That’s what came to mind while watching “Wrecked
Heck, the character can’t do much of anything, being stuck in the heap of twisted metal. We see him slap at a mosquito, eat an ant, and attempt to urinate. He manages that about as well as Jim Carrey did post-coitally in “Me, Myself & Irene.”
After 30 minutes, he finally manages to push his way — however painful — out of the car and onto the ground. But not much happens after that, either. He crawls around, plays with a dog and has arguments with a woman (Caroline Dhavernas, “Devil”) who may just be a vision. At least we learn a piece of knowledge about him that may suggests maybe viewers shouldn’t be sympathetic to him … assuming they even are.
Sadly, with 10 minutes left to go (including the end credits), “Wrecked” finally delivers something of interest. That’s why I’m convinced it should be 30 minutes, tops, not 90. Last year’s “Buried” was somewhat akin to this, but even more confined and stripped-down; however, even in a coffin 6 feet underground, Ryan Reynolds talked to plenty of people via cellphone to keep things interesting.
“Wrecked” does not. I found it so dull and slow, I imagined Brody were still in “Predators,” and those creatures just hadn’t shown up yet. Aside from a scene in which Brody is swept away by river currents, about the most action one sees is the aforementioned urinating. First-time director Michael Greenspan shows he could tackle suspense, but he would be wise to seek out a script that would grant him that opportunity.
Fun fact: Following “Insidious,” this is the second film this year in which Tiny Tim’s “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” plays a pivotal audio role. —Rod Lott
This article appears in Aug 17-23, 2011.