Wicker Park Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES
Passion never dies.
In Chicago, the former photographer and presently advertising executive Mathew (Josh Hartnett) is closing a business deal in a fancy restaurant with a Chinese representative, when he sees a woman that looks like his former passion Lisa (Diane Kruger). Two years ago, Lisa and Matthew had a love affair, and Lisa simply vanished when Matthew invited her to move with him to New York, where he had the invitation for a better job, and Matthew is still obsessed for her. Matthew decides to follow Lisa, and when he meets her, he realizes that Lisa is indeed another woman (Rose Byrne) with the same name. Matthew stays in Chicago with his friend Luke (Matthew Lillard) and decides to investigate the mystery.
| Josh Hartnett | Matthew |
| Rose Byrne | Alex |
| Matthew Lillard | Luke |
| Diane Kruger | Lisa |
| Christopher Cousins | Daniel |
| Jessica Paré | Rebecca |
| Vlasta Vrana | Jeweller |
| Amy Sobol | Ellie |
| Ted Whittall | Walter |
| Isabel Dos Santos | Chamber Maid |
| Joanna Noyes | Mary |
| Kerrilyn Keith | Female Customer |
| Mark Camacho | Bartender |
| Marcel Jeannin | Theater Director |
| Stéfanie Buxton | Ticket Agent |
| Paul McGuigan |
6.60 out of 10 (5037 votes)
Visitor Reviews
nice little Winter movie
posted on 15 Aug 2009It reminded me a bit of "Lost in Translation" or "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind": quiet, enjoyable, romantic, intelligent, one of those films that keeps you thinking for some time after having left the theater. I liked Josh Hartnett's shy performance of a guy helplessly in love with a girl and even Diane Krueger was okay, since she actually had to play and not just display her beautiful face on a huge screen as she had to do in "Troy". Matthew Lillard in particular is honest fun to watch as he plays his character with such light wholeheartedness and so obviously enjoying himself, it really is a rare pleasure (since he often tends to lapse into behaving like a goof ball). If you look for something entertaining on a higher level, maybe on a cold Winter's evening, that's your movie.
An underrated masterpiece.
posted on 09 Aug 2009Exceeded my large expectations. One of the best films of 2004 with my personal Oscar win for Best Actress. It's an extremely compelling and unique mystery thriller with intricate characters and a storyline that could easily become absurd and convoluted but feels natural and McGuigan allows the viewer to be fully aware of what's happening. It never gets too far ahead of the audience but it doesn't drag for a second. The editing is flawless and meshes the present with the not-so-distant past perfectly. Josh Hartnett delivers a surprisingly emotional performance and adds another strong performance to his recent resume that has really transcended him from the horrific heartthrob clique he was placed in when he first came onto the scene into a serious, talented actor. But the real star of the film is the beautiful Rose Byrne who, as always, delivers a knockout performance that is easily one of the best of the decade. She takes this psychopathic character and somehow makes her immensely sympathetic. I actually found myself rooting for her to be with Matt. Simply with her eyes she portrays this wounded, internally saddened character effortlessly. As I always am when seeing her act, I was completely entranced and amazed. A stunning performance in a brilliant film.
I Really Enjoy Watching It - Damn Good Movie
posted on 05 Aug 2009Forget the name, it really doesn't have anything to do with the movie. Most people wouldn't have idea what this movie is about, neither was I before watching it. But after watching it, I got to say - Hell!!, It is damn good. There is no right way to explain in brief cause it really complicated without leaking the story. Let me tried it :- This is a love triangle story with actually more than threes angles, does that even make any sense?I really enjoy the movie the movie. Though the movie started out a little too slow but the middle and the end of the movie make up for whole lots. It is really fall into place as you go along with the story and the flashback. I love the ending especially it rhyme really well with The Scientist – Coldplay. It is so emotional.The casting and acting is pretty good nothing extraordinary. At least you will see M. Lillard playing a mature role for a change. Most of all it was the ways the story was being told that actually make this movie so interesting. Without seeing for oneself, you have no idea.Recommendation: I Got The DVD, And It Is One Of The Best I Have Got. Rating: 8/10 (Grade: A-)Please Rate My Review (Yes or No) After Reading It - Thanks
Not really a sensational thriller as shown through the trailers.
posted on 01 Aug 2009I saw this movie and thought it really was a waste of money. The movie is confusing throughout the first half, and then they quickly give a rundown of the little things you missed in the first half at the end. The twists and turns are very strange once you see it all put together for you. Not really a sensational thriller as shown through the trailers. It was lacking the edge. Acting was really good though. Josh Hartnett put on a good performance. As well as Matthew Lillard's. He brings the comedy element to the movie of course. he ending itself was sweet.... but still, I would recommend you wait to rent it and watch it in the company of your own home where there is a stop button. Be prepared to be confused.
