The Dark Side of the Sun

Starring: Brad Pitt, Guy Boyd, Cheryl Pollak
Directed by: Bozidar "Bota" Nikolic
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Romance
1997

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An American teenager (Brad Pitt) is living in Yugoslavia with a rare skin disease that prevents him from being exposed to light of any kind. He lives a sheltered life, until he meets a beautiful American actor (Cheryl Pollak) whom he falls in love with, and debates risking everything to be with her.

Review:

Tim: This is a confusing movie. First off, after watching the first 30 seconds, it is abundantly apparent that this movie was not actually filmed in 1997, nor anywhere close to 1997. It was actually filmed in 1988, in Yugoslavia, which was subsequently ripped apart by Civil War. The footage was lost for years, before it was finally recovered, finished, and released in a direct-to-video movie in 1997. I'd really like to put 1988 as the date of release, since this is technically Brad Pitt's feature film debut, and by 1997, he was a major Hollywood star. Still, my hands are pretty much tied, so 1997 it is.

I was not a fan of The Dark Side of the Sun. It actually feels like a movie whose footage was lost for years among a Civil War in a third world country, then quickly slapped together to capitalize on its young star's subsequent rise to stardom. This movie is very often painful to watch because it so poorly put together. There are some really boring, odd scenes that take up way too much of the movie. The whole film looks quite cheap and shoddily made. There isn't much in the way of character development, and the movie surprisingly lacks any real emotional impact.

The cast is decent, but nothing special at all. As I mentioned, this is Brad Pitt's first feature film, and it shows. He isn't exactly bad, but he is very inexperienced, and his performance suffers as a result. He has a few good moments, but he does almost nothing to connect to the audience or to draw us to him. Sadly, it is a completely forgettable performance. Guy Boyd is pretty decent as Pitt's father, but again, he does nothing to be memorable at all. Cheryl Pollak rounds out the cast. Besides the fact that her acting is incredibly suspect, she's not terrible. She has a small bit of chemistry with Pitt, so she doesn't hurt the movie (although she doesn't exactly help it, either).

The Dark Side of the Sun is a cheesy, stupid 80s movie that had the misfortune of coming out in the late 1990s. There are some absolutely ridiculous moments (the motorcycle race, the bar fights, etc.) and very, very little that could be considered a strength. I'd only recommend this for the biggest Brad Pitt fans, who want to see his very first film. For every other movie fan, this movie doesn't have nearly enough to warrant a viewing. Plus, after sitting through the entire film (even at 101 minutes, it is too long), the ending is cheesy and overly melodramatic. A fitting end for a poorly made film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 3.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Thelma & Louise, Johnny Suede, Cool World, Meet Joe Black