Poster of The Scribbler

The Scribbler

Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Director: John Suits

Release Date: November 6, 2014

Where to Watch

The Scribbler has deep narrative problems. I thought that the framing device as a police investigation hurt the narrative, and it should have been told chronologically. The Scribbler’s first hour makes you think that you have an unreliable narrator and initially seems to be an Identity/Sucker Punch/The Ward-style movie, but it isn’t. Yes, the characters are mentally insane, but in The Scribbler, that insanity is an asset because they think differently from everyone else and therefore can become whom they really are without constantly trying to fit into society’s rules. The Scribbler is actually a superhero origin story, and the last half hour of The Scribbler is the best if you can patiently endure the weaker two thirds. The Scribbler also unnecessarily misdirects its audience by sounding Dollhouse-esque and casting Eliza Dushku, but she is wasted here. I am tired of the cliche that only sexy women who look a certain way are crazy. The Scribbler stars Katie Cassidy from Arrow, not Lena Dunham the creator and star of Girls, which means that Cassidy is more of a chameleon who can do more than what the CW permits. There is one rooster in the hen house, and if Garret Dillahunt isn’t playing a villain, you know that you’re watching a different kind of film. Gina Gershon should get some kind of bravery reward for her fearless portrayal of unhinged characters-she has little vanity. Michelle Trachtenberg is no long Buffy’s little sister. The Scribbler is worth watching if you have patience. The Scribbler is a deeply flawed, but ambitious film. I would welcome a sequel.

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