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Actors: Robin Williams, Connie Nielsen, Michael Vartan, Eriq La Salle
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about One Hour Photo |
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A lonely depressed man who has absolutely nothing in the world except his job, lets his obsession with a family take over his life.
Sy Parrish works at a large department store as a clerk in the photo department. He takes great pride in his work, and will let his customers walk away with nothing but the most high quality photographs in the world. One young family named the Yorkins are regular customers of the Store's photo lab whom Sy has taken quite a shine to.
When the family turns in their film rolls to be developed, Sy will sneak in a set for himself to admire. He also has created a mural of the family's photos on a wall in his bleak apartment. Sy becomes so delusionally obsessed with this family that he comes to think of himself as "Uncle Sy" to them, follows them home just to sit outside their house to watch them, and even buys gifts for the Yorkin's young son, Jake.
One day, a young woman turns in some photo's at the lab to be developed. Through these photos, Sy discovers that the male half of the Yorkin Family is having an affair with this young woman. Sy then appoints himself as moral guardian and defender of the family and proceeds to teach the Yorkin husband a thing or two about marital fidelity.
--Stephanie, Resident Scholar
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A lonely photo technician, Sy, has been printing photos for the Yorkin's for 9 years. He even feels like he is a part of their family. Every time the Yorkin's get their photos done Sy keeps copies for himself. One day Sy discovers that the husband is cheating on his wife, so Sy goes to get revenge and the family discovers just how unstable Sy is.
--Jack Bauer, Resident Scholar
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Seymour "Sy" Parrish is a solitary, antisocial character who spends his days as a photo lab technician at SavMart pharmacy. For the many years he has been working there, he has had regular customers in the Yorkin family, a rich, beautiful yuppie clan. Over the years, Sy has become obsessed with the Yorkins and their aura of a loving nuclear family, something Sy has never had. He copies their family photos and puts them on his apartment wall. He daydreams about him as a member of the family, "Uncle Sy." One day, however, Sy's boss begins to wonder why Sy makes so many copies of pictures, and Sy discovers a crack in the Yorkins' image. It is only a downward spiral form there. With the release of this film, as well as "Insomnia," in 2002, Williams shed the image of oversentimentality that had plagued his film career, turning in outstanding performances of the unhinged.
--Ben, Resident Scholar
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For nearly twenty years, Seymour Parrish has been a photo technician at a one-hour photo shop at a Southern California SavMart. A quiet, solitary, orderly nonentity, he fusses about his work and befriends a lovely young customer named Nina and her son Jake who are regulars and know him as "Sy the Photo Guy." As he daydreams about becoming closer to both of them, Sy runs into trouble with his boss and stumbles on some of the family's secrets, which he hopes to use to help (or hurt) them. Looking a bit like the earlier President Bush and a bit like Phil Collins, Robin Williams is spectacular as a stalker who thinks of himself as a very moral man, and though the film seems slow at first and has a few loose bits early on, it builds to a thunderous and extremely satisfying climax and conclusion. Writer-director Mark Romanek, who did one indy comedy called "Static" way back in 1985 and music videos for R.E.M., Nine Inch Nails, and Madonna since, does an outstanding, highly assured job. Williams ought to get an Oscar.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of One Hour Photo |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie
Actual chase scenes or violence - 12.5%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 42.5%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 45%
Time/Era of Movie:
- present (2000-2010)
Crime & Police Story?
Yes
Taboo Sex Story?
Yes
Crime story:
- criminal/victim falls in love with victim/criminal
- catching/stopping killer
- hunted by killer/stalker
Kind of story:
- adultery
Blackmail & Seduction
Yes
Criminal enemy is...
- bad vigilante getting revenge
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Eccentric:
Yes
- eccentric
- obsessed
- emotionally unstable
- wild
Hair color?
- blonde
Hair style
- short/standard straight (man)
Body type
- average (man)
Events of movie makes character more...
- aggressive
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
- brunette (Black)
Hair style
- (woman) medium/shoulderlgn, straight
Body type
- average (woman)
How much in movie?
- 60%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- businessman, big
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 40%
Hair color
- blonde
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- average (man)
unclothed?
- chest and buttocks
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- California
City?
Yes
City:
- Los Angeles
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
- resort/hotel
- building
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- non-gory references to death/punishment
Movie makes you feel...
- in awe
- all mixed up
How many deaths in film?
- 0 (not a murder mystery)
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references only
- kissing
- actual description of sex
- seeing breasts
- seeing nude female butt
- seeing nude male butt
- seeing full frontal--women
How much use of techno gadgets?
- 4 (a fair amount)
Kind of violence:
- hand to hand
- knives
Any profanity?
- Some foul language
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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