Rose Bryne plays it perfectly
posted on 26 Jul 2009Anyone watching the portion of the movie where Alex tries to explain her actions and who isn't perfectly captivated by the character that Rose Bryne plays, just isn't paying attention. Her pacing, timing and acting is wonderful...no, masterful. Frankly, for a person like myself who doesn't invest much in movies, Rose's imagery was masterful. Nothing less.It is not often that a woman can embrace a character as well as Rose Bryne, a character that can be so sinister in her intent and endearing in her vulnerable humanity. Did anyone not watch that movie and, even in her most indulgent intent, not want to hug her when everything began to crumble around her? That is the mark of the perfect actress. I am now a confirmed Rose Bryne fan. Period.
Wicker Park Is Moody and Vacant. Interesting But Convoluted
posted on 24 Jul 2009[CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS] One strange thing is that when I saw the trailer of 'Wicker Park,' I thought this film must be a Hitchcock-like thriller. Now I saw it, and found it isn't. It is more like a romance shot with a Brian DePalma touch -- romantic, moody, and very convoluted. Most likely you don't believe the story, OK, but you are constantly entertained. Turn a blind eye to unbelievable coincidences and silly decisions that the characters make.
This is another (some say, ruined) remake of French film 'L'Appartment' (1996) starring Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel. The MGM/Lakeshore Entertainment remake, directed by Paul McGuigan ('Gangster No,1'), stars instead Josh Hartnett as Matthew, a successful businessman who is engaged to beautiful Rebecca (Jessica Pare), and is about to travel to China on business. But at the restroom of a restaurant, he overhears a familiar voice of someone he knew very well, in fact, someone he loved two years ago.
She is Lisa (Diane Kruger, 'Troy'), and instead of going to the airport, Matthew tracks down his ex-love to one hotel room. Then, the flashback sections bring us the romantic events between Lisa and Matthew, seen from his point of view -- how he met her in the snowy city of Chicago, how he talked to her at a shop where Matthew's buddy (Matthew Lillard) works, and how Matthew loved her so passionately.
But suddenly Lisa disappeared, abruptly, leaving any trace behind. And more incredible thing is (to him, and to us all), as Matthew (of the present tense) follows the clues of Lisa's whereabouts, he finds himself in Lisa's room (don't ask me how he get in), finds another girl (Rose Byrne, also 'Troy' as Briseis) who claims she is Lisa.
OK, let's stop it, for there are more to come, more to surprise us. The film is basically a love story seen from more than one perspectives, but director McGuigan uses too many flashbacks explaining the 'truths' which not only mystify our mind, but grab our head, and keep on twisting them. I eventually understood, and never lost interest in, what really happened to the characters, but still do not know what is the film's point after all, with these jumbled time order and even split screens. Did we really need these styles to tell this story, especially when this is not a thriller?
I was not a little impressed with the acting of the four main cast. While Josh Hartnett is the weakest link, that is probably his character acts in a very impossible way. Kruger is much better than in 'Troy' but it is Rose Byrne who is really memorable, pulling off this very demanding role. And it is time we should give Matthew Lillard a chance to do something different. He is not bad; it is that he deserves better than playing just another wiseacre buddy who turns out not as wise as the main character.
Certainly 'Wicker Park' keeps you guessing, as long as you just stop thinking. Don't think about why all these characters do not use e-mail when they use cell phones ten times a day. Don't think about why three (or more, I am afraid) characters leave messages on paper, surely troublesome and unreliable way. And it is beautifully shot, with the frosty streets and three charming ladies. Expect that, it is quite empty.
