Live!

A surprisingly plausible mockumentary, Live! follows an ambitious (and callous) television executive (Eva Mendes’ Katy) as she attempts to put a new reality show into production that would see six strangers play a game of Russian Roulette live on the air – with her colleagues’ initial horror eventually giving way to acceptance as the rather lucrative nature of the program becomes clear. (As one of Katy’s underlings notes, “the potential to see people die is an unbelievable draw.”) It’s an intriguing setup that’s initially employed to captivating effect by filmmaker Bill Guttentag, as the writer/director does a nice job of luring the viewer into the proceedings by establishing an atmosphere of authenticity that proves impossible to resist (ie it’s not difficult to envision actual TV execs greenlighting such a program). The engaging vibe persists for about a half hour or so, after which point the thin premise is slowly but surely stretched beyond its breaking point – with the ongoing emphasis on Katy’s bureaucratic battles draining one’s interest and ensuring that the film’s midsection comes off as an almost hopelessly repetitive slog. There’s little doubt, however, that things pick up once the controversial show starts, as the inherently engrossing and suspenseful nature of the program is heightened by the efforts of a surprisingly talented roster of performers – with Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s hypnotically charismatic turn as a down-on-his-luck contestant certainly standing as a highlight within the proceedings. It’s a compelling stretch that almost compensates for the unevenness of all that precedes it (as well as the tacky and eye-rollingly sententious bent of the finale), which effectively cements Live!‘s place as a watchable (yet disappointing) piece of work.

**1/2 out of ****