cnycitylady

(2013-06-18 22:06:24)

A tough tale for girls

Hick is a kind of "Coming of Age" story for teen-aged girls. This movieshows just how cruel and kind the world can be. Luli grows tired of herneglectful mother and sets out on an adventure that teaches her this.On the road she comes across a very handsome and charming (and yummy)young man whom she hitch-hikes with before seeing the dangerous side ofhim. Through a myriad of events she keeps bumping into him and thissets the story off.Chloe Grace Moretz plays the lead and never have you seen a teen-agedgirl so tantalizing. She embodies the independence, sensual desire andtotal naivety of the typical teenage girl who longs to be grown (in avery "Lolita" way.) You know that this character is headed for troublewhen you see that she doesn't care about the repercussions of heractions/choices. Eddie Redmayne plays the somewhat dangerous cowboy whopicks her up and boy does he play it well. You get from the verybeginning that he is not to be trusted but you can't help yourself. Hischarming smile and outwardly sweet and honest nature pulls you in onhis side before he flips the switch. Blake Lively gives her usualperformance, not really branching out of her comfort zone, you almostfeel as if she was type casted. The character that she played wasplayed well but there was no surprise to her.The story is a true "Hick" tale as it were. And their is nothing trulyamazing about it, but it still merits a viewing, possibly multiple onesbecause the characters are fairly interesting (if not superficiallyinteresting) and the actors are as entertaining as they usually are.The storyline is straightforward with a few shocks and overall is apretty good film.

Ciara Rose

(2013-06-18 10:34:22)

A misinterpreted but undeniably beautiful work of art

When I first read a review about this film in some magazine, all Inoticed was that it had received some scathing review about how 'bad'of a movie this was. Although the review was not well written, I choseto listen to it. Simply because why would I waste time seeing a moviethat someone had deemed bad? Eventually, some time later, I saw that 'Hick' was available on InstantPlay Netflix. I thought, hey, I've always been a bit intrigued by thestars of this movie (i.e. Chloe Grace Moretz, Blake Lively, EddieRedmayne) so why not check it out? Maybe I can even get a laugh out ofit.I can tell you that I was very beautifully proved wrong. This is anabsolutely outstanding film in all respects - it's a rather simple plotline but everything about the film is stunning. In negative reviews of'Hick', I've seen that the most repetitive criticism is people can'tseem to draw some 'meaning' or deeper ethical 'growth' out of the film.Quite frankly, I've been unable to stop thinking about this film sinceI saw it and I have to be honest, even I can't put my finger on why Ikeep thinking of it. I think people are frustrated that there is notsome generic moral that comes with this, it cannot be easily thoughtout. This movie is difficult to understand in terms of why it disturbsyou so. Hands down, the most astounding feature about this film is the acting.The trifecta of talent from Moretz, Lively, and Redmayne isunbelievable - Lively and Redmayne play broken but ashamedly magneticpeople which contrasts in an unsettling way with Mortez's innateinnocence.I can't reveal more out of spoilers but I do believe that the sexualfocus of this film is very imperative - it evokes a relatable emotionwithin people that not many want to address. It hits home because ittargets the parts of you that you are not open with. All in all, Hick is a misinterpreted work of art and I am sad to seethat people cannot look at the beautiful simplicity in this film butrather attempt to find some superficial complexity.

cnycitylady

(2013-06-18 09:41:10)

A tough tale for girls

Hick is a kind of "Coming of Age" story for teen-aged girls. This movieshows just how cruel and kind the world can be. Luli grows tired of herneglectful mother and sets out on an adventure that teaches her this.On the road she comes across a very handsome and charming (and yummy)young man with whom she hitch-hikes before seeing the dangerous side ofhim. Through myriad events she keeps bumping into him and this sets thestory off.Chloe Grace Moretz plays the lead and never have you seen a teen-agedgirl so tantalizing. She embodies the independence, sensual desire andtotal naivety of the typical teenage girl who longs to be grown (in avery "Lolita" way.) You know that this character is headed for troublewhen you see that she doesn't care about the repercussions of heractions/choices. Eddie Redmayne plays the somewhat dangerous cowboy whopicks her up and boy does he play it well. You get from the verybeginning that he is not to be trusted but you can't help yourself. Hischarming smile and outwardly sweet and honest nature pulls you in onhis side before he flips the switch. Blake Lively gives her usualperformance, not really branching out of her comfort zone, you almostfeel as if she was type casted. The character that she played wasplayed well but there was no surprise to her.The story is a true "Hick" tale as it were. And there is nothing trulyamazing about it, but it still merits a viewing, possibly multiple onesbecause the characters are fairly interesting (if not superficiallyinteresting) and the actors are as entertaining as they usually are.The storyline is straightforward with a few shocks and overall is apretty good film.

supraman_solo

(2013-06-17 21:30:34)

ChloГѓВ« 's leading role.