Test Your Endurance
posted on 24 Jul 2009I had read the reviews on Wicker Park before I saw it but they did not prepare me for how truly awful this film is. First of all, if you have an aversion to MTV, then don't see this film. There are 4 or 5 rock videos throughout this film and it completely destroys any momentum or continuity the film might have had and this is a film that desperately needs some. The soundtrack is the worst I've heard in any movie in recent memory. This film should have used the music in the way Vertigo did. Instead, it just fills the spots where there isn't any talking. The dialog is dull, stilted, and completely forgettable. The story is actually okay but the dialog has no finesse whatsoever. The lead actor, Josh Hartnett, has no screen presence, no expressions, and no acting ability that I could detect. I will never pay to see another film where this guy is the main actor. He is in virtually every minute of this film and he is like watching paint dry.The first hour of this film is completely dull and several people sitting in front of me walked out. Unfortunately, I could not keep track of how many people walked out behind me. The first half of the film really could have been cut down to 5 or 10 minutes. The real story does not start until Rose Byrne appears. She is the only good thing in this film and she has all those qualities that Josh Hartnett lacks. She can convey her character by facial expressions, which is mandatory when the dialog is so poorly written.Unfortunately, she isn't in the film enough. The other supporting rolls are serviceable but unimpressive. The photography is nice but not good enough to save this mess. Some people might be offended at the message this movie conveys at the end. It seems to say that if a man stalks a woman, it is true love but if a woman stalks a man, then she is a crazy psychopath. The first half of the film gets a 1/10, the second a 5/10, for an overall score of 3/10. If you are stuck on a plane and this is showing, skip the first half and Rose Byrne's performance makes the second half watchable.
this movie...is Incredible,awesome. you gotta see it.
posted on 12 Jul 2009OK,i have see the crew and stuff, and i'm curious before i see this movie. but, i didn't expect this. when i started seeing it, i have noticed that i'm stuck in front of the TV, i just wanted to see more and more...i could not wait till i see how the movie end. in beginning, i thought this is one more movie to my list, and i will forget it fast..but...NO, i would not forget this movie so fast, i will remember it, because it's not the classical thing, other movies, when we started to saw it we already know how it's gonna end.. well,i saw a comment from someone saying that the actors from this movie are not so good...i just want to say...why i never have seen you acting? no too much...just...see the movie.
Hopscotching in Wicker Park
posted on 24 Jun 2009It was a refreshing little flick. I mean granted the whole plot of the movie was little stupid in terms of the miscommunication, especially since a little device called the cell phone is in existence. But I liked the unexpected twist, like for the first hour I totally thought cynically about Alex, so I was happy I was totally wrong. The only reason this movie didn't totally reek is because the last 35 minutes is funny as hell and the soundtrack is unbelievable, one of the best this year.The character I loved the most was Alex, and its only because Rose Byrne did a great job, she totally carried the movie. The chemistry between Alex and Matthew blew away the supposed "dying for my love" chemistry between Lisa and Matthew. I dunno, but if Diane Kruger wants a viable career, she should stop co-starring with Byrne. I mean this is the second time she massively out-acted Kruger. I must admit I was totally looking for Brad Pitt or Orlando Bloom to make a cameo. Overall, I liked the movie, but its totally a renter...I mean I am so not clamoring to move to Wicker Park if you know what I mean.
"An intricate web of time"
posted on 18 Jun 2009I have read several reviews that say this movie is just too confusing to understand and/or enjoy. I thought it was, as the official website put it, a movie that was wonderfully weaved together in an intricate web of time, using flashbacks and memories to compose practically the entire movie, and show very little of the movie in actual "live time". I would not recommend this movie for someone who has a short attention span, or someone who, like my parents, thinks that you can always listen to a movie while actually doing something else. In order to really understand and enjoy this movie, have a solid chunk of an hour and 55 minutes to do nothing but sit down and watch the movie. One of the neatest things (I think) about this movie is that, even though I have seen it about 5 times by now, if I really pay close attention, each time I watch it I find or understand something new.I must admit that the only reason I saw it to begin with is because Josh Hartnett was in it. I figured, after seeing him act in Pearl Harbor, I couldn't go wrong with a movie he was in. Now, I don't know if I would really classify this as a chick flick, considering the only reason I cried at this movie is because of the song at the end. I will not tell you what the song was, because that would be the biggest spoiler of the movie; However, I will tell you that if you have heard this song prior to the movie, and have ever really paid attention to the words and the meaning of the song, you will probably cry too. I can remember my exact reaction to the first time I saw the movie, as if I just finished watching it. Knowing the song from hearing it so many times, I was able to "name that tune" before the words even came into the song, and I had to close my eyes (wound up missing part of the movie-not that it was all that important) and cry because they could not have picked a better song for the moment. The song made the movie- it summed up everything the movie was about and everything Matthew was working for- perfectly.
convolution posing as art
posted on 18 Jun 2009this movie is all over the place. the viewer is teased. the director is saying: my direction and structure is so hip and groovy, and you don't get it. instead of weaving a story, convoluted flashbacks are worked into the "timeline". this would be fine if there were some sort of coherency to the process (as in butterfly effect). the object seems to be to confuse the viewer by being "artsy". what could have been an interesting movie ends up being a self-indulgent exercise in cinematic pomposity. it appears that the director has watched too many m.t.v. videos (the style of this movie has about as much sense as a music video).
