Film Reviews

13 Conversations About One Thing

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Alan Arkin
• Details: US / 104 mins (15s).

A multi-strand story dealing the impact of luck/fate/random chance on the day-to-day existence of four characters, 13 Conversations comes on like Short Cuts by way of Philosophy 101. Troy (McConaughey) is a successful lawyer who accidentally knocks down a pedestrian while drink-driving and has to live with the consequences of running from the scene of the crime; Beatrice (DuVall) is the pedestrian, whose faith in good karma takes a serious knock when she's struck by Troy's car; Walker (Turturro) is a physics professor who rubbishes the idea of luck and chance while carrying on an affair with an English professor; and Gene (Arkin) is a cynical insurance investigator who sacks a member of his staff just to see if it will impact on his happy-go-lucky outlook on life. It all makes for an intriguing stew of ideas and counter-concepts, and the strong performances render believable characters from what might have been cardboard cut-outs spouting cliches and platitudes, with Arkin in particular in splendid form. Unfortunately, the film is far too long and writer/director Sprecher loses her nerve and focus during the final reel. As a result, the movie ceases to question and instead starts to lecture, offering simplistic and pat resolutions to narratives that would have been far more interesting had they been left to dangle.

Review by Declan Burke