The Box
The Box
- TESTED
Push a red button on a little black box, get a million bucks cash. Just like that, all of Norma (Diaz) and Arthur Lewis’s (Marsden) financial problems will be over. But there’s a catch, according to the strange visitor (Lagella) who placed the box on the couple’s doorstep. Someone, somewhere – someone they don’t know – will die. Cameron Diaz and James Marsden play a couple confronted by agonizing temptation yet unaware they’re already part of an orchestrated an – for them and us – mind-blowing chain of events.
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The altruism equation: Free or not free.,
THE BOX is a masterpiece of ethical and moral dilemma masquerading as an ominous sci-fi suspense thriller. It may seem obscure and incomprehensible, but it’s essentially just a story about the Golden Rule: What we do to others we do to ourselves.
The story is taken form an ironic little gem of a story by Richard Matheson (of TWILIGHT ZONE fame) called “Button, Button.” The movie expands it into a Gordian Knot of obscure, seemingly unrelated events that inevitably, well… you’ll see.
The central theme is altruism, which is basically the practical application of the Golden Rule (you know, do unto others as you would have them do unto you). The basic equation is that if enough people choose selfishness, eventually no one will be left. Yet I’m amazed by all the diverse interpretations and reviews, especially since the substance of the story is clearly stated at one point as the “altruism coefficient,” that is, unless people learn to be altruistic they will either destroy each other or be destroyed by the mysterious extraterrestrials. A not uncommon sci-fi theme, but presented here as a brilliantly enigmatic and ominous fable that is never boring, but rather, perplexing and mesmerizing. It may have been more popular as a dark comedy, but then it would have lost much of its impact.
Unfortunately however, when a story is presented as enigmatically as this, people tend to see what they want to see, like the reviewer who totally misinterpreted it as a “scathing attack on altruism,” quoting Ayn Rand’s absurd, distorted definition of it. (Ayn Rand, the master of rationalization of the selfish and self-serving, nursed a lifelong disdain of altruism and empathy. Her books rationalize and justify selfishness, opportunism and exploitation, and still inspire those who exalt such traits.) But this movie is in fact a scathing indictment of selfishness.
Self-sacrifice and selflessness have been the most powerful themes in all of literature and art, including the ultimate story of self-sacrifice, that of Christ (though you’d hardly guess it judging by today’s Christians).
Selfishness, on the other hand, is the primary characteristic of evil.
The quote by John Paul Sartre near the end of the movie sums it up beautifully.
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|Mostly, pushes all the right buttons…,
I expected absolutely nothing from this movie. The trailer looked ridiculous, the plot seemed nonsensical and the reviews were all pretty nasty. Overall, I had planned on skipping this movie altogether. I recently found myself in a Cameron Diaz kind of mood and decided to revisit some of her films and saw that this one was playing on Cinemax. I hesitated a brief moment before decided to just give it a go.
I’m glad I did.
Yes, `The Box’ has a few (or more than a few) holes and it comes up short of brilliant, but much like `Donnie Darko’ (another cult favorite by director Richard Kelly), `The Box’ has the goods to see it through to the end.
The story told is that of a young family in the 70′s who happen to get a rare proposition. Norma and Arthur are falling on tough times. They are obviously in love and `happy’, but they are living paycheck to paycheck and are meeting a series of devastating setbacks in their personal life. Arthur works for NASA and Norma is a teacher. They also have a young son. When the film opens, it is quarter-to-six in the morning and there is a knock at the front door. Norma discovers a box on their doorstep. That box contains a wooden box, locked, with a button inside. There is also a note that states a man will be visiting them at five that afternoon with further instructions. Long story short, Norma is informed that she has twenty-four hours to decide whether or not she will push the button. If she does she will receive one-million dollars. Also, someone that she does not know will die.
Now, I have a few issues with the handling of the film from that point forward, namely because the moral complexities that are thrust upon us at that moment could have taken this film ANYWHERE, and I had in mind a place I really thought it would go (especially once Arthur asks the questions “How well do you know me? How well do you know Walter?”) but instead, the film takes a slightly different course, one that involves extra-terrestrials and eventually makes its message known (the same message that kind of ruined `The Abyss’ for me) and left me a tad wanting. Yes, this film is far from perfect.
STILL, there is a lot going on here that works rather beautifully, and the moral issues presented, while not the ones I anticipated, surely leave room for thought provoking conversation. The idea that mankind was ruined on the whim of a woman (Adam and Eve) and that history is sure to repeat itself (Norma’s decision to push the button) are subtle yet poignant POV’s that really underline the context of this film.
While I found the overall handling of Arlington Steward and his `minions’ to feel rather clichéd and `scare tactic 101′, I also found that it didn’t take away from the film nearly as much as it could have.
I was pleasantly surprised with the performances gathered together here, especially that of Cameron Diaz, who was marvelous. I had actually heard some love thrown her way by a slew of my cinephile friends who thought the film a dud but thought her performance was Oscar worthy. She really was outstanding here. She not only nailed the accent work and nostalgic embodiment of the era (she felt like she belonged there), but she also layered her every move with a deep-rooted understanding of her characters current situation. The scene where she expresses her reasons for loving Arlington, in the library, was just beautifully done, and that final scene where she pleads with her husband to `make the right choice’…it is effortlessly captured.
She is such a great actress who fails to get the recognition she deserves!
In the end I must say that this film has received a bad rap. It is actually a very smart and provocative film. Sure, it has some areas that make little sense and it needed a little tightening up here and there, but overall this film offers a lot more than most released these days.
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|Actually enjoyable, still has me thinking about it.,
I picked this movie up because a friend of mine said it looked interesting. I read the synopsis and wondered how an entire movie would come out of this concept. I threw the blu ray in and started it up. I don’t put spoilers in my reviews, because I want people to see and feel the movie for themselves, so don’t worry about that here. You’re immediately brought into the lives of a seemingly normal American family, and this starts the story.
As I watched the events unfold I couldn’t help but wonder who is who and what was connected. This for me was a good thing, as was the entire movie. It felt different, the husband/wife team had to make a choice. The best thing was thinking about what I’d do, but by the end of the movie I changed my mind and rethought some things.
All in all I don’t know why everybody is giving this such a horrible review. Its not an action junkie’s dream but it has its only flow and interesting material. Also the blu ray looked very impressive, crisp and clear like always…and the sound was great!
I would highly recommend this movie for a rainy day, even if its just a rental.
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