Passion Play

Well, they can't all be winners...

Passion Play is a 2010 movie starring Mickey Rourke, Megan Fox, and Bill Murray. I had never heard of this movie before seeing it but, it sounded like it had some promise. Normally I'm not a huge Mickey Rourke fan but, he's been in some good movies and this came out just two years after The Wrestler (which I really enjoyed and is one of my favorite sports movies) so I saw his inclusion as a positive. Bill Murray is usually good, and Megan Fox is... also in the movie.

The story is about a recovering drug addict and jazz musician named Nate (played by Rourke) who ends up at a carnival one night. While walking around the sideshow area, he is drawn to a beautiful performer with wings on her back named Lily (played by Fox). After Nate tries to convince Lily to leave, the sideshow's owner threatens to kill him, and the two flee in a stolen truck. Over the course of the film the two form a relationship. Matters become further complicated when a gangster named Happy Shannon (played by Murray), whom Nate had previously wronged, enters the picture.

This movie is not good. If the premise that I described sounds really intriguing to you, then maybe you'll get something out of it but I don't recommend seeking it out. The movie was directed by Mitch Glazer. I believe that it is the only film he's directed up to this point, and it shows. The movie feels WAY longer than it's 1hr 34min runtime, and none of the characters are well developed. It's a shame too because I think that in the hands of a better director, and with a few script tweaks, this could've been something. 

I'll give this one a 1 out of 5 because I was able to make it all the way through without turning it off or falling asleep, but that '1' still feels pretty generous.