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Review #365 of 365 – 1st Year Anniversary Review
Movie Review of Alpha Dog (2006) [R] 122 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $7.50
Where Viewed: United Artists Denver Pavilions Stadium 15, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 12 January 2007
Time: 8:30 p.m.
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer
DVD Release Date: unscheduled
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Directed by: Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook)
Written by: Nick Cassavetes (Blow)
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Bruce Willis (Fast Food Nation) • Matthew Barry (The Notebook) • Emile Hirsch (Lords of Dogtown) • Fernando Vargas (debut) • Vincent Kartheiser (Shakespeare's Sonnets) • Justin Timberlake (Edison) • Shawn Hatosy (The Cooler) • Heather Wahlquist (The Notebook) • Alex Solowitz (Dirty Deeds) • Alec Vigil (Bad News Bears) • Harry Dean Stanton (The Big Bounce) • Frank Cassavetes (Kicking & Screaming) • Ben Foster (X-Men: The Last Stand) • David Thornton (The Notebook) • Anton Yelchin ("Huff") • Sharon Stone (Bobby)
Soundtrack: Download now from 
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
The poster artists for Alpha Dog provide a frightening glimpse in to the future if this is supposed to be The Brady Bunch of the late 1990s early 2000s. Based on copious notes handed over in an action that is still under review by the courts in California, this 'names are changed to protect the innocent' story is that of West Hill, CA alleged drug kingpin and alleged 'youngest man on the FBI's MOST WANTED' list at age 20, Jesse James Hollywood. Growing up with surprising resources and unknown levels of parenting, young Hollywood amassed a fortune in drug sales and alleged other activities including alleged insurance fraud. When one of his drug pushers and alleged dope fiend dealers, fails to pay him $1,200 owed from a deal, Hollywood allegedly participated in a chain of events that began with the abduction of the dealer's 15-year old step brother, Nick Markowitz, and ended tragically when, allegedly, Hollywood learned that he might face life if Nick ever squealed about the kidnapping. That's a lot of 'alleged' aspects, but the real Jesse James Hollywood was only just arrested and extradited to the Unites States of America to face trial, and in the USA one is innocent until proven guilty.
"…a sad, desperate, cold, uninviting foray into a part of American society and culture that is an embarrassment to us all."
Writer / Director Nick Cassavetes who brought us one of the most underappreciated films of 2004, The Notebook, takes a grave turn for the worse in this disheartening and sickening look at the white gang bang drug culture of the wealthy gone wild in Southern California disproving the notion that money, education, dual parent households, and endless opportunity ensures a successful life. The film gives the impression that, perhaps, the most important parental factor in the development of a child might simply be actually paying attention to where your child really is and what your child is really doing. Of course, for some of the parents depicted in the film, that would make no difference for they were either more dysfunctional than their children or equally into dangerous, illegal, or criminal behavior. The story begins similarly to that upon which it was based but with faux interviews of the 'real' players to add a semi-documentary air to the film which was totally unnecessary, distracting and sometimes non-sequitur. Seasoned throughout the film, the worst of these, incidentally, was one with Olivia Mazursky (Sharon Stone), mother of the abducted Zack Mazursky in a "stopped caring about my body once the tragedy occurred" fat suit which was garish and sensationalistic. After an interview with Sonny Truelove (Bruce Willis), father of Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch) – the Jesse James Hollywood equivalent – in which he poses the same incredible ability to bald-face lie that seems to have been genetically passed on to his son, we learn just how much of a world-class punk Johnny is. He's got seemingly endless financial resources. He has a crew of dealers and junkies who move his product (of which he partakes himself way, way, way too much). This band of hoodlums and wannabe gangsters with an average age of perhaps 19 spends most of its time hanging around and partying, drinking, drugging, and having non-stop sex. With the slight exception of Olivia Mazursky, most of the women in the film may has well have been played by furniture for as much as they contribute. Parents and guardians of young girls would be made mostly sick watching this film and seeing how the young women turn out despite what surely must have been great intentions on the behalf of their parents and guardians. Johnny's main 'boyz' are Tiko "TKO" Martinez (Fernando Vargas), Frankie Ballenbacher (Justin Timberlake), and Elvis Schmidt (Shawn Hatosy), the latter of which is so indebted financially to Johnny that he serves him as his errand boy and butler. The whole twist on the kidnapping story is that when Johnny stumbles upon Zach Mazursky and decides to abduct him for ransom after a horrible altercation with Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster) over the lack of payment of the $1,200, is that Zach (Anton Yelchin) prefers to stay kidnapped and hang out with this wilder, more 'fun' crowd than go home to his nagging mother. He likes the drugs, sex, and dangerous lifestyle. Unfortunately, Johnny knows that Jake will stop at nothing to recover his brother, and a call to the 'family' lawyer reveals unexpected legal complications for Johnny and everyone who participated in the events surrounding the kidnapping. It turns out that the punishment for such a crime in California is life in prison leading Johnny to have to make some very unfortunate and tragic decisions.
