What were they thinking? Some directors have had good luck casting non-actors in roles similar to who they really are; Chinese
auteur Zhang Yimou ( "Not One Less" ) has done quite well with it. It often lends a film realism, and is particularly helpful when dealing with realistic subject matter. But using real people and running around with hand-held cameras and using improvised-sounding dialogue can sometimes backfire, as Ara Corbett's "Roof to Roof" demonstrates. In this case, all those devices do indeed make the film realistic -- they make it boring, like real life often is. A victory for realism, perhaps, but a defeat for stupefied audiences.
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