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Stream It or Skip It: ‘On the Line’ on Netflix, With Mel Gibson Racing to Save His Family (Again)

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On The Line (2022)

‘Land Of Bad’ Solidifies Russell Crowe As A Netflix King — Without Making Any Actual Netflix Movies

Robert towne always knew how to bring out the best in the movie stars he befriended, new movies on streaming: ‘babes,’ ‘boneyard,’ + more, is mel gibson’s ‘boneyard’ streaming on netflix or hbo max.

On the Line , now streaming on Netflix, plays on Mel Gibson ’s dodgy real-life reputation by casting him as a cantankerous shock-jock whose nightly after-hours radio show is interrupted by a caller with a deadly grievance.

ON THE LINE : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Elvis Cooney (Mel Gibson) has a name for radio – and a retrograde attitude to match. Though he’s first seen tenderly playing with his daughter, potentially setting up a contrast between the satisfied off-mic family man and the cranky, old-school role he plays up for his show, Elvis seems to embrace on his on-air persona in real life, making sour comments to coworkers, complaining about being asked to use social media, and generally telling it like it is (also known as being an intemperate jerk). But his sensibility comes back to haunt him when an apparent ex-coworker named Gary phones into his radio show with serious threats against Elvis’s wife and child. Elvis, alongside his inexperienced staffer Dylan (William Moseley) and his loyal right-hand woman Mary (Alia Seror O’Neill), must race to save them as Gary keeps the whole cat-and-mouse game on the air.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Gibson using media to bark threats at someone who has kidnapped his child brings to remind Ransom , one of his signature ’90s hits, though the movie unfolding largely in real time in a single building may bring to mind Hitchcock thrillers like Rope or Rear Window (or, more appropriately, clunky decades-later imitators like Nick of Time ). Putting the bad guy on the other end of a taunting phone call might also bring to mind most Hollywood thrillers made between 1992 and 2007. Naming the movie it most resembles, however, would constitute a massive spoiler.

Performance Worth Watching: The movie doesn’t give you much choice about who to watch at any given moment: This is the Mel Show. Gibson brings his trademark weathered intensity; unfortunately, his alternating propensities for self-torture and self-aggrandizement are present and accounted for as well.

Memorable Dialogue: At one point, the bad guy compares himself to Joaquin Phoenix in Joker , and even quotes his helpless laughing as he gasps “I have a condition.” So, yes, the most memorable line in this movie is from another movie.

Sex and Skin: Part of the movie’s plot hinges on a sexual affair, but that all stays off screen.

Our Take: There’s something immediately tense and mysterious about an anonymous voice at the other end of a phone call. That’s something cleverly exploited by countless Hollywood thrillers, as well as plenty of smaller-scale productions (like The Listener , an upcoming Steve Buscemi-directed drama with Tessa Thompson). So it’s remarkable how writer-director Romuald Boulanger is able to over-amp that tension before dissipating it entirely over the course of On the Line , a thriller set in the exciting, cutting-edge world of terrestrial radio. Though Elvis Cooney (Mel Gibson) seems like the type of shock-jock who’d leave mainstream radio in favor of a sweetheart deal on satellite or Spotify, he still runs his show on a Los Angeles-area radio station, seemingly unconcerned about plateauing ratings. It’s actually difficult to get a bead on his popularity, because the movie wants to have it both ways: Early in the film, Elvis is called out for his unwillingness to engage with modern audiences via social media, while he also seems to be treated like radio royalty by a loyal cohort of listeners. (The conversation is made all the more nonsensical by the edict that he should “stop pushing the envelope,” when that’s obviously the reason he attracts whatever listeners he has; the movie is so muddled about his motivations that it’s genuinely difficult to puzzle out whether his midnight timeslot is supposed to be the dregs, or a badge of honor.)

In any event, Elvis has enough sway to ruin someone’s life – or so claims a caller named Gary, who calls the show in order to report that he’s holding Elvis’s wife and child hostage as revenge for a misdeed in the host’s past. What Gary actually wants from Elvis remains elusive, and not because the movie is withholding various puzzle pieces until just the right moment for them to snap together. Mostly, Gary just sends Elvis and his de facto assistant Dylan running around the radio station building; he keeps hinting he may use his hostages to actually get Elvis to do something trickier or more painful, but for a substantial stretch of the movie, Elvis plays a literal game of hide-and-seek, often involving absurd threats about perfectly wired explosives and perfectly timed murders. A shocking amount of the movie feels like an exercise in killing time, and Boulanger’s listless staging ensures it won’t pass in a flash.

“What kind of B-grade movie bullshit is this?” Elvis says at one point, attempting to lampshade the litany of contrivances at hand. The movie does eventually provide an answer, for this question and some of its most seemingly out-there plot turns, but the denouement still features a tell: It’s so insufferably drawn-out that even as the movie wraps up, it underlines (among other things) the punishing lumpiness of its pacing. The actual answer to Elvis’s question is that On the Line has a long way to go before it reaches B-grade level.

Our Call: A vengeful caller sending a frazzled shock-jock on an overnight odyssey isn’t a bad idea. But On the Line is the kind of movie that thinks it can win the game with a Hail Mary pass in the last ten minutes. Avoid the runaround and SKIP IT.

Jesse Hassenger ( @rockmarooned ) is a writer living in Brooklyn. He’s a regular contributor to The A.V. Club, Polygon, and The Week, among others. He podcasts at www.sportsalcohol.com , too.

Stream On the Line on Netflix

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REVIEW: “On the Line” (2022)

Several actors have found new life in the world of VOD. What started in earnest during the VHS video tape era is now thriving with Video On Demand. Prior to the sad news of his retirement due to health problems, Bruce Willis was putting out several of these low-budget, straight-to-VOD action-thrillers per year (he made SEVEN in 2021 alone). While Mel Gibson is still seen in larger big screen projects, lately he’s been popping up in several of these VOD features.

Gibson’s latest “On the Line” comes from writer, director, and co-producer Romuald Boulanger, and technically it fits within the VOD sphere in terms of budget and (at times) quality. But Boulanger creates a few moments that elevate it beyond the box that so many of these movies snugly fit in. And we get a few scenes that tease us with the old Mel Gibson who can carry a movie with his gravelly charisma alone.

But “On the Line” can’t quite shake the nagging problem of its utterly preposterous scenario. It left me with so many questions. It’s also a movie that hinges so much on its final act twist. But getting to that twist isn’t easy. The movie’s shaky opening gives way to a middle section that ranges from head-scratching to astonishingly bad. But what makes this such a hard review to consider is that the ending actually explains why the long and bumpy middle is the way it is. But that doesn’t make our first sitting through the stretch any more satisfying.

Gibson plays Elvis Cooney, a “legendary” LA shock jock who hosts a popular midnight radio show called On the Line . After arriving at the station for his evening slot, Elvis butts heads with his on-air rival, Justin (Kevin Dillon), gets an earful from his ratings-worried boss, Sam (Nadia Farès), and is introduced to his new producer named Dylan (William Moseley). He then sits down with his switchboard operator, Mary (Alia Seror-O’Neill) and kicks off his caller-based program.

Early into the show, Elvis takes a disturbing call from a troubled man named Gary from Pasadena. He claims to be outside of the home of the man who “ruined his life”, and if Elvis takes him off the air he’ll kill everyone inside. It puts Elvis in a tricky predicament that only gets thornier once Gary reveals he’s at Elvis’ house. So with his wife and daughter held hostage by an armed madman, all Elvis can do is keep him on the line and play his demented game of wits.

