Just a Strange Movie
It's New Year's Eve and 3 girl friends who share a place are discussing what they want from the next year romantically. Three guys are also discussing romance and what is important and isn't when it comes to their futures. Whilst these girls and guys are yet to meet over the course of the year it is inevitable that they will cross paths during the trials and tribulations of dating.
Three guys, three girls and referencing "Friends" on the DVD cover "Strange Planet" is a curious movie which I will say right now didn't work for me and became a struggle to keep watching. Now what "Strange Planets" wants to be is a romantic comedy with an edge so whilst we have the familiarity of the storyline it will throw something at you such as a guy answering the phone in the middle of sex and not stopping whilst talking on it. Sounds okay but unfortunately it doesn't work and as the movie goes along the combination of comically edgy, comically traditional and these guys and girls discussing life in a philosophical manner fails to generate the empathy that is needed.
And here is the simple reason why "Strange Planet" doesn't work and becomes a struggle, the characters are not likeable. Don't get me wrong as it isn't a case that you hate them but we don't really get introduced to them, the girls act brash and inconsiderately whilst the men are shallow and so to like and warm to them is incredibly difficult and even as the movie goes on it does little to make any of them charming enough to care for.
What this all boils down to is that I can see what the idea of "Strange Planet" was aiming to be, a more intellectual romantic comedy but by failing to present the audience with characters who are likeable it throws up a brick wall right away to being able to like or relate to the characters which means even some funny scenes don't truly work because of the poorly written characters.
