2012 - 2 smiles

Don’t drink any liquids before seeing “2012” because, at 2 ½ hours long, you’ll certainly need a bathroom break. Not that you’ll miss much, however. This movie is all about the special effects with bits of story in-between. Every kind of catastrophe can be found in this film, from mega-Richter-scale earthquakes, exploding volcanoes and monstrous tsunamis to capsized cruise ships, collapsing skyscrapers, and crashing plane. Director Roland Emmerich even manages to destroy the Vatican, topple the Washington Monument, and send California plunging into the Pacific. And if you really, really suspend your disbelief, you can enjoy this disaster spectacle. If you want the story to make sense, you’ve come to the wrong movie. Think about it. A limo escapes the crackling and buckling streets that destroys Pasadena. Our heroes evade a Yellowstone super-volcano on foot and in a rickety RV. And on the icy slopes near Mt. Everest, a car (with passengers) safely slides down the ramp of a huge cargo plane before the plane crashes

The story opens in 2009 when Dr. Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor), scientific advisor to the President (Danny Glover), reveals that he uncovered evidence that the world is facing destruction. Three years later, the planet starts to destabilize and Carl Anheuser (Oliver Platt), advisor to the President, is willing to make ruthless decisions on who lives and who dies. Meanwhile, writer Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) on vacation with his kids in Yosemite, has a conversation with a conspiracy fanatic (Woody Harrelson), who tells him about ‘space ships’ to escape the earth’s destruction are being built by the government. Jackson rushes back to LA in time to hustle his ex-wife, Kate (Amanda Peet), her boyfriend, Gordon (Tom McCarthy) and kids into his limo before LA falls apart. Eventually, this small group hooks up with Helmsley and Anheuser, just in time for Jackson to make the heroic gesture and save the day. Hope I didn’t give too much away. The special effects are spectacular and that would be the only reason to see “2012.” 11/15/09