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You’ve seen it happen. Your friend starts dating someone, and he or she starts to
change. A new shirt here, a new haircut there. Different music in the CD player. New
pastimes, new tastes. Often, it’s a healthy change—the new relationship brings out the
best in your friend, and he or she becomes happier and more well-rounded. But sometimes
those changes get a little out of hand.
Take Adam (Paul Rudd), for
example. He’s a pretty nerdy guy—a few pounds on the heavy side, frumpy clothes, tape on
the glasses. But then he meets Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) at the art museum where he works as
a guard—and where she’s about to deface a statue. Adam the shy nerd gets up enough
courage to ask Evelyn the hip, edgy art student out—and she actually says yes. And once
Adam and Evelyn start dating, Adam starts to change. He loses weight. He gets a new
haircut. He gets a new wardrobe.
Adam’s friends, Philip (Fred Weller) and
Jenny (Gretchen Mol), notice the change right away. Philip is annoyed by the change in
his friend—and he and Evelyn clash right from the start. Meanwhile, the New Adam
intrigues Jenny, who admits that she once had a crush on the old, shy Adam before she met
Philip.
Soon, Adam changes so much that he becomes a different person.
And as Adam changes more and more, Evelyn becomes more and more
controlling…
The Shape of Things is a play brought to the big
screen. For that reason, there’s a lot of dialogue and very little action—and there are
only four characters with speaking parts. Also for that reason, it seems to move rather
slowly at times—since it’s just an hour and a half of endless conversation. But
gradually, as the story approaches its conclusion, it picks up speed, and you know you’re
headed for a colossal train-wreck of an ending. Something with these characters just
isn’t right, you realize, and something’s got to go horribly wrong for them in the end.
I can’t tell you what happens, of course, but I can tell you that the
movie’s climax is both surprising and horrifying. It’s not a “Hey, that was neat” kind
of movie. It’s disturbing and thought-provoking, and you’ll find yourself staring at the
screen in shock and disbelief as the credits roll.
I have mixed feelings
about this film. I hate what happens—it made me cringe—but I didn’t hate the movie. I
actually liked it—despite the mediocre acting (though I thought Paul Rudd did a great job
playing a nerd) and the often snail-like pace. Although the ending is a bit over-the-top
and in-your-face (though perfect for edgy art student Evelyn), I found its statement
intriguing—and I could definitely appreciate its cleverness.
If you
appreciate modern art, you’ll appreciate The Shape of Things. If you’re baffled
by modern art, you’ll be pretty baffled by this movie, too. And either way, you’ll never
think of art in the same way again.
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