I am a marketer’s dream, I fully admit it. Trying new products, particularly in the food category, is my thing. Something newly developed with chocolate, I welcome eagerly into my home with open arms. When I saw this movie listed at a nearby theater I had to see it. My middle brother was Executive Vice President Chief Creative Officer of an advertising firm. Yes, you can thank him for all those lovely pieces of mail; offering stamps, contact lenses, among a multitude of other items. His famous line is, “Marketing has destroyed the world.” Set in the future, this movie showed exactly how marketing was affecting the consumer. Misha Galkin, played by Ed Stoppard (The Pianist, Joy Division) was a marketing whiz. When he initiated a life changing experience, Misha was finally able to see the truth behind all those marketing campaigns that have been relentlessly, bombarding the masses. With this new found knowledge that only he could see; his girlfriend Abby Gibbons, played by Leelee Sobieski (The Glass House, Public Enemies), did not know if he was a genius or simply going insane. There was a slight sci-fi edge to the film that was shot mostly in Moscow. The story had no traction for me, particularly in the beginning, as it unfolded in a slow and ponderous way. I could see the satire the writers were trying to convey regarding the buyer’s need for acquiring more stuff. But, once the characters ventured into what I would call an advertiser’s war, I found the plot silly.  You would have thought the producers would have done some test marketing of this film; for if they had, they would have discovered this movie about marketing had very little to offer the consumer.

1 2/3 stars