127 Hours

I hate going to the dentist. I know it's necessary since society looks kinder upon those with teeth in their mouths. But the thought of sitting in that plastic-covered chair while a middle aged woman hovers over me perpetually telling me to open wider as she delivers mild doses of pain for 45 minutes is enough to make me circle the calendar in dread. This loathing started from an early age but there was no one driving incident to spark this aversion. Despite many years of taking candy from strangers in windowless vans, I've never had a cavity. However, if the day does come that I need a bothersome tooth removed I know that a trip to the dentist, however painful, is a necessary evil. And if I'm forced to go then I want the best and most skilled professional to do the job.

The same logic can be applied to 127 Hours. With Hollywood mired in a creative drought, it was an inevitability that the true story of hiker Aron Ralston's five day entrapment in a cave culminating in the self-amputation of his own right arm would be converted into a major motion picture. And if I, as an audience member, am going to sit on my couch (my proverbial dentist's chair) with my fluffy bunny slippers propped up on the coffee table and devote 90 minutes to this ultimately uplifting but painfully detailed account of Ralston's dilemma, then I would hope that a skilled director and actor would be at the helm.

Uh-oh

There's still a part of me which thinks that James Franco signed on for this movie partly because he misread the contract:

Franco: What's the next movie I'm shooting?

Franco's Agent: 127 Hours

Franco: Nice. That's the one where I play the guy that got all the attention for being stoned for 127 hours straight right?

Franco's Agent: No, James. He was trapped by a stone for 127 hours.

Franco: (long pause) How many of those hours was he smoking?

Franco's Agent: (lowers head onto desk, slowly pounds desk with fist)

I kid. I actually like Franco and think he's a talented actor even if he can strays more often than not toward the artsy, eccentric side. He's built a solid filmography starting with Freaks and Geeks and he seems to be able to maintain some form of self-deprecating humor. He is a likable guy who is a talented actor and that's incredibly important for this movie since this movie is basically a one man show. Throw into the mix director Danny Boyle (28 Days Later and the very underrated Sunshine) who was fresh off the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire and the talent is certainly there that should make the film a success.

The key word of the last phrase was "should". The film's main flaw does not rest with the director or the acting. Boyle keeps things moving as best he can and the cinematography is phenomenal at capturing the canyons and landscape of Utah. Franco's performance is deserving of all the praise and Oscar nomination he received. With a lesser actor this movie could have descended into the realm of the unwatchable. The main problem I had was that the movie is exactly what it advertises: A man gets stuck in a canyon for five days. After an encounter with two lovely lady hikers (fictionalized for the sake of the movie) Ralston (Franco) becomes trapped in a canyon via his right arm pinned between a boulder and the canyon wall. We stay with Ralston the entire movie. There are no cutaway scenes of his family or friends slowly discovering his disappearance. We're just left with Ralston, his struggles, and as the hours drag on his delusions and hallucinations.

It is mind blowing that Ralston survived for that long with virtually no food (two burrito packets) and little water. The film received much publicity for the detailed account of how Ralston cut off his own arm as a last ditch attempt to escape. It is incredibly detailed and no one told me that he must first break his arm before he can cut it off. I'll let you guess my queasiness factor at this point considering that the thought of Ralston not being able to take his contacts out for five days was enough to make me grimace. I was also unaware that even after the amputation he had to repel down a 60 FOOT WALL and then hike for miles before someone found him.

I found myself wondering whether or not Ralston possessed some superhuman attribute or whether any person in those conditions and faced with an impending death would find the inner strength. The film doesn't really tackle that question nor does it really let us know who Aron is or why we particularly want him to be rescued other than for a good, old happy ending. We do find out through a sequence of video diaries what is going on in Aron's mind and his regret at keeping people at a distance. Franco is at his best during these moments but they're too few and far between.

I question whether this should have been made as a dramatized version of the events or whether a documentary would have been the better option. The drama is already real enough so why not be able to capture exactly what Ralston was feeling through personal interviews. This would have also allowed perspective from friends and family during his disappearance. Dateline actually constructed a mini-documentary prior to this film's release that is worth checking out and actually more moving than the fictionalized account.

127 Hours is not an enjoyable movie going experience. You will be filled with awe at how someone could survive such an ordeal but the journey is so brutal that by the time the end credits roll you'll wonder if it was worth it to sit through. It serves as almost a film rite of passage or bragging rights to your friends that you were able to make it through without fanning your face with your hands and fainting (I failed both those tests).

In the end I switched off the DVD player with the same feeling of satisfaction and relief that the experience was over as I do leaving the dentist office. Only my DVD player didn't offer me a sticker, floss, a new toothbrush and an encouragement to cry less next time.