What a pleasure it was to watch miss ChloГѓВ« Grace Moretz in this grittyfilm. She brought to life the character of "Luli" in a very realisticand oh so typical teenager kind of way. I enjoyed the way that thestory telling was accentuated through "Luli's" drawings, and theoccasional spoken word. Derek Martini's work here was impressive, and Iwas comforted in the way the ugly scenes were foretold. Andrea Portesbook was somewhat more graphic. All the cast worked very well together,and it was cool to see ChloГѓВ« and Alec Baldwin together again. Myattention was held from the first frame to the very last. I hope theybring this out on Bluray, so I can enjoy the tale for years to come.

Rodrigo Amaro

(2013-06-16 15:49:11)

Troubled and confusing but saved with one quality performance

In "Hick" the main question to be made is if we're really aiming at theright direction due to the fact this film strange proposition. I don'tknow if it's a case of being a bad thing, a bad project or thedirector's idea is to make us interested in the people we're notsupposed to and ignore the characters and situations we should cheerfor. I believe that this was the main cause for this getting such lowratings in here, viewers got confused with what was settled here. Iliked it because I could notice brilliant things in this distortedaspect. However, there's plenty of things to be bothered about "Hick".Coming from a strange family, almost an broken home, the 13 year-oldLuli McMullen (ChloГѓВ« Grace Moretz) decides to leave her home inNebraska and hitchhike all the way to Las Vegas just to see what'sgoing on in the apparently happy place, the complete opposite of hercurrent state. On the way, she meets with a wannabe cowboy named Eddie(Eddie Redmayne, the best thing in the movie), they'll keep meetingeach other throughout the film; Glenda (Blake Lively) of whom they'llshare some load of problems and develop a certain bond between them;and some other characters (played by Alec Baldwin, Rory Culkin andothers) that we think they'll have some deep importance in the storybut they're just mere cameos or of very small influence in the plot."Hick" could be a good story about the process of growing up, thedifficulties faced by a child while going through the adolescence, andin this case under extreme and harsh circumstances. I don't see "Hick"in that way and some even thinks this is a young re-telling of "TrueRomance". I see it as an quite hollowed narrative that loses itspurpose halfway through with no much to give. So, Luli keeps feeding uswith thoughts about her dead brother she never met, creating somefantasy seen through lots of happy drawings and what's the point of allthat? There's so much more in her life during the journey and she nevermakes comments on those moments, and we should be close to her, that'swhat voice-overs are for. Instead of making us close to her the storymakes us hate the character for a while not only because she'sobnoxious and irritating but because the actress playing her isn'thelping at all. Moretz doesn't make a good show in here. This is part of the confusion I was telling about. Are we supposed tolike more of the "bad" guy than for the lead character? My case wasthat I cared more for Eddie (both actor and character with the samename) than her. He starts off as being a quite polite, friendly guy,and little by little we discover how violent and twisted he can get,and he has this strange fascination for Lily, all going towards to theedge of a tragedy. Here's a young actor showing how skillful he can be,convincingly playing an Southern character (remember, he's British) andgiving a side of him we didn't know, acting tough and all (the scene inthe bar is very scary). Together, he and the girl have some wonderfulmoments that saves the film from the obscurity. Far from being so bad as many claim this is yet also far from being sogreat and inspiring as some also tend to say, "Hick" is worthy of asomewhat careless view just to kill the curiosity and because despitethe many problems the story's pacing is quite good. 6/10

Saad Khan

(2013-06-16 02:15:52)

Chloe Moretz & Blake Lively'fans can give a shot ..

