I had a HELL of a time watching this over the weekend… with “HELL” being the key word here. Vivica Fox is to straight-to-dvd black films, what Zooey Deschanel is to quirky, indie dramas and romcoms. If you’re wondering how Ms Fox is able to stay paid, this is why. Just check out her IMDB resume, and you’ll find a wealth of titles like this one – Motives, co-starring Shemar Moore, Golden Brooks, Victoria Rowell and others. Made in 2004.

It’s Fatal Attraction’s poorer cousin, with several 2nd and 3rd-tier black actors in starring roles – and even a twist at the end.

There’s an interesting story here, and it actually would have worked if not for the bad writing and bad acting.

What is it with actors matching their performances to the level of the movie they are starring in. Granted this cast of actors aren’t necessarily the greatest thespians alive, but they do have SOME skill, and we’ve seen a few of them perform somewhat adequately in more polished work. Yet, in tripe like this, they just seem to be reciting memorized lines, with false earnestness and soap-opera-like glances, and not much else. Maybe it’s the director’s fault, or the actors really just don’t care. They know it’s shit, so they don’t give a shit; collect their paychecks, and go home.

At least you’d think that they’d try to make it as good a film as possible, even if the writing & directing sucks; I’d still like to believe that a true performer who cares about the craft will always sought to give as good a performance as they can, regardless of the material.

Ho-hum…

And by the way, there’s a sequel titled, Motives 2, for those interested.