The Box **1/2


The Box is a big, silly film that deals with so many issues I don’t know where to begin. For starters, let’s try the plot. One early morning, a married couple is awoken by someone at the door. The couple is Arthur and Norma Lewis (James Marsden and Cameron Diaz), your typical 1976 Virginia twosome, happily married with a son. When Norma rolls out of bed and down the stairs, she finds only a box sitting on the porch and a black sedan pulling away. Very ominous. When Arthur and Norma open the box they find another box, this one locked, with a button on top. An enclosed note reads that Arlington Steward (Frank Langella) will return later to explain. When he does, with half his face missing, Norma is alone. Arlington says that if she and her husband push the button, two things will happen: 1) someone they don’t know, somewhere in the world, will die; and 2) they will be given one million dollars cash. Even more ominous.

We have already learned that the private school at which Norma teaches is ending the tuition discount for her son. In addition to this, Arthur (who is a scientist with NASA) has been denied entrance into the Astronaut program because he failed the psychological test. “We’re already living paycheck to paycheck,” Norma tells her friend. Wait, what? They both still have their jobs, a big house, their son attends private school, and Arthur drives a brand new Corvette. Not exactly slumming it. Either way, I’m not spoiling much to say that they push the button.

The rest of the film deals with the consequences of this action. There are many subtle moments throughout the movie that we think will become important later, climaxing in one grand sequence. The film’s main problem is that this doesn’t really happen. As we learn different aspects of what might be going on, we are intrigued. But the parts never really add up to the whole. The strengths lie in the setup of the story, which is based on “Button, Button” by Richard “I am Legend” Matheson. Who is Arlington Steward? If the button works, then how? Why? The decision to set the film in 1976 works well. The set design and costumes are great, and the look of the film is very 70’s—muted pastel colors and a good use of lens filters. I was surprised to learn that director Richard Kelly shot digitally, as it would make sense to shoot a period piece on film (I’m looking at you, Michael Mann).

I’m not a huge believer in the sophomore slump (ever hear of Pulp Fiction or Boogie Nights?), but Richard Kelly’s last film Southland Tales would certainly qualify. His first was Donnie Darko, which is a good movie that has earned a solid following. The Box falls somewhere in between. Most of all, it shows that Kelly can be in demand technically. But it also proves for the third time in a row that he loves to tell a story with detours that dead-end.

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