18½

source: 18½

My alphabetical run through Sky Movies is updated by the arrival of another new film with numbers in the title. This one is a . . . Comedy drama, I guess . . . With apparently many references to the Watergate scandal which, I have to admit, I only know the bare minimum about. Connie (Willa Fitzgerald) is a white house stenographer who accidentally discovers a recording of Nixon (Bruce Campbell) and his aides listening to and discussing the missing 18 1/2 minutes from the Watergate tapes. She meets journalist Paul (John Magaro) and they decide to head to a waterfront motel complex to listen to the tape. Posing as husband and wife, the pair meet some interesting characters at the venue, and are forced to turn to another couple for help, when their reel to reel tape player doesn't work. I like the pairing of Fitzgerald and Magaro and I thought they had good chemistry together. Whilst they're getting to play really broad characters, I liked Vondie Curtis-Hall and Catherine Curtin as the married couple that the central pair approach too. I also liked that there were a lot of subtler moments in the film, plot hidden in dialogue and there was a genuine surprise at the end that I didn't see coming. I really didn't like the film though. I think movies can go awry for any number of reasons, budgetary, application, conflict on set. Here though, I feel like this is exactly the movie that Dan Mirvish wants it to be. It is quirky and off beat and they aren't things that I usually dislike, but it didn't feel in service of anything here. There are ideas in the second half of the film that take it too far outside of the realms of reality and that eccentric approach to the story feels forced. Quirk for quirks sake, rather than trying to find an original take. Happy to read that several reviewers found more in this than I did, but for me it gave me a sword and I stuck it in, I'm not twisting it with relish though.

As an American politics lover, I saw the synopsis for this film and gave it a try. The start was good, a clandestine meeting in an out of the way restaurant. There was a good build of tension as the stenographer and journalist realised the scale of what they were taking on. The movie then proceeded to jump off a cliff the moment the couple arrived at a hotel. Spoiler alert, the whole film is then based in an out of the way hotel filled with awful dreary supporting characters delivering toe curlingly bad improvised dialogue. After a while you will end up pleading with the film to get back to the central point of the plot, ie. The most important political event of the American 20th century. If that wasn't enough, when the big reveal of the tape contents is made, the film makers bizarrely add some sex and violence just in case us viewers find the politically dynamite contents a bit boring to listen to. Overall, this film is a self indulgent mess.

What could have been an engaging tense drama descended into farce with over the top performances and irrelevant hippy characters as if we needed reminding what era we were in. Maybe it made more sense to American audiences but the confused ending got lost in the fracas. One should never watch a movie and regret the time invested in it but this is one. A meal order paying homage to 'When Harry met Sally' a creepy motel and mixed ethnic couple we are supposed to believe had been married for years at a time when that would not happen all to increase the obligatory diversity count. All the precautions when they enter their room then do not pull all the curtains yeah right.... sorry but curtains for this.

It's been a while since a smart indie like 18 1/2 brought me to the edge of my seat. Set primarily in one location, "The Silver Springs" Motel, 18 1/2 is an original, well-crafted, political thriller laced with sexual tension that builds around the damn missing tape! 18 1/2 is an indie that takes re-watching and whether it receives the recognition it deserves amongst a sea of less crafted content, it is worthy and likely an indie classic for doing so much on so little, in one location. Wonderfully performed and directed ... there is one Altman like long-take worth noting. As the camera wraps around the cottage windows, sexual tensions build between the lovely Connie, or is it Ruth (Willa Fitzgerald) and introspective Paul, or is it Archie (John Margo) that is so satisfying and well crafted. While some criticize the film's ending, for me it adds to its intentional absurd mirroring of political realities we encounter in more recent times. True events or not, I now want to know WTF is on the missing Nixon tape!! Bravo to the writers and director. Just brilliant.

When a transcriber obtains the only copy of Nixon's infamous 18 and a half minute long tape. Enlisting the help of a reporter, Connie sets to work in trying to undercover the truth behind the Watergate scandal, but she soon finds several obstacles in her path.... Whilst 18 1/2 starts off quite serious and seems intent on following a narrative path that the audience expects it to follow, it quickly goes from being intriguing to being surreal and somewhat bizarre... The main focus of the film lies with Connie and Paul and their desire to find a reel to reel tape player in order to be able to fully understand the corruption with Nixon and his government. Whilst this is running in the background, it seems to take a back seat to the weird array of characters that we are introduced to; they aren't there for any real purpose other than to confound and baffle... The picture really becomes messy in its second half with its multiple reveals; which have to be seen to be believed; it's at this point that the picture goes from being real to being surreal. It becomes too goofy in its second half and ends up being impossible to take seriously. The two leads are OK, but don't seem to have much of a dynamic and they also have an awkward chemistry about them too. I really tried getting my head round this film and tried to get into the mind-set of those that made it and despite my best efforts I simply couldn't. I presume it's supposed to be a light-hearted take on the events leading up to the Watergate scandal, but I'm not entirely convinced that this was the right material to be given goofball treatment too. It's a shame as it started so well and ended so badly. The only other time I can remember a film beginning with such promise and ending so badly was From Dusk till Dawn, but at least that film had some decent acting talent.

I haven't enjoyed a Watergate film this much since "Dick!" Understand, 18 1/2 (A clever play on Fellini's 8 1/2 and the infamous 18 1/2 minute gap in the Nixon Watergate tapes) is not in out and out comedy. There's funny parts, but also suspenseful, thrilling aspects, as well as romance. But it is a fun ride, from beginning to end. Well written and directed, with a wonderful Robert Altman influence. And some great twists along the way. A terrific cast, with stellar young actors and a wonderful supporting turn by the always great Richard Kind. I'm ready to watch it again right now!

I love the premise and Willa's performance is great. The filming style is very 70's which I think lends itself well to the story. The climax is fun and frantic. Overall enjoyed the movie and appreciate the historical references.

This is not a documentary nor an accurate history of events but a humorous send-up of the scandal itself. The story itself is a funny-mirror reflection of the (not so) mysterious tape erasure. Meandering away from Watergate, most of the film explores and revels in eccentric characters and their interactions. Subtle humor and satire abound if you pay attention and let down your hair: conspiracy theories involving Wonder Bread and ITT; Bossa nova music; broken tape machines; mysterious fishermen; one-eyed desk clerks. Smatterings of the missing 18½ minute recording are revealed and they are nothing more than what we expect although amplified through a filter of ridiculousness and cartoonish caricatures. It really helps to be a student of Watergate and recognize the various characters like Mark Felt (who is referenced hilariously), H. R. Haldeman, Al Haig and Rosemary Woods in order to "get" all the jokes. This film is an unexpected surprise. Wry, intelligent humor, a brisk pace and wonderful characters make for winning combination. Worth a second viewing to catch all those subtle cues and clues. Bravo, Mr. Mirvish.

The film has a great premise but it is very poorly executed. The film should be a thriller but it dissappears into weird sub plots which add nothing to the story and rather then draw you in just make you think what the hell has this got to do with anything. It spins off direction so much that you lose interest in what should have been an interesting subject. The extra characters are ridiculous left wing stereotypes that are just annoying and wish weren't in the film. It hard to tell whether this was aimed at discrediting left wing politics or if the director actually believes this. Such a waste of a good idea.