HICK – CATCH IT (Chloe Moretz & Blake Lively'fans) Otherwise TRASH ITFirst thing first "Hick" means "lower class whites" living in ruralareas. Hick is considered as one of the worst movies of all times andcritics 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes completely supports these views.So, Is Hick really that Bad? Unfortunately the answer is YES. The onlyreason some people may enjoy Hick is because they're Chloe Moretz andBlake Lively fans or they love movies based upon brutal, harsh &abusive lives of women. Adapted from the critically acclaimed novel byAndrea Portes, it's revolves around a Small town teenager Luli (ChloeGrace Moretz) who escapes to Las Vegas, leaving behind her alcoholicand abusive parents. Armed with a pistol and pocket money, she hitcheshike her way to the west. Along the way, Luli crosses paths with Eddie(Eddie Redmayne), an unstable cripple rebel and Glenda (Blake Lively),a cocaine-snorting drifter on the run. From beginning to end, filmmakerDerick Martini has infused Hick with a painfully aimless sort of feelwhich makes it really hard for audiences to connect with anyone of thecharacters. Though, the movie pushed the envelope by presenting ChloeGrace Moretz (15) in tiny tops and panties. The girl you saw inremarkable movies like The Amityville Horror, Kick-Ass, 500 Days ofSummer, Let Me In, Hugo and Dark Shadows recently is all grown up. It'ssooo discomforting to see Chloe Moretz in such a provocative role.Chloe Grace Moretz does her best in Texan impersonation and acting likea total Hick but there are moments which clearly shows that she issomeone really special and not cutout to play a Hick. Blake Lively isgreat, considering she is the Ultimate Serena van der Woodsen fromGossip Girl. She does a brilliant job a drug snorting drifter on theroad. Many people don't give her enough credit for her work in TheTown, Green Lantern (At least, She was good in it) and now Hick. Ithink with upcoming Oliver Stone's Savages, she will considered one ofthe promising newcomers for movies. Eddie Redmayne is good as charmingcripple unstable rapist/psychopath. Though in my opinion this roledidn't suited him as he is physically too weak and it's hard to imaginethat Blake Lively ever falls for him or he empowers Chloe Moretz. If weignore his physicality he did a decent job, though Eddie has beenappearing in multiple high profile movies and I don't think anytimesoon he will get the stardom. Juliette Lewis, Alec Baldwin, AnsonMount, Rory Culkin and Shaun Sipos are barley for few scenes. Ascritics James Rocchi rightly said "Hick" was intended to be a callingcard for all parties involved to point at as evidence of their talentand bravery; instead, it's a Black Blot of SHAME for everyone who had apart in its making. On the whole, hick maybe a critical and commercialdisappointment, but for many years people will remember as Chloe GraceMoretz adult rape movie. #BadSign

jimlacy2003

(2013-06-14 10:20:21)

Garbage, little direction, no taste

From the beginning this movie is obviously and interestingly dark. Thedrunken worthless parents leave their thirteen year old daughter aloneto fend for her self with barely a word before they are gone. She hits the road to experience the world and to apparently make somesense of it all (life).At first it was interesting. She by happenstance gets a ride from ayoung temperamental former now partially gimp rodeo rider cowboy thatappears to be a bit of a hero.Then she hooks up with a gal who appears to be absent of any morals atall, et al, to wind up (it's a small world) connected with the cowboyagain. The cowboy disgruntled, urinates in the bosses drink. Okay, notexactly a tough guy hero.. He he was such a decent tough guy characteras the film portrays why wouldn't he just say "Take this job and shoveit!" and walk out the door? He appeared to be some sort of slave bychoice. Kind of liked the "hero" guy, but obviously now he isn't, moreof a scumbag. What is the point?More misdirected non-sense and then we come to the scene where the girlalmost gets molested (which happen to be by their own doing anyhow) inthe pool hall bathroom. The "cowboy" really roughs the would bemolester up by repeatedly slamming a toilet stall door on his head.Okay understood, he is a "molester" after all. But then in a fit ofunbridled rage gets the strength of Hercules to rip a 50lbs+ sink offthe wall and crashes it flat on the floor guys head. Hey it's just amovie, but I'd think you if actually did such a thing you'd actuallycrush someones head into a broken bloody pulp. What is the point?I actually make this movie sound more interesting then it is. Icompletely gave up on this movie at about the halfway point and walkedout. Boring, uncouth, distasteful, of a pointless and confused movie.I read two other reviews here. One that even knocks others for makingnegative reviews (isn't that against the rules?). Unlike the movie'scowboy, this cowboy is tough enough to stand up against the likes ofthose and call this movie bad for what it is. To each his own too. Youcan sit there all day tell me the "emperor's new clothes" are wonderfuland I'll factually tell you in your face he's plumb naked (and thismovie is horrible) buddy!

mpfk

(2013-06-13 18:18:43)

