I have no idea what these people are whining about. I am an NYU student and saw the film at the GEN ART FILM FESTIVAL this past weekend. It was amazing! I guess other film students can be the biggest critics, but I really thought the short was fantastic. The writing worked. The actors were brilliant. The direction was simple. Keeping in mind it was a student film, I couldn't believe how far this guy took it. It just pains me to read about film students not supporting one another. I would go see anybody's student film and look for the good over the bad, just to support them as artists. But aside from that, if I could make a film like that, I would be more than pleased. And it seems it's done very well for the director, so he'll be laughing all the way to the bank.
9 Reviews
perfectly executed
teddyryan7 April 2004
Regardless of the big name actors or Hollywood talent that Mr. Cole Weiss somehow assembled for MEAN PEOPLE SUCK, it is a perfectly executed short. It refuses to get pretentious, weird, or strange for the sake or being strange. In fact, it makes a point in 8 minutes and ends.
As a result, I have adamant respect for the filmmaker and am not surprised he's being picked up to direct his first feature. He's fully aware of the medium, and how to take an idea and work with it.
Whether you like the subject matter or not--well, that's subjective.
Still, I wish there was a few more scenes with Bev Mitchell. She is my favorite doll in the world. Nonetheless, I'll settle for Dominique "Lolita" Swain and hope that someday my short film garners me the same amount of acclaim. Maybe I can also nab Bev.
As a result, I have adamant respect for the filmmaker and am not surprised he's being picked up to direct his first feature. He's fully aware of the medium, and how to take an idea and work with it.
Whether you like the subject matter or not--well, that's subjective.
Still, I wish there was a few more scenes with Bev Mitchell. She is my favorite doll in the world. Nonetheless, I'll settle for Dominique "Lolita" Swain and hope that someday my short film garners me the same amount of acclaim. Maybe I can also nab Bev.
Lots of language... interesting ending though.
immortality_embodied12 January 2006
The plot for this short film was a very interesting idea that was well-filmed, for an independent work and a low budget. The pace of the film was kept a steady fast pace, but then its length required such. Apart from that, one seemed to get the feeling that the makers of the film attempted to shove as many f-words and sex scenes as they possibly could into about eight minutes of film, which lent a seriously negative side to what would otherwise have been a smart short. Interesting premises and plot, and well-carried-out in the time frame that they chose, but still a quite negative experience for the viewer. 3 out of 10 stars for what seemed like an overdose of language... and the sexual content, which wasn't a very positive addition either.
Well done, very well done
yunimark23 August 2003
I've watched numerous short films either in school or on the net. And on the whole almost 90% of them are awful. But this film really held well together to make it an entertaining well contructed story. I would recommend film students to watch this film to see how a short film should be made.
bad student films suck
ThatGuamGuy27 December 2001
Okay, I go to NYU, so take anything I say with a grain of salt. Of course, because I'm at NYU, I have to watch a whole bunch of s****y student films. Among them was this one, noteworthy only for the casting (which, allegedly, was due to a high school friendship with at least one of the actors). What seemed like it might be a decent idea quickly degenerated into a stupid attempt to be as "shocking" as possible, with poorly staged (and horribly scripted) "worst deeds ever" being shown. I won't go into the soundtrack, because as cliched as its use is, I actually like "American Woman" and a few others.
I don't want to spend longer writing this review than it takes to watch the short, but I'll just hit a few more bullet points: -- Remember in "Can't Hardly Wait", when they freeze frame on every major character and give you quick yearbook bios of them? So does the guy who made this. -- A scene that's supposed to be awful (a dog being beaten to death), and make the audience hate the main characters, but instead inspired laughter from the crowd. This caused more than one person to say that they hated the scene because it was so clear that it shouldn't have been funny. We're not talking about singin' "Singin' In The Rain" during a rape or anything. Trust me, I'll laugh at plenty of things that would make the Pope weep, and I laughed at that part, but doing so made me, and everybody else, angry. -- It freeze frames on the girl from "7th Heaven" when her face is blocked by her hair, yet we're supposed to recognize her later. -- James Franco (a truly talented actor, and the reason I was looking forward to seeing the short, actually) is forced to play Daniel Desario (from "Freaks and Geeks") again, only without the oppurtunity to provide it with any nuance. Even so, he rises above the material and is able to give portions of a powerful performance, whenever he doesn't have to speak.
I only bothered to review this because nobody else ever had, proving once and for all that the IMDb should not allow student films, period. If they're going to, though, it should be worthy ones, and not just because the cast happens to be in other things (which is, officially, the reason this is listed).
