Oh, those gosh darn spirits … will they never cross over? What’s up? You guys need directions? An Uber? I’d draw you a map except I get the distinct impression you’d rend-rage it back at me. Look, if you can’t handle being dead, maybe you should have thought about that before dying. Now, go on, git.
In this mockery of the afterworld, some woman wants Nicolas Cage so badly, she comes back from the dead to hit that again. Wow, there is just no accounting for taste, is there? I, for one, might welcome death with open arms if I had to spend more than two hours/month with him, but hey, that’s just me. Clearly, there are those who feel otherwise … although I imagine most are young filmmakers overjoyed they can get a notable Oscar winner so cheap.
Truck driving Joe (Cage) is a drifter. Having lost wife and child to a fire years ago, Joe now considers many things a luxury … like happiness, frivolity, and hygiene. Joe, however, hasn’t lost his sense of chivalry. Hence, this combination of Sir Galahad and a dumpster diver comes the “rescue” of Julie (Franka Potente! Yes, Franke Potente) when she’s being choked in a diner bathroom stall. I’m not sure why Julie doesn’t Run Lola Run away from Joe when they meet, especially seeing as how he’s screwed up her chance at parenting a ghost.
I’m not sure how else I can put that. You see, Julie is in touch with the dead, but only when she’s Between Worlds, i.e. on the verge of dying herself, so when her daughter Billie (Penelope Mitchell) has crashed her motorcycle and clings to life, mom wants to die to show Billie how to live. Did you get all that? Good. Now you can explain it to me. Bottom line is Joe and the drifters become fixtures in Julie’s world. One important lesson to take from this film is: don’t trade your daughter for Nicolas Cage. If it comes down to that, let your daughter die and know you made the right choice.
I hate to spoil films; you know I do, but I cannot get over the most laughable moment I’ve seen in ages: Joe is screwing Billie (yes, Billie the kid, not mom) when Julie walks in on them. And given the situation where a mother catches her daughter having sex with the sleazy middle-aged man she brought home, Joe hops off his ride, and chases Julie down shouting, “WAIT! THAT IS MARY, MY DEAD WIFE!” As excuses go, you do think that one is going to play?
If this were the first time Nicolas Cage had ever appeared on film, I doubt he would have gotten a second chance. I’m used to hammy-Cage and over-the-top Cage and desperate-to-make-an-impression Cage, but flat-out bad acting? For a few scenes in Between World, Cage’s acting is just wrong, like he didn’t read the script or something. When you combine Sir Sleaze with the acting chops of Spencer Breslin and multiple sex scenes, you’ve unwittingly required a great deal for your audience to stomach. I dunno where Franke Potente has been hiding, but she should have Run Lola Run far away from this film.
For you spirits out there with an issue
Listen up. I got me a word or two:
If you’re gonna attack
I say, “Don’t come back!”
And next time take Nicolas with you
Rated R, 90 Minutes
Director: Maria Pulera
Writer: Maria Pulera
Genre: FYNC!
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: FYNC!
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: FYNC!
