Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

MusicChat It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

Keeley Coleman The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Justina The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Wes Lambert The universe and my own unique inability to waste time has been keeping me out of the theater lately; so I have been watching some old favorites when I have the chance. Today that chance came in the form of 2002's "Dummy" on IFC. I love movies populated by geeks, freaks and losers and "Dummy" definitely fits the bill. Adrien Brody plays Steven, our lovable but completely inept hero who living with his parents and jobless decides to pursue his secret dream of ventriloquism. Brody does a fantastic job inhabiting this awkward guy and also bringing to life his alter ego, the dummy. Of course, it always helps to throw a clunky pair of glasses on the good looking guy a'la Clark Kent. Great performances also by Illeana Douglas as Steven's sister who lives at home too, blames everybody else for her problems, but realizes she's too old to be asking, "Mom can I please borrow the car today".Some of my biggest praise though goes to Milla Jovovich. She is Fangora (Fanny), Steven's loud obnoxious punk wannabe friend. Think of the person who talks too loud in public and drops the F bomb. You know, the person who might make you regret the eco-friendly decision to use public transportation. I don't think I have enjoyed her so much in a movie besides maybe my first encounter in "The Fifith Element". I hope maybe there is less 3D action zombie movies in her future and maybe something more like "Dummy"In the end it all works out for our geeks, freaks and losers. Steven in some self medication works out his issues via the dummy and lands his love interest(Vera Farmiga). Fangora channels her anger through punk klezmar music. I don't think I can describe it; so check out this YouTube clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRHwyHRfklY&feature=related). Even Steven's sister lets go of her excuses and seems to find her footing. That's the magic of movies because let's face as interesting as characters like these are in movies, knowing them in the real world can be a bitch.

darjeeling_myworld I bought this movie really cheap as a fan of Adrian Brody and Vera Farmiga and to be honest wasn't expecting much. But I was pleasantly surprised to find one of the funniest and most moving films I have seen in a long time. It's a strange little film but brilliantly acted by everyone involved - Brody was stunning (his video to Vera Farmiga's character "i'm not used to people being nice to me" had me close to tears and not many movies do that to me) and it's easy to see why he's an established Oscar winning actor now. He has such a raw likability and the script makes sure we are always on his side. Vera Farmiga was also excellent but I was most impressed by the supporting cast - Milla Jovovich, Illeana Douglas and Jared Harris were wonderful. It's a short film and moves along at a cracking and funny pace, I was annoyed as my DVD had a scratch on and it jumped so I missed a small bit - the point i'm making is that I liked this movie so much i'm gonna go out and buy it again 'cos I lost the receipt! The only flaw I think it has is the ending when Steven throws his voice - I thought it was very far fetched and the fight he then has was quite badly filmed - the camera didn't find its place. It also becomes a bit over sentimental because this was surprisingly a movie with a lot of dark themes and I expected the ending to make a bigger thing of them. Other than that though, the best movie I have seen in ages and I would recommend it to anyone!

kramertron It's painfully obvious that this is an indie movie. Not in a Juno/Garden State "I'm going to quirk you to death" kinda of way, but in that the story is not polished at all, there are a lot of loose ends that could have benefited from an extra scene or two, feels made for TV and is just plain blah. The idea was pretty neat, but there was absolutely no setup, and the only exposition to him wanting to get a dummy was him watching the movie at the very beginning.All that said, it had plenty of cute and enjoyable moments. The whole romantic aspect was good, and I liked Mila Jovavich's character, who was perfectly annoying. And I found Adrien Brody's character, and by extension the dummy, pretty interesting.

moonspinner55 Adrien Brody is quietly wonderful as an unemployed nebbish in his late twenties who stills lives with his parents and has a fascination with ventriloquism; he finally buys a dummy of his own and practices the craft he's dreamed about, yet also realizes (via his new wooden companion) that it may be time to start growing up. Greg Pritikin wrote and directed this low-budget satire of suburban craziness, and seems to harbor an affection for bughouse characters all living on the edge. It isn't an original vision (Hal Hartley was mining this dryly eccentric territory 10 years ago), but it's still surprising how successfully Pritikin manages to pull this intentionally bumpy story together. Milla Jovovich is initially off-putting playing Brody's friend, a foul-mouthed garage rocker, but when she gets her band a job playing klesmer songs at a wedding--and immerses herself in the Jewish language--she reveals an appealing, sassy side that totally fits into Pritikin's offbeat universe. Illeana Douglas and Vera Farmiga are also very fine, and though the construction of the script is caricature-oriented, most of these actors overcome the slight material, revealing something unexpected in the process: a sunny story about weirdos that ultimately celebrates humanity. **1/2 from ****