A Wizard of Oz for our Times

Derick Martini, whose promise was richly manifested in Lymelife (2009),now gives us a film of poetic if unnerving beauty. Hick's plot is asold as literature—the exploits of a young hero who leaves familiarplaces to encounter and then overcome terrifying obstacles. It is alsothe story that lies at the heart of America and a coming-of-age parablesuited to our times. The Wizard of Oz featured Dorothy; Hick featuresLuli McMullen, a 13-year old Nebraska girl who trades the boredom ofher Midwestern town and tortured parents lost in alcohol for excitementalong the road to Las Vegas, where she hopes to find a sugar-daddy.Based on the best-selling novel by Andrea Portes, who also wrote thefilm's script, Hick is a courageous statement about the power of will;a reminder that very young girls can be daring and sensual but alsothoughtful and ultimately wise.The film begins with a bang. At the party marking her thirteenthbirthday, Luli receives a 45 Smith & Wesson as a present from heruncle. This makes for a jaw-dropping moment funny, deeply sad, andfraught with peril—three elements that distinguish the film as a whole.Luli uses the gun to channel Dirty Harry in front of a mirror. When shestands in her underwear, alone in her bedroom, pointing the weapon ather own image—"Do you feel lucky, punk; well, do ya?"—we suspect, Toto,this is uncharted territory. Luli is an about-to-blossom new icon—agirl to whom gender is incidental, a child-woman with a practicalunderstanding of her body and a dogged determination to survive. She isas vulnerable as she is ready to kick butt.Luli embodies the yearnings of youth and the heavy burdens ofchildhood. She is an artist who draws exquisite, longing images of herlittle brother who was born blue and refused to stay in the world. Shehas a sharp eye and a wicked tongue but the rumbling in her head isthat of an old spirit. Luli has always had to take care of herself and,so far, she has had more losses than gains. She has every reason to bebitter but she chooses hope instead. She's a can-do girl for the NewMillennium. We believe her when she declares, "I got something that'sgonna throw me straight into the sun." Hick, the novel, was widelypraised for its economy of style and the beauty of its language. Thosevirtues have been preserved in the film. Along the yellow brick road that connects her past and her future,Luli—recreated by the talented Chlöe Grace Moretz—encounters Eddie, abroken spirit trapped in a broken body. As portrayed by Eddie Redmaynein an award-deserving performance, Eddie Kreezer is a young nobody witha limp, the result of his failed career as a rodeo artist. He appearsinnocuous but evolves into the epitome of obsession, aiming to use Lulias a toy, an object to suit his desires. On the road to Las Vegas Lulialso meets Glenda—played with wit and intelligence by Blake Lively—agrifter who becomes the girl's guide and mentor. Like other fairygodmothers, Glenda is beautiful, impetuous, and manipulative. This onealso snorts coke and cons men. She lures Luli into a series ofdeceptions that are as troubling as they are hilarious. In the end,Luli must escape the wiles of both Eddie the monster and Glenda thecalculating witch to surface on the other side of the road where theworld of promise and reconfigured goals is waiting. She faces violenceand near death, as all heroes must, in her pursuit of a new freedom.What is wonderful about Luli is that she keeps moving forward no matterhow broken her heart is. Towards the end of her adventure she considersgoing back home only to discover that home is no longer there—it hasbeen taken over by Wal Mart. This too is significant. Hick is Luli's story but also a recounting ofthe way in which the American landscape has been savagely changed bycommercial interests. Like Luli, nature grapples with abuse. As shetravels west, the young heroine celebrates the vistas before her andwryly laments the misuse of the land. But there is still poetry in thatland. Director Martini deftly portrays the breathtaking amplitude ofthe American countryside with its luscious fields and endless skies.Ordinary diners and motels become in his hands places where magic canhappen even to a runaway girl. Rarely has the forlorn beauty ofneglected neon strips and lost main streets been captured so well.Trucks and cars, like those a failed cowboy might favor, have neverlooked more enticing. The heart-stilling terrain that serves as abackdrop for Hick is further brought to life by the music of Bob Dylanand a haunting, complementary score.Hick joins a long string of American movies celebrating the power ofresilience and optimism. From Star Wars (1977) to Good Will Hunting(1997) and the Harry Potter series (2001 – 2011), we rejoice in thetriumph of spirit over matter, endurance over apathy, and good overevil. In most of those cases the heroes have been boys. Hick'starnished champion is a girl and a very young girl at that. For thatreason, despite its beauty and originality, Hick will make someuncomfortable. By now we are used to teens appearing on television,pretending to be femmes fatales but such images can be lightlydismissed as cartoons. Not so with Hick. Luli is a character to betaken seriously—one whose earnest and innocent sexuality is vivid. Wehave never met a 13-year old girl who sets out to write her own story,errors and twisted turns included. The question is whether we are readyfor her and the world she will usher in. Time will tell.Hick is a richly inspiring film; one that renews the conviction that inAmerica all things are possible.