It all makes for a fairly interesting premise that’s easy to latch onto but hard to stay connected with, especially as things get more and more absurd. Outside of Elvis, all we get are wafer-thin characters, some weird decision-making, and bits of cringe-worthy dialogue that’s hard to get past. But then we get that twist which makes you second guess your frustrations with the earlier stuff. It’s just as ridiculous, but it does catch you off-guard and help make sense of what you’ve seen up to that point. But it’s hard to toss aside the experience leading up to the reveal. It’s ultimately what keeps the film from hitting its ambitious mark. “On the Line” premieres today, November 4th, in select theaters and on VOD.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

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On the Line Reviews

A vengeful caller sending a frazzled shock-jock on an overnight odyssey isn’t a bad idea. But On the Line is the kind of movie that thinks it can win the game with a Hail Mary pass in the last ten minutes.

Full Review | Mar 26, 2024

The initial excitement dissipates...

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Mar 27, 2023

The acting is across-the-board woeful, with Gibson all-but sleepwalking through his role, and the preposterous denouement serves only to compound viewers' suspicions that the whole affair has been a waste of their time.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Mar 23, 2023

A few snappy one-liners courtesy of a confident lead sadly don’t make up for, well, everything else.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Feb 23, 2023

Not a perfect movie by any means but the more I thought about it the more I liked it.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Dec 1, 2022

This is a really good Mel Gibson film.

Full Review | Nov 30, 2022

Gibson tries to capture that same manic energy here as the dark and edgy man-pushed-to-the-edge [Lethal Weapon's Martin Riggs] and does a good job of it - perhaps that was the attraction for him to this role.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 23, 2022

Any tension is undermined by the progressively incoherent plot twists. As for the dialogue, a dial tone would be better.

Full Review | Nov 18, 2022

As a thriller it’s remarkably unthrilling and the big payoff might just have you throwing your popcorn at the screen. Terrible. Just terrible.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Nov 18, 2022

[Mel Gibson's] curmudgeonly persona has hardened to a point that leaves limited room to modulate, which is a problem when we’re meant to believe Elvis is living through the worst night of his life, rather than just another Tuesday.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/5 | Nov 17, 2022

As much as I dislike Gibson, he's not the reason the film smells like a bomb.

Full Review | Original Score: C- | Nov 15, 2022

Using the idea of a radio show to get across much of its action, this low-budget thriller might have worked had it not made several missteps that will leave viewers feeling frustrated and annoyed.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 15, 2022

There are a few interesting twists that are reminiscent of early Fincher. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Nov 15, 2022

… feels like a protracted exercise in trolling the audience.

Full Review | Original Score: 10/20 | Nov 14, 2022

A poorly executed “thriller” that takes what could have been a slickly designed premise (not unlike such locational thrillers as Panic Room or Buried) and undoes any of its potential with laughable dialogue and unconvincing performances

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/5 | Nov 10, 2022

Most viewers might be willing to shrug off “On the Line” as a mere mediocrity until the final twenty minutes. After them, though, they might feel like throwing things at the screen.

Full Review | Original Score: D+ | Nov 8, 2022

Mel Gibson commits to the Phone Booth-like intensity the film believes it's delivering, but when it shifts into find-the-killer-in-the-big-building and a whole WTF climax that should have any viewer asking why they bothered with this full-length exercise.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Nov 8, 2022

On the Line could have been an entertaining thriller. It had the basic elements and premise to weave a heart-pounding narrative. Instead, we get an avalanche of stupidity. A barrage of bewildering last-minute reveals crashes with a thud.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/5 | Nov 8, 2022

Is “On the Line” going to resuscitate Gibson’s waning career? Probably not. Will it change the minds of his many detractors? No. It will, however, offer further proof that Gibson loves to work and, on occasion, recapture the spirit of his glory days

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 4, 2022

“On the Line” can’t quite shake the nagging problem of its utterly preposterous scenario.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Nov 4, 2022

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ON THE LINE (2022) review

written by: Romuald Boulanger produced by: Robert Ogden Barnum, Romuald Boulanger, James Cooney & Marc Frydman directed by: Romuald Boulanger rated: R (for language throughout and some violent content) runtime: 104 min. U.S. release date: November 4, 2022

Mel Gibson as a shock jock sounds like something that we could’ve seen back in the 90s, after something like “Ransom” where he played a wealthy father who would do anything to get back his kidnapped son…except pay the ransom. But in this post-controversy phase of his career, where so many are surprised that he’s still getting cast in movies, one would think he’d be more selective in his material, maybe choosing roles that would require him to stretch his acting chops (like he did in 2011’s “ The Beaver ” and 2018’s “Dragged Across Concrete”), but lately he’s closing in on territory claimed by Bruce Willis, by showing up in bit parts of crappy movies. While he’s still capable of delivering something good and really different (see 2020’s “Fatman” as a prime example), unfortunately his latest lead role as a late-night radio host in writer/director Romuald Boulanger’s “On the Line” doesn’t provide viewers with anything new or different for the actor.

Gibson starts off committed and eager, but then “On the Line” veers into a meta depiction of how most people see Gibson today, which becomes distractingly on-the-nose, in a movie that closes with a couple annoying mic drops.

Boulanger tries to be clever as the movie opens, by offering the first of many red herrings as his camera lingers on what we think is a puddle of blood on a kitchen floor as we approach a seemingly distraught Gibson from behind. Despite what we’re meant to believe (it doesn’t really work, since it’s never convincing), Gibson’s character, Elvis Cooney, is simply playing pretend with his precocious young daughter Adria ( Romy Pointet ) before her bedtime. Before we know it, he’s tucking her in and kissing his younger wife, Olivia ( Nancy Tate ), goodbye before asking her if she’s going to be listening to his 10pm radio show. She feigns interest and states she’ll catch it later, giving us the idea that she’s never listened to his show. As he gets into his Mustang and drives through empty Los Angeles streets, while the only other traffic are the opening credits to the tune of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Snow (Hey Oh)”, for some reason. He seemingly creates his own parking spot right in front of the high-rise building that’s home to his KLAT studio, and proceeds to walk in and ask the security guard at the front desk if he’s excited for tonight’s show. Is this guy insecure? Does he ask everyone he encounters if they’re listening to his radio show?

Another red herring literally enters the building as Elvis is talking to the security guard he has to call “Bob”, since he can’t fathom wrapping his brain around saying the guy’s lengthy Indian name (a not-so-subtle, eye-rolling hint at racism), when a long-haired skinny white dude ( John Robinson ) walks into the lobby, takes off his shirt and claims to be the Messiah. The scene is de-escalated when Elvis appeases the mentally unstable young man and we’re supposed to believe this will play out later on, but we know it’s so obvious that it won’t, thankfully.

Pretty soon, we’ll see his boss ( Nadia Farès ) call Elvis in to her office and complain that the sexagenarian is awful at social media (translation: he has no presence) and his show’s rating’s are spiraling downward. Unphased, it would seem such news is a broken record to Elvis. But, maybe deep down that’s why he’s desperate for listeners or maybe because this night’s shift will be rolling right into his birthday and he’s feeling unseen as well as unheard. Boulanger’s screenplay isn’t delving into such introspection or existential dread. Instead, we’ll see Gibson play the kind of “raw” talk show host that nobody listens to anymore, since barely anyone listens to the radio, let alone anything playing at ten o’clock at night.

