Middle Men (2009)

Directed by: George Gallo

If not exactly hot on the heels of The Social Network, then at least tepidly so, comes Middle Men.  In fact it was made earlier than the Facebook story, but did so little box-office business that it escaped most people’s notice.

It’s the tale of another aspect of the Internet, in this case the creation of the first billing system for online porn.  Luke Wilson plays the unlikely business genius, Jack Harris, only looking at all credible by comparison with the utter imbecility of his two gonzo business partners.

The real problem with this movie is that, for all the gloss, it’s seriously underwritten.  It never shows when it can tell.  It has more subtitles announcing locations, dates, even times, than any movie I’ve ever seen.  But that is as nothing compared to the endless voice-over narration (from Wilson’s character) telling us what the movie can’t seem to convey.  On top of this, it can’t make up its mind whether it wants to be a comedy, a drama, a thriller or a piece of soft-core porn.  It’s hard to find anyone to root for – Jack is hardly sympathetic, and no one else is more than sketched-in.  There’s a supporting role for James Caan, as a crooked lawyer, which left me feeling quite sad.

Difficult to watch, for all the wrong reasons.