source: Pushing Tin

OK. This movie was !!. These are words for this movie taken from the Collins Thesaurus: annoying, banal, boring, deadly dull, drab, dreary, dreich, dull, fatiguing, ho-hum, humdrum, irksome, labourious lifeless, long-drawn-out, mind- numbing, monotonous, prosaic, prosy, soporific, tiring, unexciting, uninteresting, vapid, wearisome.

What the hell? Someone thought that THIS passed for a plot? I swear, NOTHING happens in "Pushing Tin". The entire movie is little more than two hours of people talking about disjointed topics. The movie isn't even so bad that it's good; it's just bad. John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, Cate Blanchett and Angelina Jolie are completely wasted. How on earth could director Mike Newell go from something as good as "Donnie Brasco" to this? At least he went on to direct "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". Look, there are lots of good movies out there. The very same year in which "Pushing Tin" came out, John Cusack also starred in "Being John Malkovich" and "Cradle will Rock", while Cate Blanchett starred in "The Talented Mr. Ripley". This one, however, is NOT worth your time.

At first glance, this movie is one big romp. A real scream - Billy Bob Thornton is one of those guys who can be hilarious (and kinda scare you at the same time) without ever opening his mouth. His eyes are silent movies. John Cusack is funny in a cute, desperate sort of way that makes you totally relate to what he's feeling. Cate Blanchett amuses us yet again with her chameleon-like ability to completely become a character you've never seen her as before, complete with appropriate accent, effortlessly carried. Watch it a second time, though, and you'll realize that this movie portrays how completely a person can screw up their own life by the attitudes they decide to adopt, and the way they react to the people around them. Cusack's character, "The Zone" Falzone, would like to think that his life is falling apart because of the new guy at work, but in reality every problem he's got is his own damn fault... a good lesson for all of us to chew on. Interesting note: The guy who plays Cusack's work buddy is currently starring as Patricia Arquette's husband on the TV series "Medium". He's very cute, now that he's lost the 80's "stache" and grown his hair out. He kinda reminds me of Steve Perry, with lighter hair. Not a bad thing. As always, the presence of Angelina Jolie in a movie adds a whole lot of sexual tension, and a little bit of insanity. I love, love, love her. I want to bite her lips off, chew them, and blow bubbles. I'm pretty sure they're strawberry flavored. Elysia

This movie never got off the ground - no pun intended. Waste of talent. Two of my favourite actors (Cusack and Thornton) did their jobs well but could not keep this film up in the air. Angeline Jolie's lips were so distracting to the point of wanting to throw something at the screen! Watch for this at your local video store next week. Don't waste your money - tell your friends not to waste their money.

Another brilliant performance by John Cusack, and an equally cool one by Billy Bob Thornton. These two actors work so well together, and provide a superb onscreen chemistry. There's some lovely visuals in there too, especially of the traffic control screens, or the standing on the runway video. The story is sometimes odd, and the characters derail in the wierdest fashion, but it's a nice story and has a message for all competitive people out there. You won't laugh insanely, but you'll giggle. A very enjoyable film.

Here's 1999's winner for the film least likely to be shown during an overseas flight. Cusack stars as a hotshot air traffic controller whose top dog status is threatened by the arrival of the equally gifted but enigmatic Billy Bob Thornton. Cusack's mounting rivalry with the inscrutable Thornton eventually consumes his personal life as he falls prey to Thornton's sexy wife (Angelina Jolie) and his marriage (to Cate Blanchett) gradually disintegrates. Director Mike Newell showed great flair in balancing comedy and drama in 1994's "Four Weddings And A Funeral", but here the mix is less assured and the extremes far too close together. Only fitfully amusing, "Pushing Tin" too rarely concentrates on its examination of air traffic controllers and their daily stresses, opting instead for a simple one-upmanship plotline with a superficial and sometimes flippant look at the men and women within whose hands we entrust our lives. The four leads are more than adequate in their roles, though the characters portrayed by Blanchett and Jolie (excellent during her brief appearances) are all but forgotten for long stretches at a time. As for rental possibilities, visibility should remain zero.

It felt like 8 hours and honestly I feel really stupid that I didn't walk out of the theater. I wish I could have that 2 hours of my life back as this has to be the worst major motion picture ever made. Save yourself as I would rather chew on tin foil in a cold shower then have to sit through this horrible movie again. There is nothing redeeming I can say about this movie, not even Angelina Jolie looking hot. I can't come up with one reason to watch this movie. The troops in Gitmo should show this movie to inmates but I am 100% confident it would be against the Geneva convention as it would undoubtedly be considered torture to have to sit through this movie.

Why is Cate Blanchett in this movie? Who read this script and thought it funny, smart, or worth 6 months of their life? How can so many fine actors create such a flat film? Awful.

In this case, I disagree. I have figured out that an overall rating of 7 or better indicates a good movie. I am amazed this received a 6. The acting, script and story line were outstanding. I gave it a 9.