In the studio, as his show is about to begin, Elvis is joined by his switchboard operator, Mary ( Alia Seror O’Neill ), and a new producer, Dylan ( William Moseley ), a green Brit from across the pond who’s awkwardness shows just how unsure he is about working with the temperamental personality. As the calls come in begin, Elvis dispenses his advice and opinions, as listeners are subjected to his lacerating wit. Soon enough, he’s confronted with a requisite weird caller in Gary ( Paul Spera ), who starts off as heavy breather and soon exhibits unstable behavior. We learn that Gary is ex-military man and when he cuts to the chase and tells Elvis that he is going to make him suffer for driving his friend, a former female employee, to suicide because of the cruel things he said about her. Determined to make Elvis pay on air, Gary has orchestrated a night of torture for Elvis, kidnapping his wife and daughter Adria and forcing the host to find them before the kidnapper follows through with killing them. It sounds like a plot from a 90s thriller (perhaps starring Kevin Spacey), doesn’t it? Either that, or a two-part episode of “Chicago P.D.”.

Gibson is playing a fast-talking, quippy character who’s an easy target for such threats. In a world where such problematic personalities are getting cancelled daily, it’s hard to believe such an incorrigible and insensitive host is still on the air. It doesn’t help that the material Gibson works with here is one-dimensional with no potential to see any humanity or nuance in his character. Elvis is combative with just about everyone and makes a scene when he confronts another host ( Kevin Dillon ), who has the coveted time slot before his. He plays family man at home, but he goes to work and bristly spews out cut-and-paste responses to callers seeking help or at least an understanding ear. Gibson’s deep gravely voice has the right sound for late-night radio, but he’s playing a character here who’s too close to the Gibson that’s wound up in the headlines within the past decade and that winds up being kind of distracting. It’s as if Boulanger asked him to show up and be himself, or at least act how people think he truly is.

There’s an overall simplicity to the way the screenplay once “On the Line” gets to the intensity between Elvis and his threatening caller. A abrupt disruption that could be seen as comeuppance for Gibson’s Elvis. Because we see no other dimension to his character, he’s seen as an abuser who’s getting what’s coming to him. It’s hard to feel bad for him and it’s a challenge to see this as what should be a palpable thriller, since every actor is operating in a one-note range. Once Elvis and his co-workers are out of the studio and engaging in a convoluted cat-and-mouse game that finds Elvis and Dylan running around the building, the plot becomes tiring and less interesting, even when there’s inevitable bomb threats mentioned. More than once, I found myself wondering why Elvis has Dylan tagging along with him and when it becomes lazily clear why during the story’s supposed surprise ending reveal, it’s just too late and I didn’t care.

If anything, the ending of “On the Line” reminds us something we often forget, that time is precious and there’s unfortunately no getting it back. This is a story that should’ve gone harder, like Oliver Stone’s “Talk Radio” back in 1988 or at least something akin to a disturbing “Black Mirror” episode. Instead we get the VOD hybrid of a Scooby-Doo rerun crossed with an episode of Punk’d. Zoinks.

RATING: *1/2

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On the Line Movie's Wild Ending Explained - Mel Gibson Film Meaning

Mel Gibson's On the Line is making the rounds online as viewers ponder the meaning of the movie's ending.

Directed by Romuald Boulanger and released on November 4, 2022, On the Line tells the thrilling story of a radio host who gets an in-station call from a threatening individual.

This leads to the reveal that the caller kidnapped his family and has plans to blow up the entire station, resulting in a tense 104 minutes that leaves viewers with questions from start to finish.

Analyzing On the Line's Ending Moments

2022's On the Line features Mel Gibson as Elvis Cooley, a Los Angeles-based shock jock radio host known for pulling pranks on both listeners and employees.

After meeting a new intern and starting his usual midnight show, Elvis gets a call from a listener named Gary, who eventually tells him he has Elvis' wife and daughter hostage and will kill them.

Gary tells Elvis he's doing this as revenge for the death of his girlfriend, Lauren, who previously worked for Elvis as a switchboard operator. He says Lauren committed suicide after suffering verbal abuse from Elvis during her time working for him.

Gary then attempts to force Elvis to jump off the roof of his radio station building to his death, although Elvis and his intern Dylan attempt to fool him. Quickly learning they faked the jump, Gary seemingly fires his gun over the phone, making Elvis believe his family is dead.

This leads to an insane chase for Gary all over the building as Elvis realizes the kidnapper is in the studio. Running through the facility with Dylan as he remains on the air, Elvis realizes the kidnapper is in the studio.

Finding a rival radio host shot in the head, one security guard lying dead in the lobby, and another guard hanging to death on the upper floors, Elvis continues playing Gary's game as he seeks the kidnapper out.

Eventually, he apprehends Gary and has a boxcutter at his throat while Mary (his co-producer) and Dylan stand with him. Gary also seems to have the building rigged with bombs and hints that he can blow up everybody inside at the touch of a button, along with Elvis' wife and daughter.

At the climax, Gary shoots an LAPD SWAT officer in the head and drops the dead man switch, but nothing happens - it is all revealed to be a huge hoax.

Elvis reveals that he set up the entire operation with every employee involved to prank the new guy, Dylan, who stands in pure shock as everybody else tries to get a rise out of him. Things take another turn when Dylan backs up into a stairwell and falls before hitting his head on a pipe, seemingly dying on impact.

Elvis vehemently claims to be done working on the radio the next morning when he learns that Dylan's death was yet another hoax, which comes when Dylan reveals himself to be a stunt worker named Max. The hoax is organized to celebrate Elvis' birthday, although he warns all of his co-workers that he will be planning something far worse than anything seen recently.

Who Is On the Line's Real Prankster?

While On the Line has fans believing there is a real and terrifying situation for most of the story, every moment from start to finish seems part of an almost sick and cruel prank.

It all starts with Mel Gibson's character's propensity for taking things slightly too far on and off the air, which leads to him being the target of a massive revenge scheme.

This comes after he helped orchestrate the film's core prank against his new employee, although it turns around on him when Dylan reveals the truth behind his own hijinks.

In the end, it is incredibly difficult to tell where the ideas for both pranks started or whether the radio station's team had ever done anything on that big of a scale before.

The film's ending also confirms that not only were there no real stakes to the story but that every character involved knew some prank was taking place.

While many fans surely felt some scares and thrills during the "kidnapping" and "hostage situation," there is no denying the end feels like a letdown, especially with more than one scheme to follow.

On the Line is now streaming on Netflix .

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On The Line (2023) Movie Review: A Thriller with a Subtle Anti-War Subtext

“On the Line,” a film shot inside a single room with multiple wires around, might feel claustrophobic after a point. All it shows is one woman in that room, connecting calls on the island of Alderney in 1964. It was a time when people could not get connected to each other without another human being, an operator working as the glue to connect the calls through literal wires. We meet our protagonist, Agnes, through whose eyes the whole film unfolds.

In his directorial debut, writer-director-producer Oliver Pearn hasn’t done a bad job in skilfully constructing a thriller that is also a subtle critique of the war. The story starts in a mundane manner. We see Agnes, the operator, roaming around in a room full of wires and doing the job of connecting the calls of the island over and over again. She is the only employee there, and her tasks are ridiculously monotonous. She says the exact words to each caller and leaves her chair only occasionally to smoke and spin inside the room. What’s interesting here is that even for smoking, Agnes does not go outside. The whole setting appears very suffocating, and it’s not unnatural for the audience to suspect that everything is too rhythmic here to continue this way.

Agnes suddenly gets a call from a certain Martha, who she picks up unsuspectingly. She only realizes that the woman is in danger after speaking for a while. This gets her all pumped up and excited, and Agnes makes it her mission to save that woman. She calls up her friend Betty at the police station, bugs her fiance to do as she tells him, and informs a nearby cafe to alert them about the woman Martha and the man who has taken her. Through her investigation, we gradually come to know that Martha is a nurse and a maintenance person named Harold has taken her.