Rob Williams

(2013-06-11 18:54:21)

Another mature performance from Chloe

The excellent Chloe Grace Moretz plays Luli, a Nebraska teen whodecides to head to the bright lights of Las Vegas leaving behind herdrunk of a father and a mother who has run off with another man, sadlythings don't go to plan when she hitches a ride with Glenda (BlakeLively)The story and performances are all very good, but yet again the standout is Chloe, her performances in this and other films such as Kick Assand Let Me In are astonishing for such a young actress (she's barely 15now!)The movie is gritty as Luli is exposed to the dark under belly oflife, drugs, drunks, low life's out to use (and abuse) her.Chloe iswell supported by a good cast, Juliette Lewis, Blake Lively and a cameofrom Alec Baldwin and I was astonished at the films poor rating onRotten Tomatoes of 5% fresh, critics eh!?A mature adult drama well worth a look.

AndyMic

(2013-06-11 03:52:40)

Great acting in this (often badly reviewed?) touching movie

I just watched Hick tonight and figured that I would write a review.This unsweet little story is about a 13 year old girl who does not havethe best of situations at home, hence she decides to run away. And theaudience is given what every anxious parent suspect will happen whensuch a thing occurred, she meets with some bad people, learns aboutlife etc etc.Eddie Redmayne is somewhere between superb and flawless in his acting,he manages to pull this thing off - where he makes one feel angry withhim, as well as pity for him - at the same time. Blake Lively is reallygood, as always - if you like Lively then see this. But the strongestperformance I must say is in my opinion ChloГѓВ« Moretz. The way sheportrays her 13 year old character is almost hard to grasp. I don'twant to spoil so I will not say too much on it except that there arecertain things in ways of humans interacting which she pulls off justperfect.Anyways, ChloГѓВ« Moretz is 14 years old in this film, and guess what -she Is beautiful, and yes she wears short skirts and shows her belly,and she/her character is very aware of this, which I loved.(For those of you who do not understand, she is probably dressed thisway to show a persona, to show vulnerability etc.)It's a heart wrenching movie that made me cry, and I don't usually cry.It has a message so encouraging and true that you have to be blinded bywrong founded morals not to like it. I recommend it to anyone,especially those out there who are a bit uncertain in life, of those ofyou who are stuck somewhere somehow. SEE IT 7/10

butterflywars

(2013-06-08 14:57:28)

Amazing Acting by All Involved

'Hick' had a lot going for it but the superb acting by the entire castis unquestionably the major selling point that made 'Hick' one of thebest movies so far of 2012.Newcomer (at least for me) Eddie Redmayne was tremendous as abelievable low-life with no sense of direction. He has future starwritten all over him. Blake Lively played a role she's done before (TheTown) and did it with perfection. The best performance of 'Hick',however, just happened to be ChloГѓВ« Grace Moretz. She is quickly turninginto my favorite actress in Hollywood at the ripe age of 15. She kickedass in 'Kick-Ass' and was an adorable cutie in 'Hugo' but she gives herbest performance to date by becoming a character reminiscent to JodieFoster in 'Taxi Driver.' It is Oscar worthy without a doubt.Critics have said that nothing can be learned by watching 'Hick' butthat wasn't the case for me. I learned that your life can to to s***with the blink of an eye, even for a teenager. You will seem defeatedwith hopelessness mixed in. It can be a daunting scenario to get out ofbut it's possible to come out better than before the downward spiraleven started. Give 'Hick' a chance. You may not like the storyprogression but there's no way anyone coming out of this movie can saythat the acting was mediocre or worse. The acting alone makes 'Hick' amust watch.

Jtbone3141

(2013-06-08 03:29:29)

Poor script elevated by powerful performances.