Let's see
posted on 10 Jun 2009I gave this movie 7/10, but I simply sat through the movie thinking I can't believe this stuff. This movie reminded me of "Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind" so many times. Too many flashbacks.
But at least this one made sense to me. Guy from the Black Hawk Down acted pretty well.
Story was a bit confusing to start off with, but picked up pieces later.
The only reason I gave this movie 7/10 was because of the song that plays during the airport scene in the end.
"The Scientist" - sounded more like a piano ballad from the good old 70s. Given my folk and old music taste, I don't care much for new bands. But Coldplay did a marvellous job in this song.
Lyrics were simple and the piano melody was outstanding!!!!!!!
This song made up for whatever the movie lacked.!
Watch it at least once.
Surprisingly good
posted on 06 Jun 2009I remember when I first saw "L.A. Confidential" I couldn't wait to rewind it so I could see it again. This movie had the same effect on me. It's not as good as "L.A. Confidential", but it's surprisingly good. I had little expectation from it. I remember that so many critics basically killed it when it first came out. I wanted to see it so I could have a good laugh. Well the joke's on me, I like this movie.The camera work in the early part of the movie is worthy of Hitchcock and the whole set up in the beginning makes you feel some big revelation will come at the end. There is a revelation but just not as big as one would hope when you consider the set up. I suppose for most people it would be a let down. For me it worked just fine. I don't know exactly how but this movie somehow managed to be effective.The performances were somewhat uneven. It makes you wonder how much better this movie could be with better acting. Josh Harnett was very effective at playing a despondent character seeking his lost love but seems wooden when trying to woo Lisa in flashback scenes and when dealing with his character's fiancée Rebecca. Matthew Lillard toned down his doofus slacker persona and it somehow worked but the movie might have been better with someone else.The two lead actresses fared better. I would have expected a stronger performance from Rose Byrne. But I suppose the fragile waif she played was better for the movie than say an aggressive woman. She showed so much vulnerability when the story begins to unravel. And Diane Kruger was surprisingly good, all the times I said she was a pretty face that could not act, I take it back.I've seen the DVDs of this movie at the marked down bins in some stores and have ignored it. I might not buy it at full price, but next time I see a copy cheap I'll buy it.
it's just GREAT!
posted on 02 Jun 2009This is the best movie I've seen in months and I really wanted to share it with you. I wouldn't call it a love story, because it's way beyond that. It grabs you without even noticing; It's about never giving-up on what you love and about fighting all the way to the end for that. It's a life story well spoken. I believe Josh did a great job with this part he played. Matt and Lisa are trying to find each other after being separated quite a long time against their will. I don't think Alex is to be blamed for what she's done because she fought for the same thing: love..using different means, though.. I think you'll agree with me once you've seen it, it's an excellent movie with a great story..
Interesting and Heartbreaking
posted on 31 May 2009First I have never watched the French film to which the other reviews have referred. So maybe that helped me enjoy this movie. Perhaps, I am biased, having lost someone I loved very much without warning and with no explanation, but I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I loved the camera work, the music was perfect for the film's mood and all the stars were fantastic. I thought Hartnett and Kruger had great chemistry. I would have to agree I was worried after watching Diane in Troy but she did in fact redeem herself in Wicker Park. Josh Hartnett has a quality that is just breathtaking to me--he totally seems this part--sensitive and feeling. I could feel the pain of all the stars. I felt this movie and maybe that's why I loved it so much. It made me feel love, pain, love, loss and love again. I cried at the ending and couldn't wait to watch it again. I for one cannot wait to buy the upcoming DVD.
Great Thriller
posted on 27 May 2009In this movie Josh Hartnett is a successful business man who is returning to his old home for a brief time to see if he can find his old love. It turns out another girl was in love with him and it is the story about what she does to try to get him, and keep him from his old love. This is a great thriller that I really enjoyed.