However, it is obvious that the guy who made this has a strong future as a casting agent.
I don't want to spend longer writing this review than it takes to watch the short, but I'll just hit a few more bullet points: -- Remember in "Can't Hardly Wait", when they freeze frame on every major character and give you quick yearbook bios of them? So does the guy who made this. -- A scene that's supposed to be awful (a dog being beaten to death), and make the audience hate the main characters, but instead inspired laughter from the crowd. This caused more than one person to say that they hated the scene because it was so clear that it shouldn't have been funny. We're not talking about singin' "Singin' In The Rain" during a rape or anything. Trust me, I'll laugh at plenty of things that would make the Pope weep, and I laughed at that part, but doing so made me, and everybody else, angry. -- It freeze frames on the girl from "7th Heaven" when her face is blocked by her hair, yet we're supposed to recognize her later. -- James Franco (a truly talented actor, and the reason I was looking forward to seeing the short, actually) is forced to play Daniel Desario (from "Freaks and Geeks") again, only without the oppurtunity to provide it with any nuance. Even so, he rises above the material and is able to give portions of a powerful performance, whenever he doesn't have to speak.
I only bothered to review this because nobody else ever had, proving once and for all that the IMDb should not allow student films, period. If they're going to, though, it should be worthy ones, and not just because the cast happens to be in other things (which is, officially, the reason this is listed).
However, it is obvious that the guy who made this has a strong future as a casting agent.
Surprised to See So Many Bashers
its_a_Kristina_thing30 September 2006
I'm don't go to NYU and don't know much about short student films, so this is just the opinion of a random viewer. I thought the film was quite good actually, one of my favorite. Interesting, funny, dark, clever, sexual, disturbing.
Franco, Swain, Olsen, and Mitchell excelled in their limited screen time, surprising me with the versatility from Olsen and Mitchell especially. The costumes and setting were realistic and simple- grunge clothing and a football jacket worn by high schoolers sitting in a diner in a small town. Although the fact that three people at opposite ends of the popularity spectrum would randomly meet in a diner seemed just a little off, I'm from Baltimore so that whole prospect is unfamiliar to me and I suppose is entirely possible.
The offbeat humor, and short silences mixed with subtle looks makes for good timing and clever thinking as well as snorting laughs. The ending twist was genius. The film simply begins and ends in 8 minutes with a few answerable questions at the end and forces you to think quickly to keep up.
Franco, Swain, Olsen, and Mitchell excelled in their limited screen time, surprising me with the versatility from Olsen and Mitchell especially. The costumes and setting were realistic and simple- grunge clothing and a football jacket worn by high schoolers sitting in a diner in a small town. Although the fact that three people at opposite ends of the popularity spectrum would randomly meet in a diner seemed just a little off, I'm from Baltimore so that whole prospect is unfamiliar to me and I suppose is entirely possible.
The offbeat humor, and short silences mixed with subtle looks makes for good timing and clever thinking as well as snorting laughs. The ending twist was genius. The film simply begins and ends in 8 minutes with a few answerable questions at the end and forces you to think quickly to keep up.
Crybaby wannabes from NYU suck
MovieJerk11 March 2002
"Mean People Suck" was amazing in the fact that it forced you to laugh when you do not want to, much like Tarantino did in "Pulp Fiction." Tarantino is one of Matthew Cole Wiess' favorite writers and directors as you can obviously see when viewing the film. I know this not because I am a self-centered b****rd, but because I am a self-centered b****rd who actually took the time to talk to the director about the film, rather than making my own holier-than-thou assumptions. He worked as an entertainment journalist during college, so that is how he made his contacts. It seems to me that many who watch this film (most likely on the festival circuit) hate it so much because it is so damn good. Sure, the topic isn't original, but how often is it? It was presented in such a satirical manner that it went over many people's heads. Seems to me that those who have reviewed this movie for the IMDb are seriously jealous and in need of lives of their own. Hey, keep your heads up, kids. One day, just maybe 21st Century Fox will option your movie too.
film
maryhelencook60-18-17033 January 2018
money wasted, audience tortured
FilmBitch6911 April 2002
I attended NYU's film school and whole-heartedly agree with ThatGuamGuy. "Mean People Suck" was a much-hyped film that even received some NYU awards for writing. Upon viewing the film, it was clear that all the hype was due to it's cast. How it got an award for writing is beyond me. Maybe the script was actually good. It is difficult noticing such things when the film itself is so bad.
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