Caffeinated Clint
A little too ambitious for it’s own good, a little too dark for it’s own good and determined to throw in every ‘psychological thriller’ cliché that one’s noggin can summon up, “Like Minds” is no more than a good telemovie that’s snuck through the theatre’s backdoor.
Toni Collette, Richard Roxburgh, Tom Sturridge
Watching Aussie superstars Toni Collette and Richard Roxburgh walk into a room talking fluent British is like watching someone play croquet on the MCG – it just doesn’t fit. Granted, if the film our actors were pretending to be Poms for was a little bit more than the meekly entertaining mixed tape of earlier, better tracks, then the ruse may have been easier to swallow.
Don’t get me wrong, “Like Minds” isn’t a bad film, it really isn’t, but compared to the A-grade material that both Collette (“Little Miss Sunshine”, “In Her Shoes”) and Roxburgh (“Moulin Rouge”, “Passion”) have been helping sew together lately, you’d expect this one to be swimming off the familiar shore – and it doesn’t, it barely gets its feet wet.
The Gregory J.Read directed pic features Collette as a forensic psychologist- and Roxbugh as the senior sergeant that’s assigned her to the case– who has to determine whether a young British lad should face charges for offing his school pal.
What follows is a series of ‘saw that coming from a mile away’ plot twists, and some blatant button pushing that ‘may’ get the interest of the commonplace cinemagoer.
Collette and Roxburgh, and despite the fairly average dialogue they’ve got to work with here, aren’t too bad here – no surprise – and in some ways, they’re almost the sole reason for watching. In addition, young Tom Sturridge, as the strange Nigel, proves he’s got the ability to possibly do something bigger and better down the line. Still, all have been better… and all deserve a little more meat on their plate.
A little too ambitious for it’s own good, a little too dark for it’s own good and determined to throw in every ‘psychological thriller’ cliché that one’s noggin can summon up, “Like Minds” is no more than a good telemovie that’s snuck through the theatre’s backdoor.
Rating : 
Reviewer : Clint Morris