Terrible Movie
posted on 25 May 2009I don't dislike that many movies... but i just watched this one and was waiting for it to be over the entire time. It was extremely predictable and completely mind numbing. It is easily the worst movie that i have watched this year I would not recommend it to anyone. Basically the whole movie revolves around coincidences that anyone can see coming from a mile away. The ending was OK but overall the acting was terrible. Also you were not involved enough with the characters to really care whether things worked out for them or not. The movie starts at one point in time and kinda skips around without much dialog never really draws you in or makes you care.
A mess
posted on 17 May 2009I saw "Wicker Park" at a preview screening last night and throughout the entire film kept getting the feeling that a better film lay buried somewhere in the slick cinematography, the non-linear structure and the superficial script. Though I haven't seen it, I suspect that the better film I was detecting is "L'Appartement," the French original upon "Wicker Park" is based.
Very briefly, Matt (Josh Hartnett) is introduced to us as a successful young ad-man with a promising career and an attractive, doting fiancee. On the eve of an important business trip to China, he overhears a voice he believes belongs to a woman (Diane Kruger) who mysteriously disappeared from his life two years before. He is instantly compelled to find her again, disregarding both his job and his fiancee in the process. His obsession grows as he follows clues that seem to lead him to a dead end, but nothing is as it appears.
On the surface, the main problem with Wicker Park seems to be that it can't decide whether to be a suspense film or a romance, and so fails to do either very well. The real problem, however, is that at no point does the film ever explore what lies beneath its flashy surface. The romance between the main leads is told in fractured flashback sequences that do nothing to establish geniune chemistry between the characters. We are never given a sense of what makes the relationship so powerful for these people that it still haunts them two years later (the present-day setting of most of the story). The consequence: the resolution of the romantic plot seems arbitrary, and not earned (and then there's the matter of using Coldplay's "The Scientist" for the film's last scene, a mismatched music cue if I ever heard one).
Similarly, director Paul McGuigan and screenwriter Brandon Boyce give us precious little information about what drives the suspense plot other than a few longing looks from the character who engineers it. Is this what passes for motivation these days? Presumably, a restaurant scene toward the end of the film, where the plot threads finally all collide, is supposed to explain some of this. Unfortunately, it's a poorly handled, poorly written scene, though its one virtue is that it doesn't devolve into the predictable full-blown psycho-killer hysteria I was dreadedly anticipating. (And why do the characters only ever go to this one restaurant? I've been to Chicago, I know there's more than one place to eat.)
There are a number of other problems with "Wicker Park" - an unresolved wisp of a subplot that provides an important story point and is then discarded; the clumsy, identical way each flashback is introduced, etc. - that suggests this is the work of filmmakers who are clearly out of their depth. Greater skill at balancing the story conflicts might have yielded a more satisfying film, so inasmuch as "Wicker Park" is a bad movie, it's really more frustrating for being an intriguing idea that is very poorly executed.
O Lisa! Lisa! Wherefore Art Thou Lisa?
posted on 09 May 2009This film vacillates between romance, mystery and occasional flashes of humor, and the story is accompanied by a varied and sometimes overly loud sountrack. It is simultaneously a story of lost opportunities, the search for closure, and the pursuit of a dream (or is it a romantic obsession?) sequenced in an interesting and clever manner by Director Paul McGuigan. It is almost two hours in length and the storyline takes shape slowly at the beginning, so a theatergoer should be prepared for it to take a while to become involved with the characters and for the pace to accelerate.
The movie opens with Matt (Josh Hartnett) rushing to a Chicago restaurant to meet his girlfriend and her family before he is scheduled to leave for Shanghai on a business trip. (He is employed by his girlfriend's brother.) Luke (Matthew Lillard), an old friend who does not know that Matt has returned to Chicago from living in NYC, spots him on the street as he is about to enter the restaurant and Matt promises that they will get together when he returns from China. While making a visit to the restroom after using the pretext of the need to make a phone call (apparently he doesn't own a cell phone) when the discussion of marriage was brought up, Matt accidentally overhears a phone conversation involving a woman who apparently fears for her safety. Once he concentrates upon the call, he is convinced it is the voice of his former girlfriend Lisa, who mysteriously disappeared overnight two years ago. Her unexplained absence after failing to meet her for a planned rendezvous in WICKER PARK caused the heartbreak which resulted in his decision to move to NYC. The woman rushes from the restaurant before he can confront her, but he finds a hotel key left folded in a newspaper in the phone booth. One of the few predictable moments in the movie occurs when Matt decides he has to attempt to locate the woman and determine if it is indeed Lisa, with whom he is still obsessed.