At one point in time, courts in California ruled that the film was so closely based on notes that should never have been given up by the prosecutor on the case who believed the film might help bring in Jesse James Hollywood that the film could not be released. Those who see the film, might feel there are many other reasons it should not have been released. It's not that we don't all need a wake up call every now and again about the negatives of drugs and the criminal elements surrounding the processing, buying, selling, and distribution of drugs let alone the horrible impairment of judgment both short and long term they have on the human brain. And it's not that some of the 'stunt-casting' of Sharon Stone, Bruce Willis, and Justin Timberlake serve as their own sets of distractions. It's not that the events aren't relevant. It's more that there are such serious flaws of logic in everyone involved from Zach to Johnny to Elvis to Frankie to Zach's parents within the story, plot turns and random scenes that fail to develop the characters sufficiently to elicit an emotional connection for the eventual tragic outcome of the film, dialogue and acting complications that distract, and finally an extended ending that would have been better saved for the DVD. No sooner than half way through the film, I wanted out of the theatre. I didn't want to watch what was going on with and becoming of these kids. Worse, it began to dawn on me, because I was unfamiliar with the true story until after I saw the film, that there was only one reason to make this film—there must be incredibly tragic events that occur. Otherwise, the story would never have made national news or warranted a film. If things were to turn out all rosy in the end, this would have been a story never told. There is some irony in casting so many baby-faced nice guys in these wannabe tough guy roles because, for the most part, none seems particularly authentic, and maybe that's the way they were supposed to look. Justin Timberlake is notable for seeming to over stress just about every line he says as if to prove he's not former heart throb Justin Timberlake. Ben Foster plays an excellent strung out drug freak, but this is the same guy we got to see too little of as Angel in X-men. Again, another good guy gone bad. He was the most authentic of the bunch, however. Then there was poor Emile Hirsch who was absolutely tough to believe as the amoral, druggie king pin. Over-baked scenes like him smashing a guy through a coffee table when he messes up payment on a deal, just seems like extreme overkill in trying to prove a point. Sadly, proving a point, was also one of the film's failings. It wasn't so clear what the point was other than to tell the very sad tale of Zack Mazursky—a lonely, sad kid from the Valley who discovered he liked pot, wanted to hang with his degenerate older brother, and eventually became entangled in this mess, all the while wanting to really be a part of it because??? Why??? Because he thinks it's cool? Because all of these young guys and girls think this lifestyle depicted on cable TV is real cool and real fun? Well, if flushing your life down the drug toilet is fun, then we have a real societal problem that needs immediate attention. When British Prime Minister Tony Blair said that measures needed to be taken immediately in British society to focus on the youth and their behavior, he was lambasted as being out of touch. Well, if Alpha Dog is based on true stories of the wealthy and successful, rich Californians, where are our Congressional leaders on this topic? And what happens to these youths when they go to prison and then get out? Alpha Dog is a sad, desperate, cold, uninviting foray into a part of American society and culture that is an embarrassment to us all.
