Film Review: The Box

Warner Bros.

By John Shannon

Posted on Thursday, November 19th, 2009, 1:18 am

What if you could gain $1 million in cold, hard cash by simply pushing a button? The only drawback is that someone you don’t know will die as a result. Do you do it? And if so, is it because you want the money? Do you care about the mysterious victim? Or do you simply believe the button doesn’t have the ability to kill anyone or provide the reward? It’s a fascinating idea — something to be mulled over in the quiet moments of our lives. But whether it makes for effective drama is another matter.

Norma and Arthur Lewis, played by Cameron Diaz and James Marsden, respectively, are faced with a decision when Frank Langella’s character, Arlington Steward, arrives at their suburban home early one morning in December 1976. Steward leaves a mysterious box in their custody. It is topped with a button protected by a glass dome. He gives them 24 hours to choose between taking the moral high ground by keeping the dome closed, or embracing a financial windfall and pressing the button. After some hand wringing, a choice is made. But that’s where the story begins, not where it ends. When Steward arrives to begin the next phase of his relationship with the couple, things get ugly. Conspiracies are uncovered, secrets are revealed and nothing will be the same for this couple ever again.

Unfortunately, the more “The Box” tries to explain its labyrinthine plot, the less sense it makes. Exposition builds at a dizzying rate, incorporating government conspiracy and alien invasion subplots, and the simple moral conundrum gets lost in the shuffle. Director Richard Kelly seems desperate to rationalize everything that’s going on, and that was a mistake. He isn’t content to have Steward represent a supernatural power — he wants to propose a plausible explanation, and it doesn’t work at all.

Diaz and Marsden are good choices for the leads. Both are attractive and earnest, and it’s hard not to be sympathetic with their characters’ financial struggles, especially in light of the current economic climate. Their son, played by a bland Sam Oz Stone, is something of a nonentity. It’s hard to recall a poignant moment he’s involved in. Recent Oscar nominee Langella brings seriousness to a role that could easily be laughable. The actor’s gravitas may be the movie’s most important asset. A campy Steward would have steered the film into the realm of self-parody.

Kelly is known for favoring obtuse material. His “Donnie Darko” was a cult hit, but the follow-up, “Southland Tales,” was an epic disaster. He’s fond of big, engaging ideas that give people plenty to chew on and discuss as they leave the theatre. “The Box” is arguably more accessible than either of his previous works but still rests off the beaten path enough that it will alienate people expecting something more straightforward or less dense. Despite its flaws, “The Box” remains intriguing, but as its mysteries are solved, the prevailing sense is one of frustration rather than satisfaction. If anything, the movie is an interesting, flawed failure.

Grade: C-