Agnes gets to know this from Shirley, a nursing home resident where Martha works. With this information, Agnes thinks she has cracked the case, but things seem to be different from how they appeared initially. The film makes the viewers keep guessing about Agnes’ intuition and her understanding of the situation. It is not until the very end of the film that Agnes, along with the viewers, figures out that she has indeed made an error in judgment, and things are definitely not what they seem.

“On the Line” does a decent job of telling the story that it wanted to tell. The setting backs up the plot massively, and Victoria Lucie, as Agnes, offers a compelling performance. The other actors, including the brilliant Harriet Walter, have done wonders with just their voices. They are never seen on the screen, but it’s never difficult to understand exactly what they are feeling or trying to convey. While Richard Heap’s Sergeant Wilks makes his disdain clear when he understands that Agnes is listening to police conversations, Joanne Rogers’ Martha and Royce Pierreson’s Harold deliver their helplessness brilliantly simply over the phone.

Besides working fairly well as a thriller, “On the Line” also comments subtly on the traumatic after-effects of war. As the story turns out in the end, it becomes quite clear that the film has an anti-war subtext. What war does to a person and how difficult it is for an army person to return back to everyday life is brilliantly shown in an understated manner. Simultaneously, the film also comments on women’s aspirations in those days, when they had to sacrifice a lot to build a family. Agnes, the only visible character, wants to be taken more seriously by everyone around her, including her fiance. However, it doesn’t seem that this dream of hers will be fulfilled anytime soon despite her working quite well on it and potentially saving lives.

“On the Line” is a good one-time watch if you are short on time and want something that doesn’t feel too heavy on your head. The film moves fast, and things keep happening one after the other, which will keep you hooked until the end. With the ending twist and the subtle ways in which it deals with serious subjects, the film will not disappoint you if you don’t expect too much from it.

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Movie Review – On the Line (2022)

February 4, 2023 by Robert Kojder

On the Line , 2022.

Written and Directed by Romuald Boulanger. Starring Mel Gibson, Kevin Dillon, William Moseley, John Robinson, Nadia Farès, Alia Seror-O’Neill, Yoli Fuller, Yann Bean, Enrique Arce, Carole Weyers, Avant Strangel, John Robinson, and Paul Spera.

A host takes a call, where an unknown person threatens to kill the showman’s entire family on air. To save loved ones, the radio host will have to play a survival game and the only way to win is to find out the identity of the criminal.

Midnight-slot shock radio host Elvis Cooney (Mel Gibson) arrives at the Los Angeles-based broadcast building 15 minutes before showtime – the transition to the next day will also mark his birthday – where the night seems to be going off the rails in On the Line . An escaped mental patient shows up claiming to be the Messiah and begging to get on the airwaves to preach and spread awareness of his return, a rivalry is escalating between him and Kevin Dillon’s Justin, in possession of the coveted 8 PM starting time block, and someone has been stealing the computers.

Elvis has a habit of rubbing co-workers the wrong way but with the usual smarmy charm from Mel Gibson. Once the radio show begins – sitting opposite his co-host Mary (Alia Seror-O’Neill) and new hiree Dylan (William Moseley), Elvis also quickly emerges as a relatively entertaining guy to listen to as he walks callers through advice on several life problems. There’s also some mean-spirited hazing directed at the new guy for good measure.

Mel Gibson weaves together those characteristics (and some other flaws in his behavior that come to light) to portray a compelling character in a movie that doesn’t deserve his talent. I’m also aware some readers might disagree with that assessment based on their level of forgiveness for Mel Gibson as a human being, but trust when I say that On the Line is so tastelessly misguided that it doesn’t deserve any star power; the only thing the film deserves is to be buried somewhere where no one can find it.

After some normal calls (albeit interesting enough to keep us wondering if they come back into play later in the larger scope of the narrative), Elvis is connected to an unhinged man (Paul Spera) airing out controversial dirty secrets regarding his personal life that have come back to affect a loved one, who then goes on to threaten the lives of his wife and daughter assuring that he is outside their wealthy home and that he has already taken care of the guard dogs. Having served in Afghanistan, the diabolical psychopath also happens to be a demolitions expert that has hardwired the broadcast building to explode in 40 minutes.

The concept of a hostage situation done through a radio show starts off moderately suspenseful, but roughly 40 minutes in, On the Line begins stretching itself way beyond the scope of its immediate story and its bigger picture. Written and directed by Romuald Boulanger, the screenplay starts insulting itself, with the maniacal voice asking who came up with such B-grade movie plot devices.

Granted, there are reasons for this (oh yes, there are reasons, and it’s taking every bit of restraint in my willpower to avoid spoiling the trainwreck this film becomes), but they don’t offset how generic and bland the proceedings become. Some batshit nutty final 10 minutes also don’t do enough to recontextualize any of it since one is left aghast at what On the Line is attempting with games of consequence and cancel culture.

On the Line is never once good or grounded in logic, but usually tolerable in a dumb fun way that is elevated by Mel Gibson’s presence. Meanwhile, whoever thought the reveals would come anywhere close to working should be put on the line to answer for their cinematic crimes. They drain the goodwill from what there is to commend here. And while it is fitting for a film about shock radio to devolve into shock cinema, this is abysmal not because it wants to go to those places but more so that there is no sense behind whatever point the narrative is getting at. It’s shock value for the sake of shock, resulting in a shockingly stupid movie.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd , or email me at [email protected]

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On the Line Review: Preposterous Reveals Tank Mel Gibson Thriller

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An abrasive LA radio shock jock gets a terrifying comeuppance when a disgruntled listener kidnaps his family on air. On the Line could have been an entertaining thriller. It had the basic elements and premise to weave a heart-pounding narrative. Instead, we get an avalanche of stupidity that tanks the entire film. A barrage of bewildering last-minute reveals crashes with a thud. I had a feeling something was amiss but could never have predicted anything so mindbogglingly idiotic. You'll lose IQ points sitting through this nonsense.

Elvis Cooney ( Mel Gibson ) kisses his wife and young daughter before driving to the radio station for a late-night show. He can't pronounce the Indian guard's name, so decides to call him "Bob". Elvis and Bob have a bizarre encounter in the building lobby. Elvis heads to his studio and butts heads along the way. The 8PM host, Justin (Kevin Dillon), hates his guts. Justin knows Elvis wants his time slot. Sam (Nadia Farès), the station manager, warns Elvis his ratings are falling. He's too much of a jerk and pays little attention to their social media strategy.

Mary (Alia Seror-O'Neill), Elvis' producer and co-host, introduces the new board operator. Dylan (William Moseley) is fired immediately for accidentally insinuating that Elvis was old. Elvis breaks out into cackling laughter. He was just kidding. A rattled Dylan sits down to start their midnight program.

Elvis takes a few calls until Gary (Paul Spera) gets his attention. The halting Gary threatens to hurt someone before hanging up. Elvis calls back to try and calm him down. Gary's demeanor changes. He's breaking into a house. Smashing glass can be heard, followed by the screams of a woman. Gary puts Elvis' daughter on the phone. He'll kill her and his wife as revenge. A horrified Elvis begs to spare their lives. What has he done wrong? Gary has an elaborate plan to punish Elvis.

Related: The Estate Review: A Banner Cast Elevates Raunchy Comedy

On the Line's Wheels Fall Off

On the Line's first act works. Elvis is an arrogant bully . It's completely believable that an angry, deranged fan would want him dead. Elvis has had enough experience dealing with psychopaths to know that Gary means business. He needs to keep him engaged for his family to survive. Gary wants Elvis dead but first has to suffer. The film has you intrigued before the wheels fall off.

