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DVD Review
The Battle of Shaker Heights
By Stephen Lucas Published January 7, 2004
US Release: August 22, 2003
Directed by: Efram Potelle Kyle Rankin
Starring: Shia LaBeouf , Elden Henson , Amy Smart , Shiri Appleby
PG-13
Running Time: 85 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $279,000
Directed by: Efram Potelle Kyle Rankin
Starring: Shia LaBeouf , Elden Henson , Amy Smart , Shiri Appleby
PG-13
Running Time: 85 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $279,000
C+
The film is fun enough to keep viewers interested, but not quite memorable. Having seen the final product, I?d still rather talk about how the film got made (having seen it happen on the TV show) as opposed to the film itself.
The battles fought in the new film, ?The Battle of Shaker Heights,? are by no means ones that haven?t been fought before; bullies at school, the longing for love, and family matters aren?t new topics. What this film has, however, is snappy dialogue and the charisma of relative newcomer Shia LaBoeuf (?Holes?). He plays Kelley, a high school senior who?s something of a social outcast and doesn?t seem to let many people into his life without, well, a fight. Kelley?s story is rather predictable and it borders on mediocrity oftentimes, but for the most part, LaBoeuf kept me interested.
?Shaker Heights? opens with a very foggy war scene, sunshine beaming through the trees. Soldiers run and open fire; explosions erupt; and then, in the middle of a tense moment where a man is held at gunpoint, the unexpected happens: a cell phone rings. This bit of comic relief sets the film?s bittersweet tone, having shown a serious side and then quickly changing gears to comedy; much of the film follows a pattern similar to that, but not so abruptly.
The reason why this scene is in the film isn?t solely metaphoric: Kelley has an immense fascination with warfare and battle, which fuels his passion for participating in war reenactments. The connection to the film?s story (and title) is a bit too elementary, but when is the last time we?ve seen a teenage war re-enactor as cool as this one?
What Kelley learns about life is essentially common even though he?s a quirky and interesting character. The outcome of most of the subplots is tied nicely in a bow, which equally frustrated me; if only writer Erica Beeney could have matched her good dialogue with plot twists that were as cunning. In a film like this, originality is key; ?Shaker Heights? doesn?t exactly falter but it never quite goes beyond more than just okay. However, there are several funny scenes, most of which stem from Kelley?s erratic character.
Many of you may already be aware of Project Greenlight, the internet-based screenwriting/directing contest created by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Chris Moore. In the contest, screenwriters and directors compete to make a movie. ?The Battle of Shaker Heights? is the second of two films that have been made as a product of the contest so far; the first was ?Stolen Summer,? a better-acted but much less accomplished film than ?Shaker Heights.?
The one thing I criticize Project Greenlight for allowing to happen is to have made another coming-of-age story. Although ?Heights? is a more enjoyable picture, I would have liked to have seen them choose a different film to do because of this one?s rather by-the-numbers structure. I admire the dialogue in ?Shaker Heights,? but I get a sense that directors Kyle Rankin and Efram Potelle tried too hard in directing the movie as a whole; there are moments with Kelley?s family that feel forced and overly choreographed, giving them a mute delivery and impact. Essentially, the emphasis on that subplot quickly lost my interest in the stream thing things.
I hope that if there?s a third Project Greenlight competition, something different and possibly a bit more controversial is chosen; so far, the contest has given us two fantastic, hilarious seasons of a reality show and two almost-identical films that pale in comparison. This isn?t to say that ?The Battle of Shaker Heights? is a mediocre film, but to continue such a great concept, things need to be taken up a notch. The philosophy of Project Greenlight has been to make films that probably wouldn?t have gotten made; ?Shaker Heights? is accessible and mainstream enough to have gotten made at some point.
That aside, the film is fun enough to keep viewers interested, but not quite memorable. Having seen the final product, I?d still rather talk about how the film got made (having seen it happen on the TV show) as opposed to the film itself. Granted, ?Project Greenlight? is among the best shows on TV (in my opinion), but there aren?t many memories of ?Shaker Heights? I care to remember.
