User Reviews

It's far above the average films made for 16-year old boys in this country. The story is tight, as is the acting, cinematography, locations and casting.

I really don't understand what is happening with people's reviews in the last two years. Maybe it's psychological damage from CV? This is not an Academy Award level movie, but it's far better than the hate it's getting.

"South of Heaven" tells a story of a criminal who got out of prison, and is dragged back into the world of crime. However, the focus is the love story, so it is better conceptualised as a romance film with a criminal protagonist. This is perhaps why people who are expecting adrenaline end up being disappointed by this film.

Well I have to agree with the negative reviews for once. Despite the good cast and an interesting first half the movie quality went downhill pretty fast. There are a lot of scenes that weren't good at all, that didn't make much sense and that brought the quality of the story down. As for the acting there were some actors that were not convincing at all at times. And I'm not talking about extras but major actors. I don't know what happened, it started good but it turned bad at one point and it never recovered. Too bad because it had potential.

A pretty thrilling and strong drama with good plot twists. All the low rating reviewers are either kids or have brain damage from all of the hollywood bullshirt.

This movie has a lot of irony in it and it's not a feel good kind of movie, but rather has a lot of "oh no..." moments as everything seems to go downhill and it escalates. So prepare yourselves. Also at the very ending you really have to think twice, because it's not what it seems from the first glance, so pay attention.

I'd recommend this movie for the ones who like overall sad drama + thriller movies that have a pretty decent pace and nice cinematography. A solid 8 of a movie maybe even a 9, because most 2021 movies sucked dumplings hard.

Newb co-writer, producer and director Aharon Keshales was close to having a great film, but sadly missed the mark with many rookie filmmaking mistakes. For starters, many scenes were way too long and unnecessary, and the slow pacing made the two-hour runtime feel endless. This film needed at least 20 mins cut out of it to maintain suspense and make it more engaging.

Then, having random events happen that are irrelevant to the main narrative detract from the film's main premise; at around the one hour mark, the story basically hits the reset button and a entirely different narrative begins. It's like the beginning of a different episode and it all happens purely by chance and key conflicts of the first hour are completely inconsequential to what follows. You keep expecting them to intersect, but they never do. There's no motivation or reason behind it, a random event simply happens for no other reason than the writers merely wanted to put Jimmy in another tough spot.

That's the major issue this film had, the disjointed and convoluted events that confuse the narrative, and make you lose interest in the characters and faith in their motivations - like when Jimmy goes from a sweet and doting schlub to a one-shot-killing henchmen destroyer - it gets really implausible in a hurry. To make matters worse, Keshales decides to ruin a happy and satisfying ending with a fade-out and fade-in enigmatic final shot that adds yet another question to the already convoluted mess.

Nevertheless, all casting and performances were excellent, especially Sudeikis and Lilly with their convincing chemistry, and the score and cinematography where spot on. It's too bad the writing couldn't have been tighter and more focused.

It's sad to see so many ppl not appreciating this fine film. Us older folks remember classic stories, like South of Heaven, that portray real people faced with extraordinary challenges. Old westerns come to mind, where the hero is thrown into a predicament that can't easily be fixed.

This film is a modern day tragedy with realistic characters. Several times the hero did act on instinct. Consistently did the villain remain treacherous-while revealing his softer side, as did the heart of Annie remain true.

Believable supporting cast, music that compliments the action and a script that hit all the beats.

The direction of this film, the script, acting, score and cinematography all combined to deliver an emotional drama that entertains.

Are there flaws in this movie? A couple small question marks but even those are forgiven without taking away from the overall story.

I really wish filmmakers would make more pictures like this. My wife and I are only 59 but we were engrossed watching this because it's not b.s. Gangsters sometimes have heart and good guys sometimes become a badass to get the job done.

The kid trying to live up to his dad's reality was another nice touch.

Lotta good stuff goin' in this movie.

**to the loser bashing this film.."step off punk." Jason proved he's just as good at drama as he is at T. Lasso.

To the entire cast n crew-Job well done, we thank you!

I gave it a 7.3, out of ten because the editing and unanswered q s. But, I think the woman(Anne)was astounding, and only did I find out in the credits that it was actually Evangeline Lilly, thus began my mind to be blown. Wow! Great performance!!!

I rented it from our local library and saw Sudeikus on the front cover at a glance so I grabbed it. Played it wee hours of the morning and I will look to purchase it. Hit all emotions, and Jason can do drama like Bill Murray and honestly I didn't recognize her that it was her.

And IMDB employees and owners, change it so we can rate with the decimal point!!!

This movie's plot could have solved in two minutes had Sudakis's character done one simple thing: gone to the authorities and reported his no good parole officer who was more than likely already on their radar. And for a woman who supposedly has only a year to live Evangaline Lily's character sure appears healthy as a horse.

Jason just Does not belong in serious movies , you look at that face and you are always expecting him to crack some stupid joke or pull a funny face

I couldnt take him seriously in this film at all perhaps if the film was better made and had been better written I would have accepted him in the role more.

I'm a sucker for jason sudeikis, i usually swoon over his work, but this movie is lacking something, the story has definitely been done before and the acting was off.

Had all the standard elements of a good story. A sympathetic dying cancer patient & a devoted lover to stay with her. Good vs. Evil with the unsympathetic bad guys trying to interrupt their relationship.

But, problems: Lots of holes in the storyline. Jimmy being coerced by parole to do an illegal crime. Intelligent decision would be to go to the police. $500,000 in drug money ended up where? Scrapyard Frank; motorcycle guy (for him a a too quick scene of a distant burial that wasn't intelligently thought out); and Schmidt, all of them needed a makes-sense denouement. How did Jimmy get the car valet job? Jimmy's ending in the boat? Finally, Annie?

