Target

Starring: Nick Gregory, Jam Murphy, Philip Stoddard, Tony Daniels, Vincent Petrosini, Trent Cox
Directed by: Thomas G. Waites
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Comedy, Romance
2023

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A man (Nick Gregory) tries to convince his wife (Jam Murphy) to let him watch her sleep with another man.

Review:

Tim: Target is the kind of small film I usually don't get around to seeing. There's just so many productions every year, it's impossible to see all these tiny films. I'm glad I watched this film, although the first half is infinitely better than the second. It started out decently, but it soon unrivaled. I wanted to like this movie, but ultimately, I could not.

I want to be clear, the blame for this lackluster film is solely on Thomas G. Waites' shoulders. As writer and director, this was totally Waites' vision. The problems with this film are mostly with the script. The script starts out perfectly fine- it's an odd premise, but it's clearly communicated and we know what to expect. The first half of the film follows this path. It's never good, but it at least holds our attention. Then, halfway through the film, Waites seems to have completely lost it. The story spirals out of control. There's additional cast members outside the main three, but none of them add much at all. The biggest problem is that everything becomes so utterly ridiculous. I totally lost interest in the story because none of it made any kind of sense. Characters act completely out of character, immediately go to extremes, and in general, act in ways that might have made sense on a page (although, probably not), but appear beyond absurd when acted out in front of a camera. Waites has a number of small acting credits to his name, but this is his first time writing a film and his first time directing a feature film. His experience with the film industry certainly helped get this movie made, but it didn't help the poor plot. The script really kills this film with its second half lunacy. It's just so forced, stupid, and moronic. That's what sinks the film.

Waites (and I'm not trying to crush this guy too much) is slightly better as a director, but not much. The beginning of the film is better, but it still jumps around from scene to scene too quickly. It feels almost jarring. The editing is quite poor. It never feels like a continuous flow of events, but quick vignettes, which grow old quickly. It's just not a very well-directed film.

Fortunately, the cast helps the movie out. Nick Gregory has some really nice moments throughout the film. True, he has some downright terrible ones, too. But, he generally brings a nice charisma and energy to the role. His performance is uneven, but I generally enjoyed him in the role. I think the script does him no favors, especially in the back half of the movie. He's an okay actor, but he can't salvage the poor dialogue or the inane things he has to utter. Jam Murphy brings a ton of energy to her role. She's early career, so it felt like this film was more about gaining experience than anything. She hasn't hit her stride as an actor yet, but she absolutely adds to this film and makes it better. You can see the potential in her as an actress. With a good director and better dialogue, she could be really good on screen. She works well opposite Gregory and adds some depth to a character that could have easily been absurd. Philip Stoddard gives a hit-or-miss performance as well. At times, he's quite good in the role. But, as the film unravels, his acting starts to fray, too. He has nice moments, but some forced and not believable moments, too. I mostly disliked the supporting cast, mostly because their presence coincided with the film falling apart. Trent Cox wasn't bad in his role, though.

Target is an interesting little film and a reminder that it's worth me seeking out these very small, independent productions. This one ended up being awfully flawed, but it had potential. It was fun seeing the cast do their best with a badly written screenplay. I can't say I liked the movie, but that's mostly because of how bad the second half is. The first half definitely had promise. I know the budget of a film like this is minuscule, so overall, it's impressive that this film even got made. Waites just needed better guidance on the script.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Gun!