'Not Believable' just doesn't work as a criticism for this movie.

What i think a lot of the people who find the movie 'Not Believable' don't understand why (I think) Rian mashed-up noir with high-scholl. Nori is highly stylized with a heightened peception of reality in which the story is the entire world.

High school is the same a heightened peception of reality in which the your life is the entire world.

I agree, though I have to say that most of the cliques and behaviors were only slightly exaggerated.

Believable and realistic are not the same thing and should not be used interchangeably.

What you are discussing is realism. It is not realistic for people to burst out into song and dance as they do in a musical. And Brick is not realistic as well. This is because realism deals with real life, life on planet earth.

Believability is entirely different. In every film, the filmmakers create their own characters and make their own world. Therefore, the question must be asked, if (1) the characters that the filmmakers created were real, (2) the world that the filmmakers created was real, and (3) these characters were placed in that world, would they act the way they do in the film? If the answer is yes, the film is believable. If the answer is no, the film is not believable.

Looking at it from this perspective, people bursting into song and dance in a musical is entirely believable, even if it is not realistic.

In my opinion, a film being believable is extremely important for the film to be entertaining (realism, however, has little to no importance). While it may be possible for a film to be entertaining while not meeting its believability requirements, I cannot think of any examples, at least none that work for me.

Incidentally, I found Brick, while unrealistic (intentionally so, as you point out in the original post), to be very believable. Which is one of the reasons I enjoyed the film.


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>>>people who hate it. Stop saying you hate it because it isn't believable or realistic. That's stupid.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

See that? It's my right to Free Speech. I will criticize a movie for any reason I feel like criticizing it, so don't you DARE tell me what I can or cannot say. Who do you think you are? An Egyptian dictator? Well that guy will soon be dead for his attempt to make people be silent - freedom of expression shall never be silenced.

This "Brick" movie makes about as much sense as if you had a bunch of talking toddlers dealing drugs and hooking. It is illogical, it is poorly acted, and it is crap. (Deletes Brick from c: drive.)

Well said. People who hate the faux noir language because it's unrealistic are missing the point.

"Unless Alpert's covered in bacon grease, I don't think Hugo can track anything."

"I love Brick, unapologetically. I do. But I understand that some people don't. It's not for everyone, and that has nothing to do with intelligence, just personal taste."

Well said, morethanafeeling. If only everyone on the IMDb was of that opinion with whatever film they feel passionately about one way or another.

Personally, I didn't love Brick or hate it. I found it difficult to get into at first, which didn't help, but JGL's acting kept me watching. I don't think Brick would have been much to write home about without him.

I thought the scene in The Pin's kitchen with his mother in attendance was quite funny, although it didn't really feel right in what purports to be a noir - even a modern day one.

I liked the jump cuts in Brick; they did add tension where it was needed and were economically used. I also liked some of the effects used, particularly the one with Emilie de R. at the sewer tunnel and the black bag. Cheap, but effective.

I also liked the cinematography of the film. Someone did a very good job there.

My problem with Brick is mainly to do with the language used. I get that it was meant to be old style noirish, but it just made the film all the more difficult to follow, which took me out of it, along with the incoherent mumbling of JGL at certain points.

Some people have accused Brick of being pretentious, and I do get that impression myself when judging the film as a whole, but that's just my view.

I also feel it could have benefited from a little tighter editing - I checked my watch several times during Brick, which is never a sign of a good film in my book. I know there are many who will disagree, but there you go.

I have absolutely no problem with Brick being unbelievable or unrealistic. I agree that those reasons for hating are stupid.

My overall mark - 6/10.



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