from Film Forum, 09/01/05Meiert Avis was a music video director (U2's "Love is Blindness") before he became a film director. Thus, it makes sense that his first film features several rock-music montage sequences as it follows the story of young musicians striving for success in Los Angeles.
Undiscovered stars Ashlee Simpson—yes, that Ashlee Simpson, sister of Jessica Simpson (The Dukes of Hazzard). Simpson was recently in the news after getting caught mid-lip-sync during a "live" performance on Saturday Night Live. Her film debut looks unlikely to improve her situation. Undiscovered is earning poor reviews.
David DiCerto (Catholic News Service) calls it "a contrived romance. … Despite an unvarnished 'indie' look and appealing young cast … director Meiert Avis' middling meditation on love and fame is weighed down by its predictable, cliché-laden script."
Jamie Maxfield (Plugged In) says it's a "less-than-original tale" about which he can only say one nice thing: "There's a really cute bulldog in the movie, and he knows how to skateboard, and it's wildly entertaining. OK, maybe not wildly entertaining. Perhaps only mildly entertaining. But with 96 minutes of middle-of-the-road acting and a worse-than-that plotline, a skateboarding pooch quickly becomes a welcomed escape."
Mainstream critics waste no words, saying it "just may be the dumbest movie of 2005."
from Film Forum, 09/08/05Jamie Maxfield (Plugged In) says it's "96 minutes of middle-of-the-road acting and a worse-than-that plotline. … The real message here is that the only sure way to break into the music industry is to cheat."
