PUSH

Friday February 13, 2009

PUSH (2009) Directed by Paul Mc Guigan (Lucky Number Slevin), is loud, choppy; the plot is confusing as it is convoluted and ultimately silly. The storyline involves a group of young American ex-pats with telekinetic and clairvoyant abilities who are hiding from a clandestine U.S. government agency “The Division.” They must utilize their different talents and band together for a final job enabling them to escape the agency forever. These clairvoyants and psychokinetic powers are a product of a shadowy past linked to the end days of WWII. Born and bred as the ultimate surveillance weapons these second and third generation psychic empowered humans rebel and are no longer willing to serve their government masters. “They live among us.” So, Dakota Fanning, warns us, once again employed as the consummate archetypal innocent narrator. Fanning plays a “watcher” a thirteen-year-old worldly-wise girl named Cassie Holmes, a clairvoyant who can see the future. With her blond hair streaked with pink, short, short “skorts” and knee-high boots, Fanning resembled a Bratz doll; she’s gone rouge, across the globe. On the run from the shadowy Division, in search of Nick (Chris Evans) and a mysterious suitcase that the Division, represented by the ever-nefarious Djimon Hounsou also seeks. (See, I told you this plot was convoluted, it gets worse) . . . Along the way, the gang picks up Kira, (Camilla Belle) who can plant naughty thoughts in people’s head. All this and there are other psychics with names like “movers,” “shadows,” and “sniffs,” and a whole family of assassins who can shatter glass and do the “scanner” thing on your brain by screaming. If all this wasn’t disconcerting enough we are treated to the spectacle of sweet-innocent Dakota Fanning of fresh faced pig-tailed Fern fame, swear, get drunk and pack heat—in both fist no less. As far as the intoxication scene goes, (the director was careful not to show underage Fanning actually drinking). I thought it was one of Dak’s best scenes; she actually does a convincing job. The scene is especially funny, since after she appeared on the TONIGHT SHOW, Dak assured Leno that, “Absolutely no research went in to doing that scene.” Unfortunately, PUSH will do nothing for Dakota’s career. The film opened to extremely poor reviews and in sixth place . . . not very promising. However, I expect that with Dakota's talent, she will persevere. I do not think I would have enjoyed PUSH at all except for the presents of Dakota. Hong Kong certainly is a beautiful city I liked that part. Overall, PUSH will never rank as one of my favorite Dakota movies.

PUSH (2009) * ½