Forest Whitaker
Katie Holmes
Radha Mitchell
Just kidding. No movie was that bad. In fact, this movie was a cut above most so-called 'thrillers.' I was a bit disappointed to see Joey from Dawson's Creek (Katie Holmes) in there, not that I've ever seen that show, nor know the names of the characters in it ... look, it's been on the air since I was in 7th grade, cut me some slack!
Well, anyway ... I never thought I'd see another Joel Schumaker film after those Batman travesties from the late 90s, but I guess it's a good thing I only found out he directed it after I saw this one. I probably wouldn't have seen it if I knew beforehand, but that's just the way I am about directors. And Mr Farrell doesn't have his adorable little accent in this (although you can hear it every once in a while when he gets really emotional, which happens), he does do that Fred-Flinstone-leprechaun jolly jump where he jumps in the air and clicks his heels together, which is okay by me.
So -- premise of the film: Stu Sheperd is a PR guy (Farrell) in NYC who doesn't really give the time of day to anyone that can't do something for him (ie, huge asshole). He goes into a phone booth on 53rd & 8th, the only real phone booth left in the city, to call his girlfriend, Pam (Holmes), every day. After he gets off the phone with her, the phone rings, and the real bit begins. It's this guy, who indeed does sound like the killer in Scream, but way more entertaining. There are hookers, pimps, cops, a toy robot, and some good sharp-shooting from the caller, who is only god-knows-where.
I can't really say anymore, except that it was awesome, with a capital A, and a capital WESOME. I'm too nice to ruin it for everyone. It is a thriller though, not much blood (but there's a creepy ear thing that will probably bother people a whole lot less than it bothered me, but then I have a phobia) ... think Hitchcock, only, obviously, not as well done. And as much as X-Men kept me on the back of my seat, Phone Booth kept me on the edge. Everything in this seems like it teeters on a brink of something; the amount of times Stu nearly hangs up, the amount of times the caller nearly kills about four different people -- it's insane. You can hear the gun cock quite clearly through the 'phone line.'
Oh yeah, and the opening sequence is one of the most ingenius things I've ever seen. Schumaker gets a few points for that.
So go see it. I had to pay 9 bucks at the Providence Mall, you can spare the same. It's definitely worth it. Oh my, is it worth it.