I would probably give this about a 5.5, but since that's not available,I'll be nice and say 6. Chloe Moretz is what primarily drove me to seethis film at first, especially since I wasn't too familiar with orcared for any of the actors who were to be in it. I might be a bitbiased because prior to my viewing, all I'd heard was how AWFUL thisfilm was. But I said screw it, it's Chloe Moretz. I've been on a Chloebinge lately and thought I'd help satisfy it by catching this. A monthbefore its May 11th release, I read the book and was legitimatelyimpressed. The book truly captivates the reader, by giving you asincere sense of what goes on in Luli's mind, given her experienceswith a troubled family and redneck life. Having truly enjoyed the book,I was able to ignore the horrid reviews I'd read and decided I'd go forit anyway.I'll say this: if it weren't for Chloe Moretz and Eddie Redmayne, thisfilm would truly have been a flop. The script is a bit similar to thebook, as pertaining to the volatility of the plot and randomintroduction of significant characters. But the script fails by givingmost of these spontaneously interjected characters ridiculously shortscreen time (Blake Lively only had about MAYBE 15-20 min. tops?).Characters that had given reasonably substantial meaning to Luli'sdepicted life on the road, such as Clement, Beau, even Lloyd, had nomore than 2-3 minutes screen time apiece, and many of them were givenalmost no depth whatsoever.Chloe did a fantastic job of acting, as usual. Her portrayal of acharming, street-smart yet semi-innocent teenage girl is visually andemotionally gripping. Her camera action and dialogue alike are theculmination of what only the most talented, versatile young actress inHollywood can produce. Blake Lively did a reasonably decent job, andactually showed a surprising amount of character depth. But it is Mr.Redmayne who steals the show.Having never seen a film with Eddie Redmayne before, I can't say that Ihad really known what to expect from him. I had read from many sourcesthat he had done a fabulous job in this film, with one such reviewereven claiming he deserved an Oscar nod. Having read the book and beenwell-acquainted with what to expect from the man playing Eddie Kreezer,the acquaintance-turned-murderer-turned-kidnapper, I was thoroughly andlegitimately impressed with his depth. Eddie Redmayne brought a perfectcombination of charm and emotional versatility, with the underlyingdegree of insanity which would turn extreme in the final act of thefilm. Redmayne's western accent was phenomenal, given his Englishcitizenship, and his charming cowboy persona was spot-on. His mood inscenes would vary from condescending to charming to menacing and so on.I can honestly say that Eddie Redmayne literally made the show for me.The film as a whole will probably not be up for any (significant)awards, especially given its indie status and almost obsoletepromotion. I can't recommend that the average moviegoer check out thisfilm, maybe not even the average Chloe Moretz fan. But if you're up fora road film centered on a young girl who learns to literally pullherself up by her bootstraps and survive countless things, fromabandonment to rape to kidnapping and so on, it could be worth yourtime.

daniel bustard

(2013-06-08 07:23:45)

Good Movie with Supreme Acting

First off the movie is very good, it's not great but nonetheless a goodmovie. The movie itself does lack some depth and elements that wouldhave made it a great picture but it's also another example thatexceptional acting can exist within a lacking movie.First off Chloe Moretz, how could anyone not like this kid? She's juststunning to watch on screen. She ranks right up there with the top kidactresses of their time, Dakota Fanning, Jodi Foster, Saoirse Ronanetc.. She's just that good whether it be a foul mouth little vigilantesuperhero, a 12 year old blood sucking killer or an intense peek intothe life of a little girl who has absolutely nothing good in her lifeto help guide her into adulthood. She captures audiences with tools offacial expressions, sincerity, real tears and of course her innateability to drop F bombs like she's a drunken sailor. She's the type ofactor that makes any movie better. With her in a picture it's a win-winfor all that is involved even if it's just a viewer.Eddie Redmayne - I don't know what it is about this guy but he's a truescene stealer, He has a wonderful ability to bring life into hischaracters and an element of realism that is far superior then mostactors we see today. I watched a few episodes of The Pillars of theEarth and although I didn't like the series Redmayne was the onlyinteresting actor in the series. I think it's his realistic young mannext store, somewhat dorky trouble making look combined with excellentacting ability that sets him apart from today's actors. Watch out forEddie because I think he's going to have a wonderful career. Blake Lively was really good as well, totally believable and a pleasureto watch. The rest of the cast although good were pretty much justfiller and could have been pulled off by most actors today.Anyway if you like character studies and the struggles of youth thenyou'll enjoy this movie. Even though the movie itself lacks some depththe main cast will definitely give you a feel for the characters and attimes it may even feel like you're a fly on the wall or standing in thesame room with them. The actors will draw you in and Chloe through hercharacter of Luli can and will make grown men eyes swell up and shed atear; especially any fathers with daughters.

TxMike

(2013-06-07 22:14:13)

Mostly quirky and strange, many viewers will not like it.

I had a Redbox discount code so I picked this DVD for the evening. Ilike the actors so I figured it would be a good viewing experience.It was an interesting viewing experience. During the middle it got abit slow-moving, so I used that neat feature of my player, push abutton and advance 15 seconds. Watch 5 seconds, advance 15 seconds.That way 20 minutes of movie goes by in 5 minutes and you don't missanything!ChloГѓВ« Grace Moretz, about 13 or 14 during filming, plays just turning13 Luli McMullen. Her mom and dad aren't much in the way of parents,and Luli is at the "coming-of" age where she wants a say in how herlife turns out. Not too different from a whole host of other suchstories on film. (I recently saw 'Mouth to Mouth' with Ellen Page,similar theme.) So Luli sees something about Las Vegas and she decides that is whereshe will go, leaving her home in Nebraska, with no idea what she willdo once she gets there.She hitches a ride with Eddie Redmayne as Eddie Kreezer, a limpingone-time cowboy. They don't do so well together, she gets let out onthe road, but they meet up again in unlikely circumstances. After shegets a ride with grifter Blake Lively as Glenda .For me the situations and dialog were seldom believable. It just didn'tseem like a plausible story.

