The Poison Rose movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Poison Rose

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour, 33 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: C-

IN A NUTSHELL:

Written by Richard Salvatore and directed by George Gallo, this film noir features an incredibly talented cast: John Travolta, Morgan Freeman, Brendan Fraser, Famke Janssen, Peter Stormare, and Robert Patrick. Surprisingly, this is the first movie that John Travolta and Morgan Freeman have ever been in together. With that much star power, this movie should have been excellent. Unfortunately, it’s not.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Kids will be bored. So will some adults.
Profanity in Spanish.
Lots of guns and shooting.
Lots of alcohol and cigarettes.
Talk of a meth lab and other drugs.
Pre-marital hanky panky.
Several deaths and dead bodies.

THEMES:

Risk
Truth

THINGS I LIKED:

It’s a pleasure watching John Travolta and Morgan Freeman, even in bad movies.
I was shocked when I first saw Brendan Frasier on the screen. I hadn’t seen pictures of his recent weight gain and wondered if he did it intentionally for this film. He didn’t but I thought his acting was outstanding in his role as the doctor. I’ve always been a fan.
I like Famke Janssen and thought she played a southern belle well. She looked like she had some new cheek implants done recently. Why do beautiful women in Hollywood mess up their original beauty?
It was great to see Ella Bleu Travolta star with her father in a movie. I felt bad that the script mostly had her crying during the entire movie. She was also in the movie Old Dogs with her dad. She is one of those rare teenagers who actually likes her parents and isn’t embarrassed by them. I hate to say it, but she’s not a very good actress. She’s young, though, and has great Hollywood genetics from her parents, so I’m sure she’ll grow into it.
The music sounded like it came from a 1970’s drama and set the right tone from the very beginning.
Some have criticized the Texas drawl that the actors tried to master but I thought everyone sounded fine.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

You can almost guess what happens by just watching the trailer. Even with a twist, it’s predictable.
What’s the opposite of energetic? That’s this movie. Everyone seemed very tired the entire time.
The ending left me underwhelmed.
The shoot-out scenes are a bit sloppy.
Characters conveniently appear and disappear in the story, leaving messy holes that leave you wondering “What was the point of that?”
It tries to be deep, but it’s not.
Unfortunately, this movie is entirely unforgettable.

FUNNY LINES:

“I’m holding a cat.” – Carons Phillips (John Travolta)
“Whoever named it the City of Angels had a terrific sense of humor.” – Carson Phillips talking about L.A.
“Flattery. It will get you everywhere.” – Carson Phillips

INTERESTING LINES:

“You know what they say: Everything in moderation, including moderation.” – Carson Phillips
“To say goodbye is to die a little.” – Carson Phillips
“We live in a world that’s full of risk.” – Doc (Morgan Freeman)

WATCH THE Movie Review Mom YOUTUBE REVIEW WITH THIS LINK: