can outshine a summer full of cookie cutter blockbusters. This film isn't perfect but there is an earnestness that is refreshing. It's an uncynical piece of work. Kind of rare in Hollywood.