On the Line movie review

MOVIE TITLE: On the Line

This psychological thriller movie is now available to stream online.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 44 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: C

IN A NUTSHELL:

A host takes a call, where an unknown person threatens to kill the showman’s entire family on air. To save loved ones, the radio host will have to play a survival game and the only way to win is to find out the identity of the criminal.

THINGS I LIKED:

I’ve been a fan of Mel Gibson since the beginning. One of my favorite movies of his EVER is The Patriot. He had so much charisma back in the day. He stumbles in this role at the beginning of the movie, but once he gets into his groove, the movie is a lot of fun. When I saw that he was going to be in this, I was a bit worried because so many of the older actors we’ve come to know and love over the years seem to be selling out to poor scripts. Act 1 kind of felt like that for me, but it builds and, finally, I gave in and just enjoyed the ridiculous ride.
Mel Gibson’s character drives a cool Mustang. That caught my attention because a 1966 Mustang was the first car I ever bought.
I loved the twists. No spoilers! Some viewers are calling the twists lazy writing, but I actually got a kick out of them.
Apparently, this movie is a remake of the Korean thriller called Midnight FM.
This is the kind of movie you could have playing in the background during a party where people will have fun laughing at some of the ludicrous scenarios.
I like the title and how it refers to radio show hosts who are on the line during their shows, as well as the idea of crossing the line.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

The acting is surprisingly wooden and terrible. Even Mel Gibson had quite a few moments where it seemed like he was just phoning it in. He started the movie with a super deep, gravely voice, so I assumed that’s how he wanted to play the character, but after a few scenes, he just sounded like his real self. I wonder if he was just getting over a bad cold or something when they started filming. ???
I just wanted Mel Gibson to shave from the minute I saw him.
It drove me nuts that so many characters just stood around doing nothing when they could have been reacting or coming up with a plan when they were in dangerous situations.
Some of the dialogue is just awful.
We don’t get to learn much about any of the other characters.
Rumor is that it took 30 producers to make this movie. After you watch it, you’ll be surprised by that.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Lots of profanity and F-bombs
We see dead, bloodied bodies

THEMES:

Shock-talk radio
Practical jokes
Survival skills
Workplace friendships

FUNNY LINES:

“Elvis has left the building.” – Mary (Alia Seror-O’Neill)
Dumb line: “By the time the cops get here, it’s hopeless.” – Elvis (Mel Gibson) That’s his reasoning for not calling 911 to the radio station building?

“What kind of B-grade movie BS is this?” – Elvis (Mel Gibson) Great question! Was that a wink to the audience?