Third Person

Written and directed by Paul Haggis, Third Person charts the comings and goings of several seemingly unconnected characters – including Liam Neeson’s maladjusted writer, Adrian Brody’s corporate thief, and Olivia Wilde’s troubled assistant. Filmmaker Haggis does an effective job of initially luring the viewer into the deliberately-paced proceedings, as Third Person benefits from a proliferation of relatively well-drawn characters and the solid performances behind them – although it’s clear that, even in its early stages, the picture moves far too slowly to wholeheartedly capture the viewer’s attention and interest. (And it doesn’t help, certainly, that the many of the movie’s subplots are ultimately far too uneventful to make much of a positive impact.) Haggis’ decision to withhold certain pivotal facts until the end contributes heavily to the progressively uninvolving atmosphere (ie it’s difficult to wholeheartedly embrace these figures’ problems when we’re not entirely sure what they are), while there’s little doubt that some of these storylines remain entirely unable to achieve liftoff (eg the Brody stuff is just terminally silly). By the time the ludicrous finale rolls around, Third Person has undoubtedly confirmed its place as a complete misfire that makes Haggis’ Crash look flawless by comparison.

*1/2 out of ****