Ollie Jones

(2013-06-05 04:20:23)

Amazing!

"You could shake your knuckles at the sky, you could get mad and say 'Idon't got nothing,' you could get stuck, you could grab the past anddrag it with you like a bag of rocks, you could grab that new diet withgrapefruits and a brand new exerciser and maybe that that new andimproved washer dryer set, you could grab and grab and grab and grabtill your fists turn green, you could grab everything you ever wanted,shake it try to make it go boom, yet you could never ever grab enoughpop." Great quote from a great movie said by a great actress! Thismovie easily scores a 10 because of the amaing acting from all of thecast especially from Chloe Moretz and Eddie Redmayne. Other people maynot think the same about this movie as me as it has any scored 5.3/10.This movie like I said easily scores a 10 and it is one of the best andre-watchable movies I have ever seen.

al_luk

(2013-06-04 16:35:31)

Absolute trash

As a huge fan of Chloe Grace Moretz I was keen to see this moviedespite the mixed reviews it has received. The fact that the entiretheatre was empty before this movie finished at the Toronto FilmFestival should have been a clue to stay away.It's hard to believe that Chloe, her agent and family (parents) wouldeven allow her to be a part of this piece of garbage. Chloe has hadsuch memorable roles like Abby from Let Me In, Hit Girl in kick ass butif you are expecting the same here you will be hugely disappointed.Ever actor in this movie if judged solely on this performance shouldnever work again. The movie is poorly written poorly acted and revolvesaround pedofillia.If you enjoy watching a 13 year old girl dressed like a hooker andhaving grown men try to have sex with her and rape her and tie her tobeds and abuse her mentally physically and sexually then I guess thismovie is for. 98 minutes of absolute trash horrible dialogue and adisgusting theme.Pass on this film.

arrowhead12272

(2013-06-04 05:30:28)

Not without flair

But and there is a big BUT here, it is a far inferior story thanMartini's "Lymelife", which I have also recently seen. Lymelife droveme to this movie with very high expectations. Maybe too high? Itactually pained me to watch the flaws in Hick directly after viewing"Lymelife". I do not regret discovering this director's work and I donot regret seeing "Hick". I just felt like the (for lack of a betterword) "scenarios" in "Hick" were wildly far- fetched. Like "Lymelife",Martini pulls magnificent performances from all of his cast. JulietteLewis for instance is stuck playing a role that is so not even close tothe reality of what a bad mother is but Martini plays to her strengthsand. like the rest of the cast, creates more enigmatic characters,which feels like a director straining to "sell" characters that don'twork. It's a noble effort, and it shockingly succeeds in most cases.Take Chloe Moretz as Luli. It's her story. The director makes it veryclear that it is hers and only hers so you are forced to see otherpeople how she sees them. Which is ambiguous. That's where it worksbest. Where it fails is when you understand all too clearly who thesepeople are supposed to be as written. Simply, they are poorly writtenand when push comes to shove, there's only so much a director,cinematographer and great soundtrack can do to save the day. Again,Hick is not without merits, and it is strikingly emotional andbeautifully done at times. Especially the work of Eddie and Luli andGlenda. Martini has a gift with actors, but he has to recognize thatwithout the proper writing, he cannot win. I was not shocked to seethat this was not his material, but that doesn't get him a "pass". Asshown in "Lymelife", he is a writer comparable to a young KennethLonergan and to me that makes the end result of this movie even moreunacceptable. I except much better.

subduedjoy

(2013-06-03 19:45:33)

Very Real

The acting was superb. The story was very real. I, too, was brought upin similar circumstances. What made this movie so real for me was thatit really showed how someone who has been abused will often end upbeing strong, not trusting others completely, and ending up in abusiverelationships. What appealed to me most was Eddie's abusive behaviorand Luli's response. She'll leave because she knows she deserves abetter life and yet she will also return to him. I watched fullyunderstanding why she would fight back, run away, and still return tohim. I think the main reason the movie will get bad reviews is that ifyou have not suffered extreme abusive, then you probably won't be ableto identify with the characters and situation.

Willow Bye

(2013-06-01 16:16:33)

HICK is insane and insanely cool.