At one point in time, courts in California ruled that the film was so closely based on notes that should never have been given up by the prosecutor on the case who believed the film might help bring in Jesse James Hollywood that the film could not be released. Those who see the film, might feel there are many other reasons it should not have been released. It's not that we don't all need a wake up call every now and again about the negatives of drugs and the criminal elements surrounding the processing, buying, selling, and distribution of drugs let alone the horrible impairment of judgment both short and long term they have on the human brain. And it's not that some of the 'stunt-casting' of Sharon Stone, Bruce Willis, and Justin Timberlake serve as their own sets of distractions. It's not that the events aren't relevant. It's more that there are such serious flaws of logic in everyone involved from Zach to Johnny to Elvis to Frankie to Zach's parents within the story, plot turns and random scenes that fail to develop the characters sufficiently to elicit an emotional connection for the eventual tragic outcome of the film, dialogue and acting complications that distract, and finally an extended ending that would have been better saved for the DVD. No sooner than half way through the film, I wanted out of the theatre. I didn't want to watch what was going on with and becoming of these kids. Worse, it began to dawn on me, because I was unfamiliar with the true story until after I saw the film, that there was only one reason to make this film—there must be incredibly tragic events that occur. Otherwise, the story would never have made national news or warranted a film. If things were to turn out all rosy in the end, this would have been a story never told. There is some irony in casting so many baby-faced nice guys in these wannabe tough guy roles because, for the most part, none seems particularly authentic, and maybe that's the way they were supposed to look. Justin Timberlake is notable for seeming to over stress just about every line he says as if to prove he's not former heart throb Justin Timberlake. Ben Foster plays an excellent strung out drug freak, but this is the same guy we got to see too little of as Angel in X-men. Again, another good guy gone bad. He was the most authentic of the bunch, however. Then there was poor Emile Hirsch who was absolutely tough to believe as the amoral, druggie king pin. Over-baked scenes like him smashing a guy through a coffee table when he messes up payment on a deal, just seems like extreme overkill in trying to prove a point. Sadly, proving a point, was also one of the film's failings. It wasn't so clear what the point was other than to tell the very sad tale of Zack Mazursky—a lonely, sad kid from the Valley who discovered he liked pot, wanted to hang with his degenerate older brother, and eventually became entangled in this mess, all the while wanting to really be a part of it because??? Why??? Because he thinks it's cool? Because all of these young guys and girls think this lifestyle depicted on cable TV is real cool and real fun? Well, if flushing your life down the drug toilet is fun, then we have a real societal problem that needs immediate attention. When British Prime Minister Tony Blair said that measures needed to be taken immediately in British society to focus on the youth and their behavior, he was lambasted as being out of touch. Well, if Alpha Dog is based on true stories of the wealthy and successful, rich Californians, where are our Congressional leaders on this topic? And what happens to these youths when they go to prison and then get out? Alpha Dog is a sad, desperate, cold, uninviting foray into a part of American society and culture that is an embarrassment to us all.
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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]
Other Projects Featuring Alpha Dog (2007)
Cast Members
Bruce Willis
• Matthew Barry • Emile HirschFernando Vargas
• Vincent Kartheiser • Justin TimberlakeShawn Hatosy
• Heather Wahlquist • Alex SolowitzAlec Vigil
• Harry Dean Stanton • Frank CassavetesBen Foster
• David Thornton • Anton YelchinSharon Stone
Writer / Director
Nick Cassavetes
| CD Soundtrack | ||
Alpha Dog (2006) Review-lite [150-word cap]
Writer / Director Nick Cassavetes, who brought us one of the most underappreciated films of 2004, The Notebook, takes a grave turn for the worse in his disheartening and sickening film, Alpha Dog, which explores the white gang bang drug culture of the wealthy gone wild in Southern California. The story begins similarly to that upon which it was based, the true life events of one Jesse James Hollywood—reportedly the youngest person ever on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List—in which Hollywood-turned-Truelove for the film's purpose kidnaps the brother of a dealer in his employ to use for ransom. Emile Hirsch plays the title role with some degree of legitimacy, but the rest of the cast, the story, and the outcome leave much to be desired. Things go south for all involved when Truelove finds out he could face live in prison for his deeds.
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