The best thing about this film is its star, Shia LaBoeuf. ?The Battle of Shaker Heights? gives him ninety minutes to show off his talent: he can be funny, charismatic, and heartfelt, and perhaps that?s all this film needed to have. Project Greenlight is a contest that strives to make names for its participants, and even though LaBoeuf didn?t write or direct this film, his name surely benefits, and so does his audience ? maybe next time he?ll star in a film as grand as his talent.
?Shaker Heights? opens with a very foggy war scene, sunshine beaming through the trees. Soldiers run and open fire; explosions erupt; and then, in the middle of a tense moment where a man is held at gunpoint, the unexpected happens: a cell phone rings. This bit of comic relief sets the film?s bittersweet tone, having shown a serious side and then quickly changing gears to comedy; much of the film follows a pattern similar to that, but not so abruptly.
The reason why this scene is in the film isn?t solely metaphoric: Kelley has an immense fascination with warfare and battle, which fuels his passion for participating in war reenactments. The connection to the film?s story (and title) is a bit too elementary, but when is the last time we?ve seen a teenage war re-enactor as cool as this one?
What Kelley learns about life is essentially common even though he?s a quirky and interesting character. The outcome of most of the subplots is tied nicely in a bow, which equally frustrated me; if only writer Erica Beeney could have matched her good dialogue with plot twists that were as cunning. In a film like this, originality is key; ?Shaker Heights? doesn?t exactly falter but it never quite goes beyond more than just okay. However, there are several funny scenes, most of which stem from Kelley?s erratic character.
Many of you may already be aware of Project Greenlight, the internet-based screenwriting/directing contest created by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Chris Moore. In the contest, screenwriters and directors compete to make a movie. ?The Battle of Shaker Heights? is the second of two films that have been made as a product of the contest so far; the first was ?Stolen Summer,? a better-acted but much less accomplished film than ?Shaker Heights.?
The one thing I criticize Project Greenlight for allowing to happen is to have made another coming-of-age story. Although ?Heights? is a more enjoyable picture, I would have liked to have seen them choose a different film to do because of this one?s rather by-the-numbers structure. I admire the dialogue in ?Shaker Heights,? but I get a sense that directors Kyle Rankin and Efram Potelle tried too hard in directing the movie as a whole; there are moments with Kelley?s family that feel forced and overly choreographed, giving them a mute delivery and impact. Essentially, the emphasis on that subplot quickly lost my interest in the stream thing things.
I hope that if there?s a third Project Greenlight competition, something different and possibly a bit more controversial is chosen; so far, the contest has given us two fantastic, hilarious seasons of a reality show and two almost-identical films that pale in comparison. This isn?t to say that ?The Battle of Shaker Heights? is a mediocre film, but to continue such a great concept, things need to be taken up a notch. The philosophy of Project Greenlight has been to make films that probably wouldn?t have gotten made; ?Shaker Heights? is accessible and mainstream enough to have gotten made at some point.
That aside, the film is fun enough to keep viewers interested, but not quite memorable. Having seen the final product, I?d still rather talk about how the film got made (having seen it happen on the TV show) as opposed to the film itself. Granted, ?Project Greenlight? is among the best shows on TV (in my opinion), but there aren?t many memories of ?Shaker Heights? I care to remember.
The best thing about this film is its star, Shia LaBoeuf. ?The Battle of Shaker Heights? gives him ninety minutes to show off his talent: he can be funny, charismatic, and heartfelt, and perhaps that?s all this film needed to have. Project Greenlight is a contest that strives to make names for its participants, and even though LaBoeuf didn?t write or direct this film, his name surely benefits, and so does his audience ? maybe next time he?ll star in a film as grand as his talent.
Stephen's Grade: C+
Stephen's Overall Grading: 23 graded movies
| A | 8.7% | |
| B | 43.5% | |
| C | 47.8% | |
| D | 0.0% | |
| F | 0.0% |
'Shaker Heights' Articles
- Lee's DVD review B-
January 7, 2004 The premise is clich? and doesn?t exactly open up grand windows for originality, but the execution through the actors ? especially our young lead, Shia LaBeouf ? makes the movie tolerable and even occasionally funny. -- Lee Tistaert