I saw HICK in Toronto and I was blown out of my seat, as was my bestfriend and my kid- sister. I don't know if you have to be under 25 to"get" this movie but we definitely felt like we had been on thecraziest ride of our lives. As for me, part of me felt like I kept getting slapped in the face,part of me felt like I kept falling in love with Eddie Redmayne, partof me felt like I was super-uncomfortable but was dying to see what wasgoing to happen next and a really big part of me couldn't believe howgood of an actress Chloe Moretz is, at only 13 or 14 or whatever.I don't think I've ever seen a girl that age be that good, yes, TRUEGRIT included. Honest. Chloe Moretz in HICK makes that girl from TRUEGRIT look like a one-note wonder. Dare you to see it and disagree. Dareyou.The other thing I couldn't help but notice is that Blake Lively canactually act. And she's good. I know. I thought she sucked, too. Butshe's really, really good in this movie. (Even better than in THETOWN.)I only know Alec Baldwin from 30 Rock and my dad hating him but Ithought he was excellent in the film. I've only see him do comedy sothis was really different. Maybe he should do more dramatic rolesbecause he was really interesting in this one.I loved the costumes in the film, I just wanted to be a part of thisworld in a weird way. I don't want to spoil the end of the movie but,put it this way, we were all crying. It was embarrassing, really.We were all crazy about the film and I even bought the book after,which I read super-fast. I, then, gave the book to my best friend andshe read it and now she won't even give it back. I don't know. I thinkHICK is the only thing I've seen, or read, in a long time that seems tohave anything to do with me. Everything else is all about vampires orcomic-books or people sawing each other in half. I love this filmbecause it was like nothing I'd ever seen before but I really felt likeit was happening, thanks to the amazing acting of everyone butespecially Chloe Moretz.I just read that this film is coming out in theaters and I'm extremelyexcited because I can't wait to see it again. I recommend this film toanyone under 25 or to anyone that is a girl, or maybe a gay guy. Iwouldn't recommend this film to anyone like my parents, though. I justdon't think this is a film for older people. They'd probably just getmad or freaked out or something.

Shahroze Khan

(2013-06-01 13:53:14)

Chloe saves the day.

I was drawn to this film mainly because of the interesting synopsisadded on IMDb. However, appearances can be deceptive. In this case, itdefinitely is. A very common subject of a youth who feels detached andtakes an unwanted action to overcome detachment. 'Hick' is a meaningfulstory that was successfully damaged by poor screenplay and unusualdirection. However Chloe has delivered a brilliant performance andsomehow make you sit through it even if you are fast forwarding it. Astory of a young, troubled girl(Chloe) who is gifted a pistol on herbirthday. She isn't taken care of by her parents and left back at homewithout any prior notice which makes her feel unwanted. She thendecides to hop onto a trip to Vegas during which she encounters a youngcowboy (Eddie) who agrees to give her a ride to Vegas and has a heroicexplanation for his limping and some how convinces the girl of hisachievement. Their is a sudden argument between the two (poorscreenplay) and the girl is shown her way out of the car. Next sheencounters a morally low female (Blake) who gives her a ride too duringwhich she introduces her to everything from drugs to shop lifting. Theyhalt at a motel for the night where Chloe encounters Eddie again. Blakethen rides Chloe to her house where Blake's first and Chloe's thirdencounter with Eddie is on the cards. Eddie happens to be well familiarwith Blake(poor screenplay) for some reason that our director didn'tfeel important enough to establish and works as a bar tender cumslave(appears to be) to Blake's husband who by the way needs to enrollhimself for a proper acting workshop. Eddie has his way of dealing withhis boss's temper, one of which is urinating into boss's drink beforeoffering him. Eddie takes Chloe to pool Where she is molested by astranger in spite of his presence (poor screenplay). Our cowboyrealizes the harassment and gives the stranger a thrashing of his lifewhich includes slamming the door repeatedly for about ten times on hishead and smashing a whole freaking sink on the head. In a parallelworld it'd be titled as beating down to a pulp. Eddie now drives her toa hotel where a Chloe refuses any sort of intimacy and hence is shownthe door out. Chloe utilizes this offer and is seen playing cards witha random character (poor screenplay). Unhappy with this, Eddie strikesback and roughs up the situation and chases Chloe into the forest, getshold of her and ties her up to the bed back in the hotel. Blake arrivesout of no where (poor screenplay) and untie Chloe in an attempt torescue her. However Eddie walks into the room and gets his hand on thepistol gifted to Chloe on her birthday and while confrontation, shootsBlake in response to which, Chloe shoots Ed. No happily ever after. Overall, 'Hick' lacks establishment of required genre in almost everysequence. A suspense sequence is not established enough to look like asuspense neither is a thriller nor the romance. If it wasn't forChloe's powerful performance, I wouldn't rate this anything more than aone.