David (Micah Hauptman) and Brenda (Beau Garrett) are content being with one another. That is, until Brenda drops the big bomb and suggests they move in together. David, too scared to take that step, doesn't and 18 months later the two of them are living very separate lives. A photographer, David is on the brink of having his photos shown in a gallery and he's seeing Jennifer (Melissa Bolona), who is cheating on him with his best friend Chris (Kieran Campion). After a series of bad events has them crossing paths again, the true question becomes whether or not they should start fresh with each other.
The film's lead actors stand out in their roles and their characters are fascinating and have a lot to say, but this is halted by the movie's inability to spin a focused story and lead it down a certain path. The latter part of the film is focused on David and Brenda, and it takes off but never quite reaches its potential before crashing through to its final scene.
There is so much potential that is lost when the film shifts its focus to its supporting characters, who are both equally less interesting than their lead counterparts. In Stereo talks about love and whether any relationship can actually withstand longevity. David's cynicism, coupled with his long ranting reasoning that he uses on his shrink (Sean Cullen), is fun to listen to but doesn't seem like it ever goes anywhere. Brenda's cynicism for her acting auditions and career are just as entertaining to follow because her use of words while pissed off is clever. And the audience can see that these two people make each other better, however the film doesn't take enough time to explore this.
In Stereo has all the makings of a thoughtful take on love and relationships, but the film is too jumbled and messy. The entire second act is a back and forth of inactivity that will drive the audience toward impatience. If the focus of the film didn't shift so much, then our attentions would have lingered longer on the point of the story than on a script that was trying to be more clever than it came off. The film's cast has a whole lot of potential and without them the movie wouldn't have been as enjoyable. Full of potential and very enjoyable in some places, but ultimately underwhelming.
The film's lead actors stand out in their roles and their characters are fascinating and have a lot to say, but this is halted by the movie's inability to spin a focused story and lead it down a certain path. The latter part of the film is focused on David and Brenda, and it takes off but never quite reaches its potential before crashing through to its final scene.
There is so much potential that is lost when the film shifts its focus to its supporting characters, who are both equally less interesting than their lead counterparts. In Stereo talks about love and whether any relationship can actually withstand longevity. David's cynicism, coupled with his long ranting reasoning that he uses on his shrink (Sean Cullen), is fun to listen to but doesn't seem like it ever goes anywhere. Brenda's cynicism for her acting auditions and career are just as entertaining to follow because her use of words while pissed off is clever. And the audience can see that these two people make each other better, however the film doesn't take enough time to explore this.
In Stereo has all the makings of a thoughtful take on love and relationships, but the film is too jumbled and messy. The entire second act is a back and forth of inactivity that will drive the audience toward impatience. If the focus of the film didn't shift so much, then our attentions would have lingered longer on the point of the story than on a script that was trying to be more clever than it came off. The film's cast has a whole lot of potential and without them the movie wouldn't have been as enjoyable. Full of potential and very enjoyable in some places, but ultimately underwhelming.
Rating: 2 out of 5
