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Parents' Guide to

Basic

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Basically bad and sorry attempt at a thriller.

Movie R 2003 98 minutes
Basic Poster Image

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The "basic" premise of this poorly-constructed thriller is to tell you one thing and then turn it upside down and then do that again about six more times in ninety minutes. By the time we have seen multiple variations of the same story, we really don't care anymore which version is right. It doesn't help much that the final answer is so nonsensical.

The dialogue is terrible. Fortunately, it's frequently drowned out by the incessant rainstorms that howl throughout all the flashbacks. The rain also makes it difficult to tell the characters apart. Those excited to see Travolta reunited with his Pulp Fiction co-star Samuel L. Jackson should know that they appear together only very briefly, and, in any event, their performances are among the most single-dimensioned they've ever given. Jackson just yells and Travolta just grins. Furthermore, Connie Nielson has the worst attempt at a Southern accent in memory.

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