Gary's game takes a downhill turn when the radio station becomes the playing board. He's got bombs everywhere, drones in the air, and hacked into the security system to watch Elvis flounder about. The antagonist has planned for every scenario like a criminal mastermind. He gloats to the rapt radio audience as Elvis and Dylan try to find his location. Willing suspension of belief crumbles as On the Line fails the smell test. There's something fishy when bodies start piling up.

On the Line leads to a preposterous climax. An attempt to reframe the storyline is a colossal mistake. You'll feel cheated. It's honestly the dumbest ending I've seen in ages. I can't fathom what Gibson and the filmmakers were thinking. There may have to be a special Razzies category for this disaster.

On the Line is a production of BondIt Media Capital, CaliWood Pictures, R-Lines Productions, and Three Point Capital. It is currently in limited theatrical release and available on-demand from Saban Films .

Movie and TV Reviews

Film Review: On The Line ; Mel Gibson’s on-air thriller is more insulting than it is intelligent

November 8, 2022
Film & TV
On The Line
Romuald Boulanger
William Moseley

There was a point in Romuald Boulanger ‘s On The Line where a character utters the line “Elvis has left the building”, here referring to Mel Gibson ‘s character Elvis Cooney, a late-night shock jock who has seemingly made a name for himself due to his on-air pranks and general volatile personality. The line clearly wants to play itself off as a humorous quip, but it only induces a cringe reaction, and is the first of many questionable choices made throughout the 104 minutes this film decides to rob its viewers of.

Just why Elvis leaves the building is due to the absolutely preposterous plot Boulanger has concocted here, framing his narrative as a singular location thriller that builds more tittering than it does tension. You see, Elvis revels in his bad boy persona, but his wicked ways have evidently irked, among others, former employees and, by extension, their loved ones.

Particularly irked is caller Gary ( Paul Spera ), who rings Elvis’s show to air some dirty laundry, namely about his dearly departed friend who apparently committed suicide off the back of constant taunting from Elvis and his producers. What seemingly starts off as just an unhinged caller turns to a game of cat-and-mouse that puts Elvis, his co-host Mary ( Alia Seror-O’Neill ) and crew newbie Dylan ( William Moseley ) in danger inside the building, with Elvis’s wife and daughter held hostage outside the building.

You see, Gary served in Afghanistan, and has enough explosives and technology knowledge to both rig the building with explosives and track the crew’s every move via the station cameras; “Logging into your system was easier than getting my sister’s Netflix password” is akin to the type of dialogue Boulanger deemed appropriate enough to pass off Gary as some type of menacing genius. Or, just maybe, he was intending to make us laugh on purpose with such trite dialogue, which would make On The Line one of the year’s absolute funniest outings and, therefore, highly recommended with a group of like-minded friends who aren’t afraid to down a spirit or two prior to a screening.

I suspect intentional humour isn’t the case here though, and On The Line is just a poorly executed “thriller” that takes what could have been a slickly designed premise (not unlike such locational thrillers as Panic Room or Buried ) and undoes any of its potential with laughable dialogue and unconvincing performances; in the majority of his most recent C-grade efforts Gibson, say what you will about him personally, has at least put in the work beyond what they deserve, yet here his obvious lack of interest is on full display, and when paired with the entirely unmenacing vocal of Spera you have a duo that desperately need to be cancelled from their time slot.

As much as the film stretches its thin plot to the point of breaking beyond no repair, its climactic ten minutes really make sure that whatever hold it managed to maintain is bouncy enough to jump the shark. Truly a twist that even M. Night Shyamalan would deem too far-fetched, On The Line hopes by taking such a bold step it’ll generate enough closing interest for people to be deceived into recommending the movie off its wild reveal. Points to Boulanger for trying, but its twist-upon-twist mentality is more insulting than intelligent, with the director ultimately playing the biggest prank on an audience that will reward him with diminishing returns.

ONE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)

On The Line is screening in Australian theatres from November 17th, 2022. It is currently screening in North American theatres and available on Digital and On Demand.

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‘the line’ review: alex wolff and halle bailey star in a compellingly sinister campus thriller.

Premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival, Ethan Berger's narrative debut explores the hazardous side of college fraternities.

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Venice sets sigourney weaver, ethan hawke, peter weir master classes, sarajevo film festival putting the spotlight on cinema, not politics, in a conflict-ridden region, alex garland talks “stupid” ‘civil war’ takes and ’28 days later’ trilogy, reveals favorite film he’s done, john aprea, actor in ‘the godfather part ii’ and ‘full house,’ dies at 83, ‘alien: romulus’ wins busy box office weekend with $41.5m opening, $108m globally, alain delon, seductive star of european cinema, dies at 88.

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Director Julian Farino ’s “The Union” follows Mike ( Mark Wahlberg ), a construction worker content with his job, dive bar outings with his friends, and sleeping with his former seventh-grade teacher (an awkward joke that remains a punchline over the course of the film’s entirety). When his adolescent flame, Roxanne ( Halle Berry ) returns to the east coast after decades of no contact, what he thinks is a meet cute down memory lane turns into an international intelligence operation.

Hackers have accessed the personal information of all of the Western world’s government employees, from soldiers to cops and the FBI. Agent Roxanne and her cut-to-the-chase boss Tom (J.K. Simmons) are spearheading the mission to retrieve the hack to prevent it from getting in the wrong hands. Their titular organization, The Union, is a small, highly secretive agency within the government, akin to the operations of the CIA. They’re “an invisible army that keeps the world running,” an agency that looks for street-smart, blue collar individuals who fly under the radar. Kidnapping Mike from New Jersey to London, Roxanne enlists his help for this high-stakes assignment for one sole reason: “He’s a nobody.” It’s a flimsy premise that precedes an equally thin film.

There’s no driving force when it comes to the characters. We suspend disbelief that Mike would be remotely interested in this life-threatening operation for which he has no true technical skills solely out of nostalgic romance and maybe a hint of patriotic duty (the latter of which is not far off but assumed more for Wahlberg’s habitual social sentiments than anything in-script). On paper, the plot seems to be the sole consideration of the film, while character development and world-building this criminal underbelly falls to the wayside.

Everything about “The Union” is painstakingly familiar. Wahlberg kicks back and lounges comfortably in his habitual role: a laid back, kinda cocky east coaster who juggles punchlines and machismo. Berry, who is fully capable of being a compelling action star, (most recently in the third installment of the John Wick franchise), attempts her best with the film’s shoddy script. “The Union” hits bullet points on its outline with an overwhelming sense of tired obligation and stunted creativity. Its leads have no chemistry and being that their will-they-won’t-they serves as the story’s main attempt at depth, the emotive capabilities of the film sputter and shut down.

“The Union” delivers tonal whiplash on account of its failure to exceed at either end of its genre attempt at action-comedy. The action is mostly unremarkable, with a few key set pieces that pump the pace, but ultimately neglect to put anything exciting on display. Rebounds of exposition and non-committal world building fudge the film’s flow, making the 105-minute runtime feel like a fight to the finish.

Its ham-fisted comedic attempts incite semi-indignant smirks and exasperated chuckles rather than genuine, inspired laughter. Most of the jokes hit with the punch of a half-deflated whoopee cushion, and the sneaking feeling that the script was written on the basis of cheap laughs creeps further up your back as the minutes tick on. “The Union” is unspecial and unengaging. It lacks charm and excitement, clutching to simplicity and a lazy script that relies on star power that’s not bright enough to save it.

Peyton Robinson

Peyton Robinson is a freelance film writer based in Chicago, IL.

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The Union (2024)

Rated PG-13

109 minutes

Mark Wahlberg as Mike McKenna

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Alien: Romulus

While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonists come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe. While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonists come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe. While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonists come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.

