Ticket stubs can be worth more than you think. Recently, I went with two friends to review “Disturbing Behavior.” The ticket stub read, “Disturbing.” Little did we know, it was not just an abbreviated title, but a warning of what was to come in the theater.

Everything about this movie was disturbing, from the acting to the dialog to the premise. But I guess this is what I get for reviewing a film I know nothing about. I’m a fan of Dawson’s Creek, and Katie Holmes does a decent job as Joey Potter on that show, so I figured a film with her in it would at least be up to those standards. Boy, was I wrong. Holmes does an OK job as Rachel Wagner, considering the script and actors she’s surrounded by. Her performance wasn’t anything special, but compared to any other actor in the film, Holmes was superb.

The premise of the film is that the Clark family has relocated to Cradle Bay, a remote island, accessible from the mainland only by ferry. The Clark parents see the move as a way to get away from the bustle of Chicago — and from the suicide of their oldest son.

But Steve Clark, played by Jimmy Marsden, doesn’t want to be in Cradle Bay and resents the fact that he’s there. The younger Clark son, maybe 17 years old misses Chicago and isn’t willing to start from scratch in Cradle Bay

Even to get this far in the film takes forever, though, thanks to an annoyingly long set of opening credits — whose length is equaled only by the interminable credits which follow the 80-minute film. And when you finally reach the first scene, you find a disappointing horror film clich&#eacute;, a young couple making out in the parents’ car. The scene is even clich&#eacute;d to the point that the boy, who belongs to the evil bunch, reveals his affiliation with eyes that glow red.

As the “story” unfolds, the island has become a place where people are becoming brainwashed by an implant that Dr. Caldicott (played by Bruce Greenwood) has been putting into people in the town. The brainwashed group is signified by a clique at school of ‘A’ students who all wear the same letterman-like jackets and participate in bake sales and blood drives.

During our introduction to the school, Steve meets one of the other main characters, Gavin Strick. Strick (played by Nick Stahl) lays down the school in the most stereotypical of terms, with four distinct groups: the motorheads, nerds, the outcasts and the brainwashed perfect students.

This scene exemplifies one of the things that is so wrong with the film: Everything is black or white, right or wrong. You have your evil and you have your good. There’s no in-between character or dialogue here, just a lot of overacting, predictable lines and uninspired visuals. Not surprisingly, the film ends as clich&#eacute;d as it began: Steve misses the ferry he was supposed to catch with Holmes’ character, his younger sister and an albino. To remedy that situation, Steve, having just battled it out with the evil doctor, hops on a motorcycle, jumps from the dock and lands on the ferry, toppling over the bike and doing a side slide I’ve seen in only about 100 other movies.

All the characters, in fact, were over-the-top. The janitor is probably the worst. The guy is supposedly a genius who pretends to be an idiot so that he can get the inside scoop on the plans of the evil bunch.

The soundtrack also did nothing to enhance the film or its mood. Don’t expect to hear any hit singles on the radio from this film.

The thing that disappointed me more than the film itself, though, was the audience. I went on opening night, so I guess it’s acceptable that the place was packed, but people were cracking up at the jokes and lame dialog. I laughed one time — and lost track of how many times I groaned.

I really have little good to say about this film. I regret dragging my friends to see it and making them pay full price for something that isn’t even worth a video store rental. About the only compliment I have for the makers is that they spared us after 80 minutes. I don’t think we could have taken much more.

Originally posted at NandoNext.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 21st, 1998 at 2:59 pm and is filed under Film, Movie Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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