Disconnect

Cast of Characters:

Rich Boyd - Jason Bateman

Lydia Boyd - Hope Davis

Mike Dixon - Frank Grillo

Stephen Schumacher - Michael Nyqvist

Cindy Hull - Paula Patton

Nina Dunham - Andrea Riseborough

Derek Hull - Alexander Skarsgard

Kyle - Max Thieriot

Jason Dixon - Colin Ford

Ben Boyd - Jonah Bobo

Director - Henry-Alex Rubin

Screenplay - Andrew Stern

Rated R for sexual content, some graphic nudity, language, violence and drug use - some involving teens

      Jason Bateman, Hope Davis, Frank Grillo, Paula Patton, Andrea Riseborough and Alexander Skarsgard headline Academy Award nominated director Henry-Alex Rubin's Disconnect. It would've be so nice to see this back in April when it first opened, but at least I got to see Scary Movie V instead.

      Disconnect centers on three stories that intersect amongst each other. Nina Dunham (Andrea Riseborough) is an up-and-coming news reporter trying to break a story on online sex chatrooms, in particular chatroom model Kyle (Max Thieriot). The two begin to bond together on the chatroom as Nina hopes this can lead to a possible interview with him.

      Cindy (Paula Patton) and Derek Hull (Alexander Skarsgard) are a couple in a strained marriage following the death of their child. Things are made much more complicated for them after their identities have been stolen online. This may or may not have been caused by a fellow chatter on an online grief support site Cindy has been frequently accessing to cope with the loss of her son. They hire private detective Mike Dixon (Frank Grillo) to solve the case for them.

      Rich (Jason Bateman) and Lydia Boyd's (Hope Davis) life has been thrown into a tailspin following the suicide attempt of their loner, teenage son Ben (Jonah Boyd), the target of an extended online prank caused by fellow schoolmate Jason Dixon (Colin Ford). In some form or another, these lives will all cross paths at some point.

      Whether it's Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Instagram, Skype, LinkedIn, Photobucket, AOL/Yahoo/Google Talk Messenger, Smartphones, iPhones or pretty much any blog on the web, technology has made our lives much more easier and convenient. It also proves to be a double-edged sword as it has essentially erased any form of privacy we thought we once had. While clearly borrowing the story structure Crash perfected almost ten years ago, focusing on the dangers of technology, specifically social media, and how just one click of the button can alter your life provides us with a unique and more than relevant story experience. The cast doesn't scream A-list by any means (at times that can be for the better), but there are a number of faces you will at least recognize in this still talented cast. Andrea Riseborough (who I had know idea of until I saw Oblivion earlier this year) is excellent as the young and ambitious reporter desperate for a breakthrough story, even it means obtaining through illegal means. Jonah Bobo gives a quietly heartbreaking performance as Bateman's son, the victim of the online prank, and Jason Bateman, who - deservedly so - is one of the most in demand comedy actors out there today, shows he can also deliver a good dramatic performance (Juno and a small role in Up in the Air are two other terrific examples). We're also given some strong supporting work from Hope Davis, Frank Grillo, Alexander Skarsgard and Paula Patton. Both director Henry-Alex Rubin and writer Andrew Stern (in a superb feature-length film debut) have weaved and crafted together a stirring and emotional fable of how society has become so addicted to typing away on their cell phones or computer keyboard (I do realize right about now I'm coming off as ironic) that within seconds and certainly without any thought someone could've easily ruined a marriage, destroyed a reputation, or even worse, kick-started a series of events that ultimately leads to someone taking their life. We don't even have to interact with the individual whose life we're ruining. In fact, it could be someone we've never seen and never will see. All it takes is just one click of the button.

      With a strong ensemble cast, a sharp and thought provoking script from Stern and masterful direction from Rubin, this is an unforgettable film (Seriously, Celebration Cinema, Scary Movie V over this?). While certain storylines are forgivably more predictable than others, that still doesn't take away the fact that there wasn't a single moment where I wasn't involved in either the characters or the story. I give Disconnect an A (★★★★).