Responsibility clashes with freedom as a young New York City couple experiences two decidedly different holidays in this drama from filmmaking duo David Siegel and Scott McGehee (Suture, The Deep End). It's the Fourth of July, and Kate (Lynn Collins) and Bobby (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are struggling to make a decision: do they stick with tradition and spend the weekend with Kate's family, or do they set out on their own for a spontaneous adventure? After making their initial decision, an alternate
narrative emerges to show just what would have happened had they chosen to do otherwise. While the decision-making process may seem mundane, the implications of each choice are profound. Sure, a holiday with the family doesn't seem nearly as exciting as an impromptu romantic trip, but that doesn't mean it will be any less dramatic. As the stories diverge and a "what if" scenario becomes reality, it soon becomes apparent how much one seemingly minor decision can ultimately affect the rest of our lives. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Rain Li's crisp cinematography gives the entwined stories different but complementary visual styles. Paul Zucker's editing supports each genre then poses fresh questions by leaping from one to the other.
Excellent New York City location shooting and the ever-reliable Joseph Gordon-Levitt can't salvage this gimmicky, overlong thriller from Scott McGehee and David Siegel...
Perhaps Uncertainty is a metaphor for the writing process. You start with a blank page then you have to make a decision, any decision, and follow it as far as you can.
Uncertainty is a long gimmick stylishly filmed and moderately enjoyable but plagued by tedious stretches and constant reminders of its own artificiality.
Has an interesting concept along with a terrific cast, stylish cinematography and interesting use of symbolism, but it's often rather bland and too low on imagination, credibility and wit.
The leads are immensely appealing, but the sum of their experiences equals nothing more profound than two earnest people wrestling with a tough decision.
A young couple between a rock and a hard place must choose whether to go to a family dinner or run from gangsters, but only the latter choice is intereting.
Uncertainty is actually a metalinguistic film, where it's the characters who have to decide, by flipping a coin, if they should be part of a sensitive family drama or an action thriller. An interesting indie experiment about uncertain paths, though sometimes a bit bland.
"I'm not afraid of either scenario, but it's just - I want this to be something we're doing, not something we're not doing." A young couple, in love and facing a life-changing decision, find one seemingly ordinary July 4th cleaved in two by the flip of a coin on the Brooklyn Bridge.REVIEWWhat struck me was
the lopsided feel and disunity of the whole enterprise. The stories in the two alternate-universe flip-of-a- coin worlds do not really complement or enrich each other; rather each destroys what momentum the other has built. In addition neither thread is particularly compelling in itself, and switching from one to the other does not make them more so. The two principals do fine - Lynn Collins in particular is an actress I would love to see get more significant roles (she was excellent as Portia in the Michael Radford version of "Merchant of Venice" with Al Pacino as Shylock), and Joseph Gordon-Levitt has charm and believability. However they are stranded in an unconvincing dual narrative. Perhaps in addition to improvising their dialog (as they did) they should have been allowed to scrap and rewrite the entire scenario! Many people have mentioned the similarity to the movie "Run Lola Run". I am surprised no one mentioned a film entitled "Sliding Doors" starring Gwyneth Paltrow that, while not a masterpiece, utilized the same alternate-universe framework to better effect.
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