Out of the Blue – Movie Review
Director: Neil LaBute
Writer: Neil LaBute (Screenplay)
Cast
- Diane Kruger (Inglorious Basterds)
- Ray Nicholson (Promising Young Woman)
- Hank Azaria (The Birdcage)
- Chase Sui Wonders (On the Rocks)
- Victor Slezak (Taking Chance)
Plot: Connor, a man whose dull life is transformed into a thrilling fantasy world thanks to the seductive Marilyn.
Runtime: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Out of the Blue starts when Connor (Nicholson) bumps into Marilyn (Kruger) on a remote beach, where an interaction sends sparks out. They meet again at Connor’s library job, as the two look to spend more time together, despite Marilyn being married.
As the two start a whirlwind affair, Connor’s criminal past comes to light. This leads to the pair looking to plan a way to help Marilyn out of her loveless marriage, so they can be together.
Verdict on Out of the Blue
Characters
Connor is a man trying to rebuild his life after a criminal incident. He finds himself drawn to an older woman while trying to keep his head down as a librarian. Connor must keep himself out of trouble but when the romance presents itself, he can’t turn away from it. Seeing it as a chance to escape his life, where everyone judges him.
Marilyn is an unhappy wife that gets drawn to Connor. She is happy to start an affair, enjoying the risk and seeing it as a chance to get away from her abusive husband.
In the supporting characters, we get to meet a parole officer who hates having to check up on Connor. The rest of Marilyn’s family and other townspeople who have opinions about Connor.
Performances
Ray Nicholson as Connor goes through the most in the movie, he shows the charmer mixed with the reclusive figure. he does seem to lack as much chemistry as the movie suggests with Diane Kruger. Diane Kruger does well as the seductive figure that knows what she wants and how to get it. Hank Azaria is the best of the supporting cast, usually walking in a stealing every scene he is in.
Story
The story follows an ex-con trying to put his life back together who gets caught up in a whirlwind romance with a married woman. It shows how they start simple before letting things escalate to new levels they both weren’t prepared for.
This is a story that shows how whirlwind romances can get out of control, causing bigger problems. It tries to show how the characters will use books to bring their motivation about what they want in life. The story is set out in chapters which are set up like ‘the next day’ or ‘a few days later’ which gives it a fairy-tale feeling throughout.
Themes
Out of the Blue is a romantic thriller that sees a whirlwind romance start out with a different motivation about it. It has a character that is known around town, which sees people watching over them. The rest of the locations come off simpler as they will need to be kept showing the different classes that are mixing here.
Final Thoughts –Out of the Blue is a whirlwind romance thriller 101.