So, Matt's odyssey begins. He enlists Luke's help, who is of course stunned that Matt would postpone his business trip and take the chance of completely ruining his current relationship. However, in a flashback we soon discover that Luke played a significant role in Matt's initial meeting with Lisa (Diane Kruger). Furthermore, the state of Luke's relationship with his girlfriend and budding actress Alex (Rose Byrne) leaves a lot to be desired. The complexity of the interrelationships betwen the characters is gradually revealed, and while the surprise at the center of the story is not as great as that in the SIXTH SENSE, many of the same cinematic techniques of time shifting, misdirection, and well disguised clues are employed. Since I do not want to include any spoilers, I will simply summarize the story by saying that the tension builds gradually as the degree of the manipulation resulting from the romantic obsession of one of the characters is gradually revealed.
This is not a film for moviegoers who like linear plot expositions and easily categorizable stories. The element which causes it to rise above the usual mundane two or three star film about a manipulative psycho acting out a romantic fantasy is the structure of the film. The story is told in very nonlinear fashion, with cuts to flashbacks of events two years ago becoming more frequent as the film proceeds. Flashbacks to events that have just transpired are also interspersed, but these are experienced from the point of view of other than the primary narrator Matt. On occasion the technique was disorienting until I became accustomed to it, because the viewer has to figure out when the action is occuring. But if you stay alert, it was a very efective way of illuminating the events involved and adding contex through the rapidly changing perspectives. I definitely would have to watch the film again in order to see how often such juxtapositions could actually be recognized by an alert moviegoer and how many were totally a function of utilizing closeups which obscured the totality of the action. In summary, this is a technically interesting and well acted film telling a moderately interesting. The tension is palpable, because the viewer is never sure until the end whether it is primarily a romance or a psyhological thriller. (I certainly won't tell!) In conclusion, this is a story of both shattered lives and restored dreams.
Tucker Andersen
Seems to Consciously Sidestep Its Themes.
posted on 31 Aug 2009"Wicker Park" was promoted as a thriller, but the occasional suspense is a device rather than the film's focus. It might be better described as a psychological maze or game of blind tag. Matthew (Josh Hartnett) has returned to Chicago after a 2-year absence, having left the city heartbroken that the woman he loved, Lisa (Diane Kruger), had abandoned him with no explanation. Back in Chicago, just as he prepares to jet off to China on business, Matthew thinks he catches a glimpse of Lisa in a restaurant. Obsessed with finding her, he drops everything and sets off on a relentless search, aided halfheartedly by an old friend, Luke (Matthew Lillard), who has romantic troubles of his own. Matthew's search leads him to an apartment occupied by a woman named Lisa (Rose Byrne), sure enough. She happens to wear the same style coat and shoes as his Lisa, but is an entirely different woman who is interested in Matthew nonetheless.
"Wicker Park" is loosely based on the 1996 French film "L'Appartement", and it retains that film's preponderance of flashbacks. Half of the story is told in flashback, as we are being shown two series of events: one that took place 2 years before and one that is contemporary. There is a lot of potential for confusion as the film juggles both identity confusion and temporal uncertainty. But "Wicker Park" manages to avoid chaos and present a coherent, if not very affecting, picture of unfulfilled desire. The characters all have their hearts set on being with someone other than the person they have. Everyone loves another, forming a circle of passion and denial. This is intriguing up to a point -the point being when they start playing telephone tag. -Writers and directors take note: this never works as a dramatic device. "Wicker Park" toys with being a thriller, but never has enough bite. And it exceeds the quota for coincidences. The film might be an exploration of desire, but most of the characters are too soft around the edges. Rose Byrne's Lisa is the exception. She is the pivot around which the story turns, and Byrne pulls it off. She's intense and vulnerable, crazy and sympathetic, and she should have been more prominent. "Wicker Park" isn't bad light entertainment if you don't insist on it having any pay-off. It's just a flat interpretation of interesting ideas.
The DVD: Bonus features include an audio commentary by director Paul McGuigan and actor Josh Hartnett, 11 deleted scenes, a short gag reel, a music video for Postal Service's bad rendition of "Against All Odds", a photo gallery of on-set photos and publicity stills, a promotional spot for the soundtrack, and a theatrical trailer. In the audio commentary, McGuigan and Hartnett discuss filming in Montreal, Canada. It's sporadically interesting, but the commentary is too laid back to be informative. Subtitles for the film are available in English, French, and Spanish. Dubbing is available in French.