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Trivia Director Fede Alvarez sought out the special effects crew from Aliens (1986) to work on the creatures. Physical sets, practical creatures, and miniatures were used wherever possible to help ground later VFX work.
Goofs When the characters first enter the space station, the artificial gravity briefly turns on and then off again. Shortly thereafter, they enter a room where several objects are hovering in mid-air. If the objects had momentum immediately after the gravity switched off they should be moving on a trajectory, and if not they should still be against the floor. Either way, they should not be unmoving several feet off the floor.

Andy : The solution for a claustrophobic astronaut is to give him more space.

Crazy credits The 20th Century Studios fanfare freezes and turns ominous, as in Alien³ (1992) , leading into the film's opening scene. The logo itself suffers a burst of static and turns green.
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Aug 18, 2024
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Movie Review: Yep. They’re back! ‘Alien: Romulus’ introduces next-gen Xenomorph foe Cailee Spaeny

This image released by 20th Century Studios shows Cailee Spaeny in a scene from “Alien: Romulus.” (20th Century Studios via AP)

This image released by 20th Century Studios shows Archie Renaux, left, and Cailee Spaeny in a scene from “Alien: Romulus.” (20th Century Studios via AP)

This image released by 20th Century Studios shows Xenomorph in a scene from “Alien: Romulus.” (20th Century Studios via AP)

This image released by 20th Century Studios shows Cailee Spaeny, left, and David Jonsson in a scene from “Alien: Romulus.” (20th Century Studios via AP)

This image released by 20th Century Studios shows David Jonsson in a scene from “Alien: Romulus.” (20th Century Studios via AP)

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“In space, no one can hear you scream,” went the tagline for the original “Alien” in 1979, a terrifying thought on multiple levels.

There may indeed be a scientific rationale for a space scream to be inaudible, but isn’t it scarier to simply realize nobody’s around to hear you? That was the case for Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley, once she became the last one standing against the fearsome Xenomorph. Nobody could hear her scream — nobody human, that is — because, duh, everyone was dead.

In any case, hearing won’t be a problem here on Earth at any multiplex showing “Alien: Romulus,” the much-anticipated new installment to the “Alien” franchise (not a sequel, but we’ll get to that in a minute.) This is a very big, very (very!) loud, very jumpy horror flick, and the screams will come, and they’ll be audible. Which is precisely what “Alien” fans are surely waiting for.

And speaking of Ripley, no, neither she (nor Weaver) are present in this new version by Fede Álvarez, closer in feel to the horror roots of Ridley Scott’s original than James Cameron’s more action-focused 1986 “Aliens.” But now we have Rain Carradine, played by rising star Cailee Spaeny (“Priscilla”), a new-generation Ripley in everything but name. Spaeny takes up the mantle of badass space fighter with aplomb, and is easily the best part of a movie that, like the 1979 original, is short on character development.

There are many other parallels (and winking nods) to the original (Scott is a co-producer here). But like we said, don’t call it a sequel. In fact it’s an “interquel,” which wouldn’t be a bad horror film title in itself. The dictionary explains that it’s neither sequel nor prequel, but rather a “middlequel” between installments, known as “quels.”

Just kidding! It’s not in the dictionary. But it’s worth noting that Álvarez, in placing his movie between existing versions to form a new trilogy, yet aiming also for standalone entertainment, risks some tonal confusion. Not that you’ll be able to hear your thoughts, should this occur to you.

The premise is new, sort of. Álvarez, who co-wrote the screenplay with Rodo Sayagues, has said he got the idea from a deleted scene from Cameron’s film, in which young kids were seen amongst workers in a mining colony, and wondering what their lives would be like when they reached their 20s.

At the beginning, we find out: life is bleak indeed in the colony on Jackson’s Star, owned by the worker-exploiting Weyland-Yutani firm.

Rain’s miner parents have died of lung ailments. They’ve left her a caring brother, Andy, who is actually a “synthetic,” or humanoid robot. The “human” element is crucial because it allows an empathetic David Jonsson, in the role, to connect to the audience in a way that otherwise only Spaeny does — the rest of the cast is given virtually nothing to work with.

Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson in a scene from “Alien: Romulus.” (20th Century Studios via AP)

In any case, the two are not long for Jackson’s Star. After Rain is turned down for a travel permit to finally escape dark colony life, she and Andy join a risky venture.

There’s an (apparently) decommissioned space station hovering above, and if they can raid it of hardware and other loot, they can bypass the brutal wait for permits and finally make it to a new home. And so, reluctantly, the two agree to join the others — Rain’s ex-boyfriend Tyler (Archie Renaux), his sister Kay (Isabela Merced), Bjorn (Spike Fearn) and Navarro (Aileen Wu) — on a bumpy flight to the Renaissance station.

Surely we’re not spoiling much to say that it’s best not to get attached to anybody.

Because, we all know what’s waiting up there, don’t we? It’s already been teased in the opening, with the rickety old station looking much like USCSS Nostromo, that ill-fated space tug in the original.

We hardly needed the hint, though. This is an “Alien” movie and it’s all about the Xenomorph, that terrifying creature who is diabolically “perfect,” able to survive in any atmosphere and to multiply, obviously, in the most disgusting of ways.

(20th Century Studios via AP)

It’s not really a party — or a movie — until the creatures show up. And that, they do. Much has been made of this film’s use of practical effects, rather than a CGI-created universe. The actors have said this — as well as shooting in a linear fashion — helped them feel the genuine horror needed for their portrayals.

Does all this elevate the film beyond any of its predecessors? Like so many franchises that depend on intense fandom, that truly depends from what vantage point you’re joining in. Fans of the original will appreciate the many respectful echoes of that film (and perhaps the fact that, thank the lord, there’s no longer a gratuitous skimpy panty scene.) Fans of Cameron’s take will appreciate the action that comes later in the film.

And while some will applaud the wild, outlandish, creative and possibly ridiculous swerve of those final minutes — not to spoil it — others may even laugh rather than scream.

It’s all good, though. In space, probably no one can hear you laugh, either.

“Alien: Romulus,” a 20th-Century Studios release, has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association “for bloody violent content and language. “ Running time: 119 minutes. Two stars out of four.

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In ‘Good One,’ a family camping trip is full of emotional switchbacks

Justin Chang

Lily Collias brings a nearly wordless intensity as Sam in Good One. Smudge Films hide caption

Too often, the month of August is regarded as a fallow period for moviegoing, after the big blockbusters of the summer but before the awards contenders of the fall. But the aptly titled new movie Good One is a reminder that there are always smart, interesting films being released, if you’re willing to look beyond the obvious. As it turns out, looking beyond the obvious is something that the writer-director India Donaldson has a real knack for. In just 90 minutes, she tells a three-character story that appears simple enough on the surface, yet it’s so sharp and engrossing that you might not immediately notice the deeper story taking shape underneath.

Lily Collias plays 17-year-old Sam, who’s going backpacking in the Catskills with her father, Chris — that’s the terrific James Le Gros in a too-rare leading role. They’re supposed to be joined by Chris’ oldest friend, Matt, and his teenage son, Dylan. But Matt winds up being the only one to come along; he and Dylan’s mom are recently divorced, and Dylan isn’t taking it well.

Chris himself has been divorced for a while, and he and Sam have a pretty harmonious relationship by comparison. They seem to get along even when they’re bickering, as happens when Chris criticizes Sam’s driving.

Much of the movie consists of Sam listening quietly as Chris and Matt go on and on, reminiscing about old times yet always finding new things to grouse about. Chris, a savvy outdoorsman, can’t stop complaining about how badly Matt has overpacked for a three-day hiking trip.

