Even with
regards to independent film, rarely is it ever a bad thing for a film to be too
visually accomplished. I can think of very few instances when I have found the
strength of a film’s visual flair and stylistic showcasing to be a detriment
rather than an asset. Squatters is a
film that offers a polished look from director Martin Weisz (Grimm Love, The
Hills Have Eyes II), but it is wasted on an unfortunate script from
actor-turned writer Justin Shilton. What starts as a compelling albeit
farfetched premise turns into an exercise in indecision as the film attempts to
fit in with as many genres as possible. The first half of the film drifts with
no clear direction, leading into a bit of a gangster narrative which blends
from Bonnie and Clyde to a completely
different love story cliché.
The premise is
simple, but it somehow manages to still feel unbelievable and convoluted by
poor research and sloppy screenwriting. We join Kelly (Gabriella Wilde) and
Jonas (Thomas Dekker) living on Venice Beach, which is sadly the most
believable portion of the introduction, and are given no previous knowledge of
their relationship with each other. When he leaves her to forage for things to
steal, Jonas writes a note on Kelly’s forearm indicating some kind of
established relationship, but then there is an awkward distance between them
for the rest of the film. Kelly secretly pines for the son of the owner of a
house that Jonas brings her to.
That’s right;
the title is an accurate description of at least the first half of the film.
Jonas overhears wealthy Pacific Palisades housewife (Nancy Travis) telling her
house security codes to the maid before leaving on vacation with her husband
(Richard Dreyfuss). Jonas rescues a drunken Kelly and somehow transports her
limp body to this newly acquired safe haven, where very little happens between
the two of them. The film drags as Jonas drives the cars in the garage and
seeks a way to sell items in the house while Kelly watches old home movies and
predictably falls in love with the son (Luke Grimes).
Just in case
this wasn’t enough to amplify the dangers of the singular concept within the
film, or in case another genre added in could save the screenwriter from not
knowing what to do with the initial premise, there is also a violent
cross-dressing criminal (Andrew Howard) who becomes involved when promised
goods from the house Jonas and Kelly are squatting in. This provides a
completely unnecessary slow-motion/still motion action shot in the film’s
climax, which is not nearly as indulgent or unnecessary as the three done for
the film’s sex scene, orchestrated with awkwardly staged implied nudity.
Entertainment Value:
6/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 4/10
Just watched it on Tubi. I remember the Decker kid from "The Sarah Connors Chronicles" as John Connor as a teen. Yeah the movie ended up pretty lame and those same scenes bothered me too,
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