Review: Parker
Shannan Singletary ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Staff
If you’re thinking about venturing to the box office this weekend to see the new action packed film Parker, proceed with caution.
Parker is about a crook of the movie title’s namesake (Jason Statham) who is built to look a bit like a modern day Robin Hood, only taking from people who can afford it and never hurting anyone who doesn’t deserve it. This is obviously the intention of the movie, a way to give the law-breaking, murderous main character some redeeming qualities, however, this aspect was not built on sufficiently and Parker was still lacking in likability. By the end of the movie I found myself desperately wanting to like him but not quite able to.
The movie begins mid heist as Parker is assisting four other guys in the robbery of an Ohio fair. They get away with a million dollars that’s supposed to be split evenly between them, but after some altercations the other men nearly kill Parker and take off with his share of the money. Seeking revenge, Parker ends up in Palm Beach where he ends up getting unlikely assistance from local real estate agent Leslie Rodgers (Jennifer Lopez) who is in desperate need of money.
I was very disappointed in Lopez’s role in the film, not because of her acting (which was neither horrible nor outstanding), but rather because of the insignificance of her character. Though she had the second largest role in the movie and was given a great deal of hype, her character had very little importance in the actual plot of the film. The audience is supposed to believe she’s helping Parker, but all she’s really doing is freaking out over everything and generally being a hindrance.
The writing for Parker is subpar. The action shots weren’t bad, but every time there were actual lines they tried to throw in jokes, most of which were barely chuckle worthy.
If you’re a guy (or a girl) looking to boost your testosterone level then Parker might be the right movie for you with its mass amounts of violence and barely clothed Jennifer Lopez (in one scene at least). Otherwise I’d suggest you save yourself a couple bucks and rent a movie instead.