This one is a real stinker for the most part. The acting is almost all pretty bad. But then again they don't have much to work with. Perhaps the one line of dialog from the movie that sums up the experience for the actors is this one: driving slowly through the rubble, a character says, "I know how hard this is, but this is our job, this is what we signed up for." Yeah, well, you better watch out what you choose to sign up for in the future. One reviewer said it was Hallmark-quality acting, and I'd say that is an insult to Hallmark movies. It's certainly an insult to everyone else in every way, as well. The first hour focuses on the characters, and we are supposed to get to know them and care about them, I guess. But they're all pretty much unlikeable stereotypes. And there's a lot of ham-handed political messaging too. No matter what side of the issues you fall on, you'll be pretty disgusted. Then finally when the tornado comes, I'd say there is one epic, cinematic shot. A character is standing in the middle of the street, looking at the oncoming, mostly rain-wrapped tornado. But most of the impact of the tornado feels kinda boring, because we don't have an emotional attachment from the hour of buildup that was cringe and boredom instead of character development. Anyway, the movie really had that one single shot going for it. The rest is just really the disdain Hollywood has for anyone in flyover country, whether they be white men or migrant farm workers or pregnant women or whoever. All dumb, unsophisticated caricatures that reveal far more about the makers of this movie than the people it supposedly represents.
Review of 13 Minutes