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While the two men rarely ask Sam how she’s doing or feeling, they seem cool enough where it counts. Chris has long been supportive of his daughter’s queer identity; she has a girlfriend whom she texts during the trip, whenever she can get a cellphone signal. Matt tells Sam that she’s wise beyond her years: Unlike all the other reckless, rebellious teenagers out there, she’s a rare “good one” in his book.

Scene by scene, however, writer-director Donaldson paints a subtler picture of the dynamics at work. At times Good One reminded me of Kelly Reichardt ’s quietly perceptive 2006 drama, Old Joy , which also squeezed a lot of emotional history into a fateful camping trip.

You get the sense that Sam has traveled a bunch with her dad and Matt before, and that she’s long adjusted to her designated role. When the three of them share a motel room on their way up to the Catskills, it’s Sam who instinctively rolls out her sleeping bag, without even being asked, leaving the two beds to the men. And once they reach their campsite, it’s Sam who cooks dinner for the three of them without complaint. The dynamics are complicated. Beneath the men’s easygoing manner, there’s an unmistakable air of condescension toward Sam, a sense that their appreciation of her is more conditional than genuine.

If Sam resents them for any of this, she doesn’t show it, at least not at first. Collias gives a beautifully understated performance; with very little effort, she can register everything from wry affection to barely concealed exasperation. And Donaldson, working with the cinematographer Wilson Cameron, proves as keenly observant as her protagonist. She’s alive to the beauty of the mountains, whether it’s the sight of a majestic canyon or the sound of rushing water. Some of the movie’s slow-simmering tension arises from your uncertainty about what might be lurking nearby, whether it’s a bear in search of food or three young men they cross paths with on the hiking trail.

But Good One isn’t one of those movies in which a journey into the wilderness spirals into horror. The dangers that Donaldson introduces are of a more intimate and perhaps more insidious nature. There comes a moment in the story when everything changes, and it’s at once surprising and unsurprising, all too believable and, in the moment, perhaps a little contrived.

But that hardly matters. What matters is how Sam responds to this sudden shift, and Collias shows her unpacking that response almost in real time, and with a nearly wordless intensity. Good One has the concision of a sharply etched short story, but what happens by the end can’t be easily summed up. Sam won’t soon forget the lessons of this particular trip, and neither will we.

‘Alien: Romulus’ Review: The Primal Shock and Awe Is Gone, but It’s a Good Video-Game Horror Ride

Cailee Spaeny stars in the seventh entry in the franchise, directed by Fede Álvarez as a nerve-jangling greatest-hits throwback. It works.

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‘Alien: Romulus’ Review: The Primal Shock and Awe Is Gone, but It’s a Good Video-Game Horror Ride 5 days ago

ALIEN: ROMULUS, 2024. © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

There’s now a contradiction built into the very idea of a new “ Alien ” sequel. “ Alien: Romulus ” is the seventh entry in the franchise, and each time we line up for another one of them, even when it’s as encrusted with “mythology” as “Prometheus,” the hope is that we’ll get to experience a taste of the shock and awe that “Alien” achieved 45 years ago. “Aliens,” in 1986, conjured enough of that sensation to register as a classic — and though “Alien 3” (1992) is reviled by everyone in the known universe, including its director, David Fincher, I’ve always found, in its maternal-bad-dream-as-art-film way, that it exerts a slow-burn queasy power.

Reviewed at AMC Empire, New York, Aug. 12, 2024. MPA Rating: R. Running time: 118 MIN.

Production: A 20th Century Studios release of a Scott Free Productions, Brandywine Productions production. Producers: Ridley Scott, Michael Pruss, Walter Hill. Executive producers: Fede Alvarez, Elizabeth Cantillon, Brent O’Connor, Tom Moran.
Crew: Director: Fede Álvarez. Screenplay: Fede Álvarez, Rodo Sayagues. Camera: Galo Olivares. Editor: Jake Roberts. Music: Benjamin Wallfisch.
With: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn Aileen Wu.

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What ‘It Ends With Us’ Says About the Blake Lively Brand

The images onscreen are informed by the actress’s offscreen businesses, making the movie a fascinating study in the uses of star power.

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In a scene from the film, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni hold microphones up to their mouths with a neon sign in the background. She’s smiling at him.

By Esther Zuckerman

Blake Lively’s hair is like a character unto itself in the new romantic drama “ It Ends With Us .”

Her thick mane shapeshifts with her role, Lily Bloom, a flower shop owner who falls in and out of love with an abusive neurosurgeon. Lively’s hair, dyed a soft ginger, is artfully messy when she gets her hands dirty starting up the store. The camera follows a mass of buoyant curls when she struts into a party dressed to impress the man who will ultimately betray her. When she wakes up post-coitus, her hair is perfectly tousled. When she is sad, it droops as if by magic.

You could say Blake Lively’s hair is a tool she uses to sell her performance, but her performance is also a tool she uses to sell her hair. Those who are impressed with her locks in “It Ends With Us” can learn from her Instagram that she recently debuted a line of hair-care products called Blake Brown . (Brown is her father’s last name.)

In many ways “It Ends With Us” is a brand-building exercise for Lively. Yes, the film, directed by Justin Baldoni, is an adaptation of a popular novel , meant to lure fans of the best-selling author Colleen Hoover , but it also serves as an advertisement for the world of Lively — not just her talent but her celebrity and her other significant role, mogul, making the film a fascinating study in the various forms star power can take.

On the most readily understandable level, “It Ends With Us” makes a convincing case for Lively as an actress. Her particular je ne sais quoi was evident back in the 2007 pilot of “Gossip Girl,” which opened with a tribute to her allure . Her character — Serena van der Woodsen, the rich girl with a troubled past — arrives at Grand Central, back in New York after a mysterious absence, and everyone turns toward her. As she looks around the train station’s vast hall, she looks gorgeous and wistful, every flip of her hair (that hair!) seems imbued with greater meaning.

Like every young star on that prime-time soap, Lively made a bid for a film career. “ Green Lantern ” (2011) didn’t win her a franchise, but it did introduce her to her future husband, Ryan Reynolds. The dark comedy “ A Simple Favor ” (2018), in which she played a martini-stirring psychopath, was a surprise box office success and garnered a fervent enough fan base to earn a sequel. But Lively seemed to struggle to find her niche in movies, and while she received some praise for performances in the romance “The Age of Adaline” (2015) and the survival thriller “The Shallows” (2016), nothing propelled her to the next level of fame on the big screen.

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IMAGES

Tráiler de On The Line con Mel Gibson ¡Una llamada letal!
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On the Line
On the Line (2021)
On the Line Movie Review
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COMMENTS

