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It is apparent that Ben Younger, the writer and director of "Boiler Room" not only has a working knowledge of boiler room like activities, but that he came from a brokerage firm that trades in Penny like stocks and the unscrupulous behavior that follows that type of market. The movie begins with Seth Davis played by Giovanni Ribisi (Saving Private Ryan) quoting the late rapper Notorious BIG, not a philosopher or poet but a performer that personifies gangster activities. What we learn next is he is a college dropout, drives his mothers car and runs a casino out of his New York apartment. His father is a Federal Court judge and disapproves of his son's illegal doings. Fate, a common theme here, is called into question when "it" lands on his doorstep, leading him to an interview at JP Marlin, a brokerage firm on Long Island. With the belief that this respectable job will bring him the love of his father, a nice girl and the quick buck he desires becoming part of this testosterone loaded world of penny brokers. Even after learning of the questionable and illegal activities he continues with the "churn and burn" mentality of these brokers. Ben Affleck (Dogma) plays a minor role of a JP Marlin recruiter named Jim, which provides the audience with a glimpse of the type of atmosphere to expect in the office. His star status is limited to two scenes. As with all films containing illegal activities the law steps in a takes it from there. But don't count on any real action from that either. This movie lacked any real performance by any of the actors. All that can be said for this film is testosterone testosterone testosterone. The feeling in and out of the office was testosterone, swearing and aggression. I felt like I was reliving the year I spent in a brokerage firm. "Boiler Room" was disturbing. It contained no depth of character or any real emotion to speak of. All they were able to convey was the workings of a boiler room. Even more distressing was I wrote a similar script about three years ago, which goes to show if you have seen one boiler room you have seen them all. I would recommend "Wall Street" starring Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen if you want real stock market adventure. Without seeing the cute bottom of Ben Affleck or Van Diesel who plays a fellow broker I really had nothing to entertain or hold my attention. So I was just distressed by this film. I give this film a rating of four couches out of 10, they did not sell me. Last updated: Thursday, March 20, 2008 02:49:46 AM |
