By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
We are barely two months into 2021 and I’ve already seen one of the worst movies this year. It’s
“Bliss” starring Owen Wilson and Salma Hayek.
A couple of nights ago, I was watching “Bliss” and was barely 20 minutes into the movie when my power went out. My entire neighborhood was blacked out for about 30 minutes. Maybe that was a subliminal message for me not to watch it at all, but I finished it once the power was restored. I’ll tell you; it was a challenge to get through this one.
“Bliss” is a sci-fi, romantic dramedy mash-up from director Mike Cahill whose work includes the sci-fi mindbenders, “Another Earth” and “I Origins.”
“Bliss” is mind-numbing and all the quirkiness that Owen Wilson usually brings to his roles, doesn’t begin to help here. There’s absolutely zero chemistry between him and Hayek.
Here’s the long and short of “Bliss.” Owen plays Greg Wittle, an office worker at a company called Technical Difficulties.
He has a nice, big office, but doesn’t do much in it other than draw pictures of a beautiful lakeside property that he envisions and obviously wants. He and his wife are divorced. They have two college age kids.
His son, Arthur (Jorge Lendeborg Jr (“Critical Thinking”) has some issues with his dad, but their daughter Emily (Nesta Cooper, TV’s “See”) adores him. She’s set to graduate from college and wants the family to work out their differences for the special occasion.
That’s all before Greg’s boss Bjorn (Steve Zissis, TV’s “The Comey Rule”) calls him into his office and fires him for slacking on the job. Greg gets up and accidentally knocks the guy into a table and he falls and dies. Greg picks up his body and stands him against the window to make it appear as if he committed suicide.
The he slips out of the office and heads to a bar for a drink. It’s here he meets Isabel (Hayek), an attractive and worldly looking woman who is surprised to see that Greg is “real.” Isabel lives outdoors and has telekinetic powers that she’s obtained from ingesting a bunch of yellow crystals.
Somehow, she’s able to connect with Greg’s mind and convince him that the world they’re living in isn’t real and that they may be in some sort of alternate universe. Yet, they dash around the city giddily using their newfound magical powers to mess with people they don’t like especially when they’re out at a local skating rink.
“Bliss” becomes even more outlandish and disjointed as it limps along. When the big reveal rolls around as to who Isabel really is and why she does what she does, it’s hardly eye-opening, although an appearance from Bill Nye is a bit of a bright spot. A bit.
Overall, no “Bliss” for me. This was pure agony.
“Bliss” bows on Amazon Prime Feb. 5.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays at 6:20 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Watch This Trailer For
"BLISS"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics' Association (BFCA), The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC) and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
