What I Watched (?) Wednesday: The Tourist

Yes, this is a bit of a spin on my usual Wednesday post. But I watched this movie a couple of weeks ago, and I loved it. I can't get it out of my head, so now you get to hear about it.

What I Loved About This Movie:
Johnny Depp:  I've been a fan since 21 Jump Street (though I confess, he's about the only thing I remember from the show). He's a great actor who has played countless interesting and memorable characters. Think Edward Scissorhands, Ichabod Crane, Sweeney Todd, Jack Sparrow, The Mad Hatter. And we love him in those quirky roles. But when he's not wearing some crazy character get-up...well, let's just say there's a reason this Kentucky native was named People's Sexiest Man Alive...twice (2003 and 2009). And his acting is good too ;) exceptionally so.

Angelina Jolie: She has a very Hepburn-esque quality in this movie. I don't know if it's the wardrobe or the accent, but it's something. Please do not take this comparison lightly. I'm no gushing Angelina fan, in fact I'm not generally a fan at all, so this is saying a lot. She really shines here.

The Twists: There are a couple of big ones. I don't want to spoil it for you, so I won't tell what they are (probably you've all seen it if your going to anyway, but still...), but they're fabulous. I feel like I should have seen them coming, but I didn't. If you did, you're a better guesser than I am.

The Love Story: You know what a sucker I am for romance. This one is sweet, exciting, and surprising.

What I didn't love about it:
Language: It's rated PG-13, so one can expect a little off color language. But there was one occurrence of a word that, in my opinion should only appear in R rated films (and sparingly, at that). Alas the rating people didn't ask me.

Shoot 'em up: Violence. No good spy-type movie is complete without it. There's shooting, stabbing, punching, Oh my! With the focus on action, and not its aftermath, this is not over the top for the rating. It doesn't exceed my personal threshold (which is not high by any means). But I wouldn't want my child to watch it. That makes it worth mentioning.

Rating: 3.5 stars (I'd love to give it 5, but one foul little word packs a lot of punch. The half-point represents the over-all family friendliness factor).

This is not a movie I would recommend for families with young kids, and your standards for adult viewing may be different from mine, as well.

That said, if you like a fast pace, plenty of action, and unexpected twists, The Tourist might be just what the doctor ordered from some late-night sofa snuggling.