( 12 reviews )
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( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Mar 31 2009
Milo Hoffman and Teddy Chin are two of the brightest minds in the computer programming world and also best friends. Their views are very close to being the same when it comes to the world's knowledge. That it should be free. Teddy is just a tad more gung ho about it though. While Teddy sets up shop with two of their other friends, Milo (Ryan Phillippe) decides to take an offer that both Teddy and himself were given. An offer to work for NURV, and to make a lot of money. The two are both working on the same program. A program that will let every device such as cell phones, PDA's, laptops, and computers transfer and broadcast media such as pictures and videos. While Teddy and others across the world are trying to figure out the code for this software to share it to the world for free, NURV has other plans for completing the software... at any cost. After a tragic event happens, Milo begins to wonder what is really going on within NURV. Every time a breakthrough of the programming comes up, there is really no one Milo can see that could have done it. As Milo begins to do some of his own detective work, he becomes startled when he begins to unravel some of the hidden secrets within NURV. Who can he trust as he begins his plan to show who NURV really is. Ok so right away the connection between NURV and Gary Winston (Tim Robbins) is blatantly clear that they are Microsoft and Bill Gates. NURV is the company that is getting into trouble for basically monopolizing the computer world, just like Microsoft did. And Gary is a multi-billionaire being blamed for thievery, just like Bill did. But once you get that out of you head and start watching the movie for itself, it becomes a really fun ride. Yes it can be a little bit by the numbers, and yes it can be predictable, but for what it's worth, I've enjoyed this movie every time I've seen it. Ryan and Tim's acting were of course really good. Tim was a lot of fun to watch because he would go from the older computer loving geek kid to the leader that rules with an iron fist in seconds. It was fun to watch Gary and Milo's interactions. Even though Gary is this billionaire genius, he would lean in and get excited with Milo while figuring out programming, all the while chompin down on some Pringles and making a mess everywhere. The movie is littered with geeky fun also, such as certain programming and hacking, but that doesn't take away from the casual viewer at all. The movie has some decent tense moments as well as a few good twists. Having both Claire Forlani and Rachel Leigh Cook sure doesn't hurt the movie either. In the end, I would definitely give this a watch. I never got bored and had a good time watching it. I'm glad I own it. P.S. - Rachel... if you ever read this review... call me gurl. I HEART YOU!!
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Posted: May 23 2008
I remember when this movie was first released. It looked interesting and exciting to me and so I saw it in the theater, and I enjoyed it. It's not a great movie; the plot is farfetched and one dimensional and the acting is flawed, but the film is entertaining none-the-less. This is the definition of popcorn fluff; simple yet exciting and serviceable. `Antitrust' tells the story of computer genius Milo Hoffman who plans to open an open-source site for the public with his friends, especially fellow genius Teddy Chin. His plans are turned upside down when Gary Winston, president of NURV, offers him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; to single-handedly help him launch his open-source program. Milo takes Gary up on his offer and soon has joined the NURV team and is working hard for the `enemy'. Soon, obviously, Milo realizes that Gary is not the man he claims to be and that his business practices are less than admirable; in fact they are deadly. In order to expose him for the monster he is he will need the help from a few friends, but who can he trust? Ryan Phillippe was the `it' boy for a while thanks to his performance in `Cruel Intentions' and while I actually thought he nailed that performance beautifully I think he was a little miscast here. He's not very believable as a computer genius; but whatever. He is a little too pouty here, a little to melancholy. Claire Forlani is a beautiful girl and a decent actress (I loved her in `Meet Joe Black') and she works here, but she's nothing spectacular. In fact, none of the acting here is really up to par; even Tim Robbins turns out a somewhat hacked variation of his talent. They deliver decently but no one ever excels. Rachael Leigh Cook is beautiful to look at but kind of dense. The plot is extremely unbelievable; but I kind of expected that much. The ending is completely ridiculous and sadly the dialog at times is preposterously cheesy (i.e. "In the real world, when you kill people they die - for real!") but the actors do their best to sound like it's natural. The character development was a real downside for me. Everyone just seemed so clichéd, so one-dimensional and simple. No one really seems all that interesting to me. They could have really improved there, but when you're attempting to create a semi-respectable teen thriller in order to fill theater seats then you really don't need character development; you just need decent thrills and a bunch of `hot young things'. `Antitrust' is not a bad movie, but it's not a good one either. It's in the middle. It's a fun movie, one you can turn your brain off and enjoy. Sometimes that is more than enough. You could definitely do better than `Antitrust', but you could also do worse.
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Posted: May 23 2008
I remember when this movie was first released. It looked interesting and exciting to me and so I saw it in the theater, and I enjoyed it. It's not a great movie; the plot is farfetched and one dimensional and the acting is flawed, but the film is entertaining none-the-less. This is the definition of popcorn fluff; simple yet exciting and serviceable. `Antitrust' tells the story of computer genius Milo Hoffman who plans to open an open-source site for the public with his friends, especially fellow genius Teddy Chin. His plans are turned upside down when Gary Winston, president of NURV, offers him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; to single-handedly help him launch his open-source program. Milo takes Gary up on his offer and soon has joined the NURV team and is working hard for the `enemy'. Soon, obviously, Milo realizes that Gary is not the man he claims to be and that his business practices are less than admirable; in fact they are deadly. In order to expose him for the monster he is he will need the help from a few friends, but who can he trust? Ryan Phillippe was the `it' boy for a while thanks to his performance in `Cruel Intentions' and while I actually thought he nailed that performance beautifully I think he was a little miscast here. He's not very believable as a computer genius; but whatever. He is a little too pouty here, a little to melancholy. Claire Forlani is a beautiful girl and a decent actress (I loved her in `Meet Joe Black') and she works here, but she's nothing spectacular. In fact, none of the acting here is really up to par; even Tim Robbins turns out a somewhat hacked variation of his talent. They deliver decently but no one ever excels. Rachael Leigh Cook is beautiful to look at but kind of dense. The plot is extremely unbelievable; but I kind of expected that much. The ending is completely ridiculous and sadly the dialog at times is preposterously cheesy (i.e. "In the real world, when you kill people they die - for real!") but the actors do their best to sound like it's natural. The character development was a real downside for me. Everyone just seemed so clich??d, so one-dimensional and simple. No one really seems all that interesting to me. They could have really improved there, but when you're attempting to create a semi-respectable teen thriller in order to fill theater seats then you really don't need character development; you just need decent thrills and a bunch of `hot young things'. `Antitrust' is not a bad movie, but it's not a good one either. It's in the middle. It's a fun movie, one you can turn your brain off and enjoy. Sometimes that is more than enough. You could definitely do better than `Antitrust', but you could also do worse.
