The ultramodern debut of director Max Joseph “128 beats of heart per minute”, the reviews of which are very mixed, was a real discovery of the talent of its creator and some actors, but did not make much impression on the mass audience.
Plot
What is so remarkable about the plot of the 96-minute film “128 Heart Beats Per Minute”, the reviews of which were very colorful after the premiere? Everything is very simple: a non-trivial plot, designed for progressive people who are versed in music, and adolescents, provided 50% success. In addition, the director and producers acted according to plan and tried to create a quality product with a modest budget on a relevant topic.
In the center of the picture is the success story of DJ Cole Carter, who lives in the Valley, but dreams of Hollywood, fame, success and world dance venues, which he will surely be able to swing, thanks to his talent and one track. In the meantime, Cole works in the office of the tough guy Paige, who solves the problems of borrowers in banks. In his spare time, Cole and four of his friends attend parties in search of happiness and in pursuit of a dream.
At one of these parties, a talented guy meets eminent dj James, who decides to help the guy create the first track. Suddenly, Cole’s dream is threatened by a feeling that arises between him and the girl of his producer.
Director, actors and roles
It is interesting that the picture became a kind of debut for Max Joseph, who appeared in it not only as a screenwriter, but also as a director. As a result, “128 heartbeats per minute,” reviews of which were different, showed Joseph's versatility. Prior to this film, there were only a few short films on his account.
An important fact was that the director and producers managed to attract world-famous celebrities to their project. The film “128 beats of heart per minute”, the actors and roles of which left a rather mixed impression on movie connoisseurs and spectators, by and large opened up for critics a new facet of the talent of the world-famous Zac Efron.
When film critics heard that this handsome handsome man was involved in the main role, many of them immediately decided that the project had little chance of success, but they were mistaken. Across the world, viewers warmly welcomed the musical melodrama 128 Heart Beats Per Minute. Actors and roles in the project were meticulously thought out by the producers and the director.
The main female role was played by the model Emily Ratakovsky, who had already managed to take part in several projects, the most significant of which was the disappeared thriller. The role of the producer was played by Wes Bentley, he took part in several large-scale projects. The remaining characters in the picture are young actors, little known to the wide audience.
Film premiere and reviews from critics
“128 beats of heart per minute,” reviews of which differ from viewers and critics, was released on large screens on August 20, 2015. The premiere took place at the Chinese Theater, in the historical part of Hollywood. At the premiere, in addition to the director himself, there were also the main actors: Zac Efron and Emily Ratakovsky.
A large number of celebrities did not attend the premiere, and yet it attracted the attention of the press. Little was written about the event, it was noted in its column by critics of The Hollywood Reporter's, calling Efron one of the most promising actors of our time, who showed a new facet of his talent in the musical melodrama 128 Heart Beats Per Minute.
Reviews about the film were also formed by the most prestigious foreign publications, such as Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and CinemaScore. Based on the ratings of the audience, the picture received a solid five out of ten possible points and C + status.
128 Heart Beats Per Minute: Spectator Reviews
Perhaps the main indicator of the success of the film is the box office at the box office. In the United States, music drama received over a million dollars on its first piggy bank this weekend, and for a product with a budget of 6 million this is a good indicator. Nevertheless, the producers failed to hit the big jackpot, most likely, they did not count on this. In total, the rental melodrama collected a little more than $ 3.5 million in the United States and more than $ 600 thousand in Russia.
The film “128 heartbeats per minute” received mixed reviews from the audience. The young generation, for which this masterpiece was designed, liked it, but had their own nuances. People versed in electronic music made critical remarks, paying attention to the fact that so many beats per minute is not the best rhythm for a music track. Now it is practically not used, although in the era of the emergence of a culture of this direction, it was only used by DJs.
As for the overall impression of the film, most viewers noted the maximum realism of the plot, which the director tried to achieve, and the excellent game of Efron and Bentley, but Ratakovsky is still far from a real actress.
Some viewers, leaving comments about the film "128 beats per minute", reviews were written critical because of the love line in the plot. They drew attention to the fact that it is she who makes the picture less modern. No matter how much the director wanted, he still returned to the generally accepted canons of cinema and assigned a significant place in the script to romantic relationships. It was the love triangle of the main characters that attracted girls to cinemas to watch the melodrama “128 Heart Beats Per Minute”. The actors, whose reviews were different, coped with the task assigned to them and managed to convey the main message of this picture - to follow their dream.