Dear Wendy

Ein geistreicher europäischer Regisseur hat eine Kritik des geistlosen Amerikas gedreht… und so sieht das Ergebnis auch aus. Ein Film, den man schwer kommentieren und bewerten kann, weil er sehr widerspruchsvoll ist. Außerdem wurde sein Potenzial vergeudet. Ein schlechtes Gleichgewicht der komischen Satire und der dramatischen Ebene, das Finale dreht alles um – wahrscheinlich sollte es kontrovers wirken. Manchmal können die europäischen Künstler mit ihrer Verblendung das Publikum mehr als die US-amerikanischen Autoren mit ihrer schablonenhaften Routine anöden. (29.09.2005)

This could have been really good if... Two-thirds of the runtime the film moves reliably in four-star waters and when the main character, as the narrator, comments on his unsatisfactory existence and the spirit of the small town, which is one big pit with a lot of miners with somewhat limited horizons, it's really good. The film works especially well in describing the group of outsiders that the small town society alienated from its center. But then there is a forced attempt to convey a message and criticize the cult of weapons in America. It's thematically good, but contrived and unbelievable. In the last 20 minutes, the film plummets downward, where it should have been building up. It was clear that the game with weapons and the rituals of the whole group went to hell after a few minutes, but the way the screenwriter stumbled upon it was a real disaster. The scenes where the grown-up in motion takes down a sniper at 120 meters with a pistol are just the tragicomic icing on the cake. Overall impression: 45%. (06.03.2010)