I found this film to offer mostly stilted dialogue and terribly contrived plot elements as I felt it played like a made for TV movie.
Josh Hutcherson stars as a 15 year old drifter and hustler but who has amazing artistic talent. Set in the affluent community of Carmel, California, he breaks into a house owned by an art dealer Everly Campbell, portrayed by the wonderful veteran actor Victor Molina. Wow! What a coincidence! Molina is really a dealer of forged art for high prices whose main forger has just died and he needs someone to finish forging a famous Winslow Homer painting which he can sell for millions. So with Hutcherson's talent he's of course the right man for the job.
Down the road lives Anne Marie Cole. played by the legendary actress Lauren Bacall, who is a famous artist in her own right but has some secrets of her own.
One of the major problems with the believability of the movie is that Hutcherson exhibits clear nearly uncontrollable impulse and anger controls, perhaps even bordering on being a sociopath. However, everyone seems to welcome into their homes, show him where their valuables are kept and have him even live there. Bacall especially, being rich, aged, and alone sees no problem in wanting him to live with her although she barely knows him. In the real world, this leads to usually serious consequences.
Even a girl who lives in the town (Hayden Panettiere) wants to perhaps have a relationship with him, even after his anger had led to two serious physical confrontations with her own brother.
The whole thing is just not credible and as mentioned way too contrived for me.
The Forger
2012
Action / Drama
The Forger
2012
Action / Drama
Keywords: californiabeachtragedyartstripper
Plot summary
Joshua, a teenager with a drugged-out mother on the run, wanders into the affluent community of Carmel, California. After getting himself into trouble, the authorities try to track down his mother. But in the meantime, a successful artist/businessman offers to take in Joshua and let him have a chance at a good life. His motives are questionable considering his line of business and how he plans to use Joshua's artistic talents, but Joshua has met a girl and he's not sure if the money is worth selling off his morals.
Uploaded by: OTTO
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
Too Contrived For My Taste
A talented young artist (Josh Hutcherson) gets roped into a forgery scheme after he is abandoned by his mother.
I new nothing about this movie when I picked it up at a local Red Box. Judging by the cover, I expected a feel good romantic drama with all the excitement that young love and forgery schemes contain. I will say that I somewhat enjoyed this movie, but overall it was a disappointment. It was a B movie that I could easily imagine appearing on the Hallmark channel. It was predictable, cliché, and the characters were unrealistic. Also, for a movie staring as many talented people as it was, the acting came across as a bit lazy. It was not one of the better movies I've seen, but it certainly wasn't the worst. I give it 4 out of 10 stars.
Expert art forger has bad hair day; spends quality time with son
An early prison scene in the film is shocking. Not because of egregious violence or a shower rape scene, but rather because of the" wig-do" Travolta is sporting. The hair, coupled with some weird make up or plastic surgery that have inflicted the actors cheeks, result in making the audience wonder if the film is going to be a comedy.
Basically , Travolta is in jail and wants out to spend time with his dying son. He makes a deal with an evil mob guy, and gets his get out of jail card (with strings attached)
The film has the requisite early scene where a bad guy disrespects a woman or a child, and he is promptly punished. A mobster shows up at a diner where Travolta has taken junior, interfering with Dad/Son time, and Travolta promptly beats him to a pulp. A device worthy of the Lifetime channel. The only thing missing was an amazon female cop showing up a kicking the bad guys in the testicles.
Travolta agrees to emulate the "make a wish foundation" by granting his son multiple wishes, including helping him(Travolta) do a Forgery. A couple of cops are tailing Travolta to try to get to the mob guys, and they are inserted into the story very unconvincingly. The whole thing unfolds in a very unlikely fashion, and about halfway through it looses so much credibility that it becomes impossible to care about any of the characters.
I could see this catching on as a cult film comedy, except it is way too boring. Even the Oxygen network crowd would be lost because of the unredeemed drug addict mother. They all go off to Tahiti at the end to live happily ever after, except the kid who, has terminal cancer. It's like a preachy Hollywood message movie without a message or a happy ending. Misses the mark on all counts.