The Tracey Fragments

Starring: Ellen Page, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, Ari Cohen,
Directed by: Bruce McDonald
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
2007

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A Canadien teen (Ellen Page) deals with unpopularity, her high school crush, difficult parents, and trying to track down her brother, who she hypnotized into thinking he was a dog, and then subsequently lost.

Review:

Tim: One of the big things I look for in movies is some originality. There have been so many movies over so many years, that it is so refreshing when you see something new and exciting. However, just offering something unique is not enough. It has to work. The Tracey Fragments is original because the movie isn't portrayed in the typical full screen format, but the whole movie is seen through these little boxes that pop up on screen. There is typically one major box that progresses the story, and multiple other boxes that show random other events. They are indeed "fragments" of Tracey's life, all different perspectives of the same moments. This is new and interesting, but it is also exhausting. It eventually feels a bit gimmicky, artistic for the sake of being artistic. To be frank, it gave me a headache. I liked the idea, but I did not like the execution.

Ellen Page is good in the titular role. She is a surprisingly good actor for someone so young. She has been far better in other movies, but she is still strong here. The rest of the supporting cast give decent performances, but none wowed me. This movie is completely about Ellen Page.

I did not like the majority of the movie because the plot was odd, confusing, unexciting, and occasionally boring. It was also quite depressing. I don't expect every movie to be uplifting, but this was just a negative, depressing film that made me feel worse for watching it. I watched with only the mildest bit of interest, and throughout the movie, it took considerable effort on my part to stay focused and engaged. The film did not hold my attention in the slightest.

The Tracey Fragments had a few decent moments, but these were divided by long, long stretches of worthlessness. I typically like watching small, independent movies, because it is so refreshing to get away from the big studio films now and again. However, I just did not think this movie worked on any level, and it made me long for the big studio-financed films. That is not the goal this movie set out to achieve. It simply doesn't work.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 4



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Hard Candy, Juno