IR HE Review: THE LONELY CROWD [Desario]
The aspect of a crime noir and the bad guys comes down to cinematic context, tone and some hard-boiled elements. “The Lonely Crows” uses online dating as a jumping off point. Adam Wesley stars as Peter, a former baseball pitcher that happens to live in Los Angeles (or its periphery) and is jaded by love. After running into his now-engaged ex-girlfriend who is dating an idiot, he decides to give it one last try. Enter Taylor Anne Danehower as Ashley who seems to have some rights things going for her but others that put up a red flag. Danehower, at times, rises above the material because she has a certain look and performance that registers well. The same was felt with a movie called “Crooks” at Tribeca Film Festival this year though that one just abandoned a similar character for another (and lost the audience). Ashley is the crux here since she picks the wrong men and yet it seems like it works with the back and forth.
The problem is that the bad guy seems to have more chemistry with her most times than Peter (so it makes it less possible for you to root for the good guy). Peter functions out of a sense of duty and sneakiness. He seems into Ashley but it never quite seems genuine. The bad guy aspect (Ashley's ex-boyfriend Jake) and his cohorts as corrupt cops are bad yes but it uses a small car accident to show how bad her ex boyfriend is (which is a bit of a poser ploy thing to do in comparison to others). Peter gets pulled in beyond his means but the plot mechanics very much strain credibility. The best moments are in a hotel room where the two characters of Peter and Ashley actually start to get to know each other. It builds it up and then breaks it down. The angle of the bad girl gone good can work but at the end it is done in broad terms with a floral dress which seems out of tone for that character. The final action scene is an interesting setting, not unlike the recent finale of the Apple TV show “Lucky". "The Lonely Crowd" hits the final note as a metaphor but it just seems too "gee-golly". Peter’s redemption is understood and might be earned but it just seems to happen without much rigamorale. You also know that when there are so many f-bombs as seen in one specific scene, the script wasn't quite right (or done). "The Lonely Crowd" knows what it wants to be but only partially gets there with the one saving Grace in actress Taylor Anne Danehower. D+/68%
By Tim Wassberg
