Careful What You Wish For
(D+ or 1.5/4 stars)
Looking to be swept away with a hot, sexy, erotic thriller? Welllllll, you won't exactly find it with this film, 'Careful What You Wish For' (directed by Elizabeth Allen & written by Chris Frisina). Teen Doug Martin (heartthrob Nick Jonas) is sidetracked & gobsmacked by alluring next-door-neighbor, Lena (platinum blonde bombshell, Isabel Lucas), during a summertime escape in a lake house community. Lena's husband (Dermot Mulroney) is an unpredictable wild card, which leads Lena to warm up next to her unassuming new neighbor. And within no time, a hot & heavy affair commences. The two of them go to great lengths to protect their clandestine affair ... even if that means resorting to criminal acts. All sorts of twists & turns ensue involving rape, insurance $$, accomplices, & betrayals.
Now, there IS a core audience for erotica cinema like this: Basic Instinct, The Color of Night, Adore and, recently, J-Lo's The Boy Next Door. Having said that, many of these films are rarely any good -- and this one is nooooo different. If SOME of these 'bad' films can at least deliver some trashy fun, maintain our interest, & show some major skin {I mean, come one, you know we're all looking for it}, then at least you have that. Said movies might even get a critical pass from audience members who know exactly what they're getting into. However, this film is so frustrating because is lacks any of that aforementioned 'fun'.
'Careful What You Wish For' is sloppily written with poor dialogue, continuity errors, average acting, & an ending which makes you feel like you've just witnessed 3/4's of a film instead of a whole experience. Nick Jonas is probably this movie's main asset ... and that's not saying much!! As Doug - the teen scholar who excels at sex and gets caught up in a deadly scandal - Jonas' exudes a sheepish quality which serves the character well. Isabel Lucas looks great, but isn't overly effective, otherwise. Dermot Mulroney doesn't register much. And Paul Sorvino shows up as a Sheriff; I dug him. But any praise kinda ends there, sad to say.
This entire movie just needed to be trashier! Gosh. Yes, we get shots of a nude Isabel Lucas. Yes, we see Nick Jonas' abs over & over & over again. We even see glimpses of his butt {to match Isabel's shots}. But the sex is dry. Who wants that!? So much of the plot revolves - at least initially - on their sexual relationship, so, when those meant-to-be-gratuitous sequences fail to ignite, and the movie relies heavily on the sex, that's a big bummer. The story itself - the conflict that grows & evolves by the end - just isn't strong enough. And so, with a small budget to boot, very little about 'Careful What You Wish For' would make you be impressed. Yes, there are a few raised stakes, shocks, twists, & curveballs thrown, but this guilty pleasure movie lacks the requisite 'pleasure' to enthrall.
Now, there IS a core audience for erotica cinema like this: Basic Instinct, The Color of Night, Adore and, recently, J-Lo's The Boy Next Door. Having said that, many of these films are rarely any good -- and this one is nooooo different. If SOME of these 'bad' films can at least deliver some trashy fun, maintain our interest, & show some major skin {I mean, come one, you know we're all looking for it}, then at least you have that. Said movies might even get a critical pass from audience members who know exactly what they're getting into. However, this film is so frustrating because is lacks any of that aforementioned 'fun'.
'Careful What You Wish For' is sloppily written with poor dialogue, continuity errors, average acting, & an ending which makes you feel like you've just witnessed 3/4's of a film instead of a whole experience. Nick Jonas is probably this movie's main asset ... and that's not saying much!! As Doug - the teen scholar who excels at sex and gets caught up in a deadly scandal - Jonas' exudes a sheepish quality which serves the character well. Isabel Lucas looks great, but isn't overly effective, otherwise. Dermot Mulroney doesn't register much. And Paul Sorvino shows up as a Sheriff; I dug him. But any praise kinda ends there, sad to say.
This entire movie just needed to be trashier! Gosh. Yes, we get shots of a nude Isabel Lucas. Yes, we see Nick Jonas' abs over & over & over again. We even see glimpses of his butt {to match Isabel's shots}. But the sex is dry. Who wants that!? So much of the plot revolves - at least initially - on their sexual relationship, so, when those meant-to-be-gratuitous sequences fail to ignite, and the movie relies heavily on the sex, that's a big bummer. The story itself - the conflict that grows & evolves by the end - just isn't strong enough. And so, with a small budget to boot, very little about 'Careful What You Wish For' would make you be impressed. Yes, there are a few raised stakes, shocks, twists, & curveballs thrown, but this guilty pleasure movie lacks the requisite 'pleasure' to enthrall.