While She Was Out - Review on a Not So Good Film

I watched the 2008 Susan Montford film, While She Was Out, starring Kim Basinger on Netflix, and decided to post an entry about it.

The film is about a woman, Della (Basinger,) who, already frustrated with the events going on in her life that day, leaves a note on a fellow driver's windshield.

The car was taking up two parking spaces in the extremely crowded mall parking lot on that Christmas Eve night.

Della is later terrorized by the very people who own the car.

They shoot and kill a mall security guard who confronts them as they approach Della in the parking lot.

Della, their witness, takes off!!

Something they cannot afford.

The film was originally a short story written by Edward Bryant.

And it should have stayed a short story if you ask me.

Susan Montford expanded it, and directed and produced the film.

This is the only film I found that Montford wrote, which was no surprise to me.

The only film I recognized that she produced was the film, Splice, which I wouldn't watch to save my life!!

I enjoyed the intro to this film.

Just the inside of a car, looking out of windshield, driving through an upper class suburban neighborhood with soothing music in the background.

Maybe it was the large houses to look at that made me like it.

You grow instantly sympathetic to Basinger's character, Della from the beginning.

The movie sort of seems like it's written by a middle schooler.

The story just moved too fast, and the reason for the attackers' attack is beyond ridiculous.

A lot of the things said by the young attackers were relatable and realistic.

Believable.

However, there were so many corny and cheesy lines out of them throughout the film.

It really makes me wonder about Basinger's place on the cast.

Is it because of her good acting despite the film's awfulness, and the fact that she was a Bond girl in the film, Never Say Never, and was fit physically for her age and the roll?

 Or because she has somewhat of a name to draw some audiences in?

  

I do have to give it to this film though: the car chase scene, along with a couple of other scenes were pretty intense!!

But that doesn't make up for anything!!

A lot of the lines and actions of the characters were so cliche.

At some points I asked myself out loud, "Really?"

Her reaction after everything is done and over throws a watcher off a mon avis.

And don't even get me started on the ending.

Where the hell did THAT come from?

2 stars for its intensity.

I understand why this had limited theatrical releases, and very little publicity.

But it makes me wonder how films like,  

Prom Night (2008) 

and Black X-mas (2006) made it.

Perhaps because they're remakes?