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Beauty and the Least: The Misadventures of Ben Banks (2012)

Painful Acting Meets Unimaginative Writing

While the plot of Beauty and the Least (Ben Banks...)is generally interesting, if unimaginative, the movie itself is incredibly flawed. From the whiny, cliché "indie mood music" that courses throughout, to the over-abundant extreme face close-ups, the vast majority of the movie feels like an imitation of a traditional coming-of-age indie film. Indeed, a few tweaks, and it could almost become a parody of the genre. The script feels terribly overworked and unoriginal--- the last line is cringe-inducing. While watching this movie, I had almost constant deja vu; as if I was re-watching the awkward senior film project my roommate had directed in college. The most glaring issue with the film, however, is hands-down the acting. Mischa Barton is unbelievable at best. Ben Banks... well, he seems like a moderately sexy stoner who was given a script an hour prior to filming. He acting is painfully awkward at times. There is some comic relief in the form of some Reno 911-style side characters--- maybe they remind me of something funny or maybe I was just so happy to be slightly entertained, but they felt hilarious compared to the plodding pace of the rest of the movie. Ultimately the movie was slow, trite, and though reasonably pretty to look at, completely forgettable.