Movie Review

By Ian Stanford

Thursday, April 26, 2007

The only Oscar-winning performance in Vacancy goes to that teenage couple sitting in the third row, who need to act frightened for an excuse to cuddle while the seats around them become the same as this film — vacant of anything redeemable.

Quarreling spouses David and Amy Fox (Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale) walk into a Bates Motel-inspired death trap where the quirky innkeeper (Frank Whaley) gets his kicks recording and then selling torture tapes starring his unfortunate guests. Their relationship rekindled in the face of danger, David and Amy agree to put past problems behind them and start anew — if they can survive.

Vacancy ranks right up with your typical cornball slasher flick in predictability, despite the fact that it avoids going overboard with gore. Director Nimrod Antal and writer Mark L Smith could have learned a few things from Hitchcock about creating suspense by withholding motives until the end (pardon the gross understatement and ridiculous comparison). Instead, Vacancy reveals all its blah tricks in the first half hour, leaving a sedated audience lazily awaiting a twist that never comes. The only “surprise” is downright laughable: Wilson’s character seemingly comes back to life, showing that this R-rated movie hasn’t outgrown the self-limiting need for a happy ending.

Rated R

80 minutes

★★ out of 5 stars

 

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