Scene Review: The Happening - "I am talking to a plastic plant"
Right, I am convinced The Happening is meant to be a comedy. It has to be. I just don’t get why Mark Wahlberg’s acting is so bad in this film. I know he isn't the best actor in the world, but christ he is definitely a lot better than this, as proved in The Fighter. Therefore, this leads me to believe he is in on this joke as well.
This takes me to the incredible scene which shows us Mark Wahlberg's character ‘Elliot Moore’ finding himself in a room with a plant. Now for anyone who hasn't seen this film, I will provide you with a little bit of a spoiler free backstory. People are randomly committing suicide all around America, which certain people think the cause may be that the plants are releasing, what can only be described as a pheromone, that is making people take their own lives. Elliot is one of these people, therefore you can imagine him being near a plant would cause for some panic. Well not for our main character. He feels it is best to talk to the plant and calm the tree down, so that this greenary will not make anyone commit suicide.
“Hello” he says, then swiftly introducing himself, (as you would, as you have just walked into a plants home) slowly moving towards the foliage. He then continues to tell the tree their motives for being in the house, which is just to use the bathroom. Compelling stuff, I know. As he continues to move closer to the plant, he notices that the thing is only bloody made of plastic. What an idiot he must feel, talking to a plastic tree. How on earth is a plastic plant going to kill them hey! This doesn’t stop Elliot from talking though, as he continues to talk to the plastic tree by confirming that he is indeed talking to a plastic plant.
I mean what the hell?! Who came up with scene, and how on earth did it even get into the final cut? I just don't get it. The film is just mad, but this really takes it to the next level. There is no point of this even being in the movie, unless the point they were making was ‘we can make Mark Wahlberg do anything we want’ and if this was the case, point well proven. I could have somewhat understood if it were a real tree, but to then make it plastic just completely voids the scene entirely.
M. Night Shyamalan, who I refer to as Midnight Shambles (As I think he is an awful filmmaker) really reached to new depths of bad with this film. Thankfully it was not a career ruiner for Wahlberg, but sadly it wasn't for Shambles either, as he went on to continue his streak with After Earth...
