Sometimes I like playing the movie slot machine. Go to Redbox, pick a movie you’ve never heard of, and hope to hit the jackpot. Unfortunately, much like the real slot machines, it is much more likely to win absolutely nothing and be left feeling empty inside and a little bit broker. What Lola Wants was the result of the game of chance and, after much consideration, gets the rating of Avoid Like the Plague.
What Lola Wants is you to not watch this movie!
Lola (Sophie Lowe) has run away from her pampered life, but the rest of the world believes she was kidnapped. She meets Marlo (Beau Knapp), a talented pickpocket and thief, at a diner and a spark ignites between them and a love begins to burn. However, Marlo’s Mama (Dale Dickey) is hunting him down after he stole her money.
Desperation and the temptation of a reward for Lola’s safe returns causes Marlo to try and return her, but Lola won’t return to her vampire/werewolf parents (her lies of why she ran away spoken in romantic banter with Marlo…) without a fight. Marlo’s desire to get his Mama off his back puts his love of Lola in jeopardy.
The film suffers in lots of areas. The acting by both Marlo and Lola is a bit over the top. Lola’s personality is erratic and hard to explain the mannerisms she exhibits. She is a kind women one minute, a crazy Bonnie like villain the next, and a passionate lover moments later is hard to justify her actions with anything that resembles logic.
Marlo’s southern charm and pickpocketing ability reminds me of Gambit from the X-men. He seems to know that Lola is insane, but is tempted by her regardless. His sudden turn for money is surprising based on the film so far. As good of a thief as he is, it seems he could get the money from a heist or a series of successful burglarizing. However, it seems that this betrayal is the only solution to his already odd predicament.
Rupert Glasson wrote and directed this film, and while I always hold respect for anyone who is able to write and create a film, I won’t say something is good if it isn’t. The production values of this film are bad enough that even the money shown is absolutely fake. Little things can really break the reality of the film, and there are many opportunities in this one for the audience to be taken out of the film.
I don’t give the Avoid Like the Plague review likely, but I really don’t see many people enjoying this film. There is some solid cinematography, but it’s in scenes that are surreal and odd, like Lola shaving Marlo with a straight razor in the middle of an empty field. Interesting ideas with nothing entirely original or logically efficient.
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