If you're telling a story, it's your story, finish it; tie up loose ends. It's not my story.

While I understand why many rate this movie poorly, to me it is a bit better than its IMDb rating. Again, to me, it starts off with signs of a totally serious movie but about half-way turns into what I would describe as a very dark comedy, with lots of dirty money involved. The "good" guys start to figure out ways to get the best of the "bad" guys and that type of story is always fun to watch.

(Of note, on the DVD extras the writer-director says he wrote it as a dark comedy and Sudeikis played the role a bit more seriously than first intended.)

After serving 12 years for a bank robbery Jimmy (Jason Sudeikis) wants to go straight for his dying girlfriend Annie (Evangeline Lilly), marry her and give her the life she deserves for what may only be another year. It starts out OK, he meets his parole officer and gets a laborer job. But soon things turn dark, he is faced with doing a "pickup" or go back to prison. Things get messier and messier from there.

Bottom line - I was entertained and I like the several main actors. Filmed in the DFW area, I watched it at home on DVD from my public library. My wife skipped, she wasn't in the mood for this kind of film.

Jimmy Ray (Jason Sudeikis) is eager to leave prison and go straight with dying girlfriend Annie Ray (Evangeline Lilly). His parole officer is corrupt. He gets into a deadly accident with a motorcycle. He tries to cover up the incident which leads to a confrontation with crime boss Whit Price (Mike Colter).

This is trying to be a crime neo-noir. I'm not sure Sudeikis has the darkness although I get the idea of going against type. I'm not that taken with him and Evangeline Lilly. They have limited chemistry. The first hour is too slow. It's a grind to get to the meat in the sandwich. The story is mostly fine if they could cut thirty minutes out of the first hour. There is no reason for this to be two hours long. Also, I'm not sure why he has to do all that with the motorcycle. It would be simpler to hit-and-run while hoping for the best.

"South of Heaven" opens with Jimmy (Jason Sudeikis) at a parole hearing, imploring for a chance to make up for twelve years of lost time with his betrothed Annie (Evangeline Lilly). She's dying of cancer - reckon she has about a year left. The walls are closing in. He ½starts giving the "I Had A Speech Prepared, But" monologue, and I confess that two minutes into the film, I am resisting the urge to furrow my brow. I try to keep my heart open, but there was apprehension at what I felt was... stock sentimentality. Call me a cynic.

My reticence soon eased, and later faded into the ether. What I came to appreciate over "South of Heaven"'s two hours of violence and mischance was its thumping heart. It's there in the acting, earnestly imparted by Sudeikis, Lilly, and Mike Colter in a wonderfully layered role I won't go into. It's there in the writing, which reads a tad clunkily, but seems more genuine for it. It's also heard in the soundtrack. Scenes march to the rapping of a beating clock, whose tick-ticking reminds us, as it must remind our hero, that each passing moment is a moment bled from a rapidly dwindling reservoir.

The film premiered at Beyond Fest 2021 at the Los Feliz 3 on Vermont (festively dubbed the Shudder Theatre), after which the director Aharon Keshales stuck around for a Q&A panel. Listening to him discuss his story's inspirations, I felt the same love for the characters that I feel in a Coen Brothers movie. Indeed, the film I kept returning to during "South of Heaven" was the Coens' first feature, the quiet masterpiece "Blood Simple" (someone's hand even gets a nail driven through it here). Like in that film, the characters are mere objects of fate, subject to a logical procession of events beyond anyone's control, but which informs their actions and thoughts in ways that are perfectly sensible for who they are.

This said, I don't feel that Shea Whigham's Schmidt, a one-dimensional parole officer whose relevance is limited to indirectly setting the driving conflict in motion, really belongs. He's too cartoonish a villain for a film otherwise teeming with humor and humanity. I have no doubt that such people exist, and would naturally be drawn to positions affording such power over others, but his presence is an anomaly beside characters who are worse but afforded moments of empathy, even sorrow.

"South of Heaven" isn't perfect. But it's sincerely felt, in its compassion, in its sadness, in moments of levity found within grim situations, in embraces against a hanging sun, and in its final shot, which had my heart singing as it was overcome with longing.

In other words, it had opened.

EDIT: My girlfriend, who is smarter than I am, has helpfully suggested that Schmidt's character is meant to serve as a foil for someone. Seeing this interpretation through, I find that a specific scene has suddenly clicked for me, and I can better understand his inclusion.

I am bumping my original rating of 3 stars out of 4 up a half-star.

Jason Sudeikis AND Shea Whigham. What could go wrong?

Well, turns out... everything.

This is a b-movie that would have been a straight to VHS by the old standards.

Really can't believe how they actually said yes to this after reading the script. Think some agent might actually get fired over this dumpster fire.

Also... genre includes "Horror". WHAT?

Sudeikis, refreshingly, doesn't exactly fit the role of a convict on parole that wants to spend a year with his lifelong love, Lilly. But everyone is a caricature of the role that they play and it tanks the possibilities of the crime/thriller part of the film.

It was actually better than expected from such low key movie.

Jason with his signature accent was great along with the rest of the cast And the story does seem repetitive and done before but it grabs till the end with a long gaze at the screen And the score is absoulately serving us with an impact to make the ride even more enjoyable.

Welcome Jason. Have a seat next to Willis, Cage and Travolta. This might be Jason's first C movie but likely won't be his last. This script has to rank up there with some of the worst ever; cliche, banal, and predictable. Evangeline Lilly looked completely lost and she was trying way too hard. And good 'ol one-note Shea Whigham plays every single character the same. He gets cast because his bro Jack is a big-time agent formerly with CAA. Jack would "force" package Shea into any films that a producer wanted to cast the big stars whom he repped.