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Review #160 of 365
Film: Expiration Date (20060 [NR] 94 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $10.50
Where Viewed: Landmark Egyptian, Seattle, WA
When 1st Seen: 21 June 2006
Time: 5:15 p.m.
Review Dedicated to: Lee and Matt F. of Chicago, IL
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
The premise is simple. On his 25th birthday, Charles Silvercloud was killed by a milk truck as he walked across the street to his home for his birthday party after work. He left behind a son, Charles Silvercloud II. On his 25th birthday, he too was killed by a runaway milk truck leaving behind a son, Charles Silvercloud III or Charlie (Robert A. Guthrie) as his mom (Dee "She'll always be Elliot's mom to me" Wallace-Stone) calls him. The film then recounts what Charlie believes and his mom worries will be his last 8 days on earth before he too meets head on with a milk truck and joins his great spirit ancestors in the heavens. The Seattle coffee maestro keeps his task list active as he searches for a coffin, plans to return his library books, breaks up with his girlfriend, and makes a date to dance with his mom on the night of the full moon. He is a man who has accepted his fate, and he goes about his business breaking all earthy ties, having an estate sale, and ignoring warnings from his mother to avoid all intersecting routes of milk delivery routes. Generally speaking, at least on the outside, he seems at peace with things. He has not, however, much to the dismay of his mother, fallen in real love and produced for the family line a Charles Silvercloud IV claiming he does not want another kid to be born cursed. Yet, as we know, fate works in mysterious ways, and during his search for a coffin, he meets Bessie. Initially a nemesis, the two grow on each other, have fun, and Charlie believes that she too is soon to meet her own end due to a hopeless battle with cancer. He finds himself willing to fall for her knowing that neither has long left and neither can be hurt much by the other's demise. What he does not know, is that she is being 'stalked', not in a totally malicious way, by a mild-mannered milk delivery guy who does have a habit of kidnapping her off the street into his milk truck when he sees her. This leads to a showdown of wills at a dairy where Charlie will test his fate against, not just one, but an entire fleet of milk delivery trucks.
" Expiration date…won't really move the earth under your feet, but it will warm your heart a bit."
Directed and co-written by Rick Stevenson, is a gentle romantic comedy that really doesn't break too much new ground. Robert Guthrie does a wonderful job portraying Charlie, and Sascha Knopf was born to play Bessie with irreverence and ebullience. In general, the cast is full of great little characters and charming little scenes. Nonetheless, the film, as a whole, despite a compelling premise, fails to really capture what it would be like to be living with a death sentence. We care for Charlie because he's obviously a really good guy, but we have to wonder why he has just accepted this fate and is doing nothing to try to stop it. Does he not care about those around him and his potential contributions to the greater good of humanity more than this? Well, the lessons learned are fairly standard fare, and the net result is a film that leaves on feeling content but not moved. In fact, the ending is positively anti-climactic after all the build up toward Charlie's highly anticipated milk truck collision. I would describe this film as a rainy Sunday afternoon in January, pop up a batch of popcorn, slip in the DVD, and watch it with a loved one, sort of film. It won't really move the earth under your feet, but it will warm your heart a bit.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
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Review-lite [150-word cap]
On their 25th birthdays, both Charles Silvercloud's father and grandfather before him were smitten by renegade milk delivery trucks leaving Charlie (Robert A. Guthrie) certain and his mom (Dee Wallace-Stone) concerned the same fate will befall him. The film, Expiration Date, co-written and directed by Rick Stevenson, focuses on Charlie's last 8 days on earth before the cursed milk truck collision joins him with his spirit ancestors. He is a man who has accepted his fate, and he goes about his business breaking all earthy ties, though he has not fallen in real love and produced a Charles Silvercloud IV, much to his mother's dismay. Ultimately, his fate is decided after a showdown with not just one but an entire fleet of milk trucks. This is a gentle romantic comedy that doesn't break much new ground. It won't move the earth under your feet, but it will warm your heart.
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