On the Line (2022)
Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 07/14/24 Full Review Zach C This is an original concept, great film in a world where people want to make the same movies 10 times. Ignore the review ...
Mel Gibson 'On the Line' Netflix Review: Stream It or Skip It?
On the Line, now streaming on Netflix, plays on Mel Gibson's dodgy real-life reputation by casting him as a cantankerous shock-jock whose nightly after-hours radio show is interrupted by a ...
Is On The Line Worth Watching? Breaking Down The Mel Gibson Movie's
The movie's Rotten Tomatoes audience score is 32%. On The Line 's reception among audiences and critics boils down to a predictable thriller marred by an unrealistic plot and poor acting performances from the majority of its cast. Save for Gibson, the consensus regarding On The Line is that the movie doesn't really offer anything worthy of ...
On the Line (2023)
On the Line. 1964. Channel Islands, UK, Agnes, a 24-year-old switchboard operator passes time listening to phone conversations while connecting people. When she receives a distressing call from ...
REVIEW: "On the Line" (2022)
REVIEW: "On the Line" (2022) Several actors have found new life in the world of VOD. What started in earnest during the VHS video tape era is now thriving with Video On Demand. Prior to the sad news of his retirement due to health problems, Bruce Willis was putting out several of these low-budget, straight-to-VOD action-thrillers per year ...
On the Line (2022)
On the Line: Directed by Romuald Boulanger. With Mel Gibson, William Moseley, Alia Seror-O'Neill, Paul Spera. A host takes a call, where an unknown person threatens to kill the showman's entire family on air. To save loved ones, the radio host will have to play a survival game and the only way to win is to find out the identity of the criminal.
On the Line (2022) Review
On the Line was directed and written by Romuald Boulanger (Connectes, Haters) and stars Mel Gibson (Bandit, Mad Max), Alia Seror-O'Neill (Spides, Gelateria), Paul Spera (Something in the Air, Detroit: Become Human), William Moseley (Raven's Hollow, Land of Dreams), Nancy Tate (A Perfect Plan, 13 French Street), Romy Pointet, and Kevin Dillon (Hot Seat, Wire Room).
On the Line
Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Mar 27, 2023. The acting is across-the-board woeful, with Gibson all-but sleepwalking through his role, and the preposterous denouement serves only to ...
On the Line (2022 film)
On the Line is a 2022 thriller film (with a twist ending) written, produced, and directed by Romuald Boulanger and starring ... The film has a 21% approval rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes based on 24 reviews. [4] References External links. On the Line at IMDb; This page was last edited on 28 July 2024, at 00:24 (UTC). ...
ON THE LINE (2022) review
ON THE LINE (2022) review. Mel Gibson as a shock jock sounds like something that we could've seen back in the 90s, after something like "Ransom" where he played a wealthy father who would do anything to get back his kidnapped son…except pay the ransom. But in this post-controversy phase of his career, where so many are surprised that he ...
On The Line's Twist Ending Explained
The action thriller satirizes the age of misinformation and media manipulation. While the 2022 action thriller On The Line 's ending is wild, the movie's major twist might annoy some viewers who expected a more serious and straightforward conclusion. On The Line follows Mel Gibson's Elvis, a radio host with a penchant for dark practical jokes.
On the Line Movie's Wild Ending Explained
Mel Gibson's On the Line is making the rounds online as viewers ponder the meaning of the movie's ending. Directed by Romuald Boulanger and released on November 4, 2022, On the Line tells the thrilling story of a radio host who gets an in-station call from a threatening individual. This leads to the reveal that the caller kidnapped his family ...
On The Line (2023) Movie Review
Review. Pramila Tripathi April 26, 2024. "On the Line," a film shot inside a single room with multiple wires around, might feel claustrophobic after a point. All it shows is one woman in that room, connecting calls on the island of Alderney in 1964. It was a time when people could not get connected to each other without another human being ...
On The Line movie review & film summary (2001)
If this genre ever inspires a satire, it will end with the boy and girl sitting next to each other on an airplane-- still not realizing they are together again, because by then they will be 80, having spent 60 years missing each other by seconds. Lance Bass plays Kevin Gibbons, a low-level Chicago ad executive who has no trouble with girls ...
On the Line Movie Review
Parents need to know that On the Line is a thriller about a radio DJ who must deal with a caller who's kidnapped his wife and daughter and planted explosives all around the station.It's an intriguing idea, but its many missteps make it a frustrating experience overall. Violence is intense and includes guns and shooting, fighting/struggling, a woman and child in peril, characters shot, dead ...
On the Line (2022)
On the Line, 2022. Written and Directed by Romuald Boulanger. Starring Mel Gibson, Kevin Dillon, William Moseley, John Robinson, Nadia Farès, Alia Seror-O'Neill, Yoli Fuller, Yann Bean, Enrique ...
On the Line Review: Preposterous Reveals Tank Mel Gibson ...
On the Line's first act works. Elvis is an arrogant bully.It's completely believable that an angry, deranged fan would want him dead. Elvis has had enough experience dealing with psychopaths to ...
Film Review: ON THE LINE (2022): Mel Gibson's Latest ...
On the Line Review. On the Line (2022) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Romuald Boulanger and starring Mel Gibson, William Moseley, Alia Seror-O'Neill, Paul Spera, Enrique Arce, Yann ...
Film Review: On The Line; Mel Gibson's on-air thriller is more
There was a point in Romuald Boulanger's On The Line where a character utters the line "Elvis has left the building", here referring to Mel Gibson's character Elvis Cooney, a late-night shock jock who has seemingly made a name for himself due to his on-air pranks and general volatile personality. The line clearly wants to play itself off as a humorous quip, but it only induces a cringe ...
On the Line
Release Date Nov 4, 2022. Duration 1 h 44 m. Rating R. Genres. Thriller. Website https://amzn.to/3DV6Px2. A provocative and edgy overnight radio host (Mel Gibson) must play a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a mysterious caller who has kidnapped his family and is threatening to kill them and blow up the whole station... all while live on air.
On the Line Movie Review
Our review: Parents say Not yet rated Rate movie. Kids say ( 1 ): N'Sync fans will like ON THE LINE. Lance Bass (who also co-produced) and Joey Fatone appear throughout the movie and are cute. There are a lot of jokes and there is a sweet romance. There are some N'Sync songs on the soundtrack, some good songs by other performers and some cameo ...
'The Line' Review: Alex Wolff & Halle Bailey in Fraternity Thriller
Venue: Tribeca Film Festival (Spotlight Narrative) Cast: Alex Wolff, Lewis Pullman, Halle Bailey, Austin Abrams, Angus Cloud. Director: Ethan Berger. Screenwriters: Ethan Berger, Alex Russek. 1 ...
The Union movie review & film summary (2024)
Director Julian Farino's "The Union" follows Mike (Mark Wahlberg), a construction worker content with his job, dive bar outings with his friends, and sleeping with his former seventh-grade teacher (an awkward joke that remains a punchline over the course of the film's entirety).When his adolescent flame, Roxanne (Halle Berry) returns to the east coast after decades of no contact, what ...
Alien: Romulus (2024)
Alien: Romulus: Directed by Fede Alvarez. With Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced. While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonists come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
Movie Review: Yep. They're back! 'Alien: Romulus' introduces next-gen
Movie Review: 'Cuckoo' is a stylish nightmare, with a wonderfully sinister Dan Stevens. Just kidding! It's not in the dictionary. But it's worth noting that Álvarez, in placing his movie between existing versions to form a new trilogy, yet aiming also for standalone entertainment, risks some tonal confusion. Not that you'll be able ...
'Good One' review: A family camping trip is full of emotional
On its surface, Good One is about a teen on a backpacking trip with her dad and his friend. But the film is so sharp and engrossing you might not notice the deeper story taking shape underneath.
'Alien: Romulus' Review: A Good Video-Game Horror Ride
'Alien: Romulus' Review: The Primal Shock and Awe Is Gone, but It's a Good Video-Game Horror Ride Cailee Spaeny stars in the seventh entry in the franchise, directed by Fede Álvarez as a ...
What 'It Ends With Us' Says About the Blake Lively Brand
Reynolds himself is something of a master of shameless cross-promotion. Players from Wrexham A.F.C., the soccer team Reynolds co-owns, cameo in his superhero blockbuster "Deadpool & Wolverine ...

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ON THE LINE : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Is 'The View' Going Off The Air?

Andy Cohen Implies That He Never Wants To See Or Hear From Bethenny Frankel Again On 'WWHL'

Peacock Has Removed Raygun and the Entire Olympics Breaking Competition Off The Platform

Where's Kelly Ripa This Week? 'Live' Co-Host's Absence Stretches Into Week Two

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REVIEW: “On the Line” (2022)

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

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