When I first heard about Diabo Cody’s new film “Paradise”, I was surprised that this was not being distributed by any of the major studios. It gave me doubts that this was going to one of those films that would waste my time. I was still curious about this considering that this was from Diabo Cody.
The film follows a young woman (Julianne Houge), who almost was killed in a tragic accident. She begins to realize that the world is bigger than what she was exposed to by her parents (Holly Hunter, Nick Offerman). The woman sets out on a trip to Las Vegas. Along the way, she meets a lounge singer (Octavia Spencer) and a bartender (Russell Bland) who show that there is more to life.
To realize this, she has to a find a way to survive the various lights and the crazy bars of Vegas.
I was very surprised with this film. “Paradise” is one of those films where it manages to keep its certain charm throughout. It helped make this film a very enjoyable film to watch, as it felt one of Cody’s earlier screenplays “Juno” at times.
Speaking of Diabo Cody, her direction was very good. One of the reasons that makes her direction work was the fact that the scenes were directed in a way that helped the flow of the film. She carefully makes the scenes keep your interest through the style of the backdrops and the way she uses her narration device. It made the film have its nice quirks and touchy feely tone. It made me feel something, which is what you want with a film such as this. The other thing that makes her direction good was the way that she handles her cast. I thought, the performance were very good and the cast had good chemistry. Julianne Hough, Russell Brand and Octavia Spencer helped bring this film to another level with their performances. This film could’ve felt like a TV film, but their performance made the characters interesting to watch.
Cody’s screenplay was better than I thought it was going to be. The screenplay does a very good job with the way that it handles the narration device. It helped make the main character more interesting, as you get a glimpse into the main character’s state of mind. The other thing that I liked about it was the fact it provided more depth to the character. By doing that, it makes me more interested in the character and make that part of the film have a purpose. I also liked, the way that main character was developed. Cody does a very good job showing how the character is effected by the experiences she has and the people she meets along the way. This really helped make the character interesting instead of being dull.
This is a film that you go out of your way to rent, as this had a “Juno” like feel to it. With very good direction and a solid screenplay, “Paradise” is an entertaining film that is worth seeking out.
Review Rating: Four Stars
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