"Gran Torino"

"Gran Torino" proves my point that 90% of movie enjoyment, or at least MY movie enjoyment, depends on the expectations I have going into watching it. I had a high expectations, some might even say "great", going into "Gran Torino." After watching "Million Dollar Baby," "Unforgiven," "Flags of Our Fathers," and "Letters from Iwo Jima" and loving all of them, I learned to trust Clint Eastwood in his acting, directing, and screenplay choices. So my question for this movie is, what was he thinking?


I'm going to get straight to the point: the acting was terrible, Clint Eastwood talked like Batman from "Dark Knight" and the story was halfway believable. Eastwood's acting wasn't bad, but every other actor in the movie looked as if they had just graduated some online acting academy. During the movie, I just kept asking myself if the movie was SUPPOSED to be cheezy, b/c it was certainly coming off that way. I didn't count, but it seemed like half of the movie was Eastwood curling up one side of his lip and letting out a grunt or growl (which really only accomplishes him looking like he's trying to squeeze out a bowl movement).

Overall, I'd say not to bother with this movie. I'd like to see how it's done with better actors.

movie side note: I recently had the "privilege" of going to Chick Fil A with 15 middle schoolers. If you've never gone out for a meal w/ middle schoolers, you should really try it. It's kind of like walking on hot coals, skydiving, and other things of that nature: you want to try it even though it scares the poo outta you and might even kill you. I don't know what parents are doing, but 12 and 13-year-olds have no idea how to order food. They know how to stare at the person at the register. They know how to ask obvious questions like, "is it my turn to order?" and they even know how to stand in the doorway when people are trying to get in and out of the restaurant. But ask them to make a choice on what to order at a restaurant that they've been to 1,000 times and they freeze. So do it. Consider it a social experiment. Take 4 middle schoolers out to eat (if it's all girls, then you're really livin') and watch as the confusion sets in. fascinating