Less than brilliantly recorded in audio and
visuals, this film's spirit and charm overwhelmingly
eclipse technical pops and sputters. Often lower
quality production is coupled with lower quality
performance. This is absolutely not the case with
"The Wood."
It's a buddy film. The story begins in the midst
of wedding day hysteria. The best men, eyes to
camera, begin the history of their high school days
with the groom (who's cold feet have prevented him
from making it to the church on time). That history
is portrayed in intermittent flashbacks, while Roland
(the groom) tries to make a final decision about
following through with his bride-to-be.
Mike: You wanna marry her or not?
Ro: I guess so.
Slim: You guess so?! Ain't nobody askin' you to get
no donuts!
A second set of three actors are used to play the
buddies as teens. Both sets are excellent and fluid.
The two portraying Slim deserve especially high
praise for their powerfully funny and spontaneous
reactions to the rich characters (and situations)
that surround them.
Like "American Pie," this film is not afraid to
broach the topic of teenage sex. Controversial as
that may be, condoms were again advocated and it is
rated R after all. Though both pictures can be
enjoyed by teens and adults alike, "American Pie"
favors the teens while "The Wood" favors adults.
Aside from a muddy audio track, some sticky edits
and a few lighting problems; the only other negatives
were a few commercial plugs that interrupted the
realism of the tale.
With an excellent script, fantastic performances
by everyone (hence great direction) and juicy
chemistry between the buddies, "The Wood" proves
entertaining and funny. During my viewing, the
theater erupted with laughter.
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