Admission: I have read the book this film is based on by Chuck Palahnuik so my view of it is tainted. As a fan of the book I was very curious how Clark Clegg would adapted what is in essence a very NC-17 rated dark comedy. I have bad news folks. This one is a dud. It has its moments. There was even times when I thought the film might transcend below-average-ville into the neighborhood of decent land. But it never does. Sam Rockwell delivers a pretty good performance but you can tell its the script that is keeping his talents tied down. Mostly it makes the same mistakes all bad book adaptions make and that is it stays too true to the book without finding its own identity as a film. Cinematically it's very flat without the visual artistry most audiences crave for and expect . Clark is an actor with the best intentions yet his directing chops need some work if he is ever to prove to me he knows what he's doing. I read he rushed its completion to get into Sundance and it shows. My suggestion with this one is to just read the book. It's a much better experience. Grade: C+.
Spoiler: I must add that the sex in this film is as bland as the underdeveloped characters that populate this film. There's got to be a way to make this film rated-R without sacrificing the raunchiness. If only the book had been optioned by a more daring individual. For example the "fake rape" scene was pitiful. The comic blundering is lost when you don't show even some nudity. I especially was insulted by the sex scenes with the doctor. It's painfully obvious they're acting like their having sex.
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