21 and a Wake-Up
The film 21 and a wakeup is about the final days of the Vietnamese war and mainly revolves around the nurses who are based in Vietnam and the time left for service to wind up, which is indicated in the title of the film. The movie is shot in an Army hospital and even if the audience acknowledges the director’s noble thoughts in making this movie one cannot ignore the fact that it is a poor attempt or a rather disastrous make of what could have been a serious subject.
Chris McIntyre is the director and the writer of 21 and a wake-up and he could definitely have dealt with this subject with much more seriousness but simply failed to give his script and the movie that extra edge.
The main character of the movie is nurse and the movie revolves around this character. Caitlyn Murphy played by Amy Acker who is appointed in Army combat hospital. Caitlyn is independent career-oriented woman but sadly forgets that career and army do not gel well.
To ruin her aspirations there Major Rose played by Faye Dunaway who does not accept anything that Caitlyn truly believes in with regard to her profession; Major Rose is exactly opposite to Caitlyn. And, with Major Rose’ character one can the clear picture of the director’s follies.
McIntyre has failed to understand that a the role of Major Rose simply does not fit Dunaway, in fact he is carried away with the fact that Dunaway is a star and to have her in his film seems to have over-excited him way too much and in the process he forgot the purpose of characterisation. This is a major let down of the film and it with a heavy heart the audience needs to convey to the director that Dunaway was just not the right choice for the role of Major Rose.
The film is basically inspired by the events and experiences that McIntyre had during the Vietnamese war and there are many true facts but the fact still remains that he ahs not bee able present one single genuine character in the film, which is highly disappointing.
Amy Acker in 21 and a Wake-Up
And it is hard to digest the role of Dunaway whose age seems to be much older than anybody could ever imagine but that apart the audience definitely has deep regard for the Dunaway star status and we all know she is a fine actress but who is to be blamed? McIntyre for sure is culprit because he has not essayed a role that suits Dunaway by any stretch of one’s imagination. Dunaway’s skill is simply wasted in the film, which is very disheartening.
Some of the scenes that needed to be dealt with more maturity or more responsibility if one could say are the scenes of wounded soldiers being attended to is simply not directed well.
There is not much to discuss about the movie other than counting on the directorial defects, which is endless. Make different plans for your weekend or you can go watch This is it, which is definitely a safer bet.
| Film | 21 and a Wake-Up |
|---|---|
| Cast | Amy Acker as Caitlin Murphy Faye Dunaway as Major Rose Thorn Danica McKellar as Jenny Valentine Ed Begley Jr. as Colonel Ritchie |
| Director | Chris McIntyre |
| Runtime | 2 Hour 03 Minutes |
| Rating | 1/5 |
Posted on Saturday, October 31st, 2009 at 6:58 pm