Really, who doesn’t like a good thwack with a riding crop now and then? — Leelee Sobieski stars in Walk All Over Me
To thoroughly enjoy a film, the viewer must give up control to the filmmaker, allowing them to take you on a journey. What about in real life, though — have you given up control lately?
The setup of Robert Cuffley’s Walk All Over Me is intriguing, and its exploration of control issues holds promise. Leelee Sobieski stars as Alberta, a small-town waitress who takes off when her boyfriend lands in trouble. It seems trouble follows Alberta around. She ends up at the home of her former babysitter, Celine (Tricia Helfer), in Vancouver. Celine has made some big changes, though. Now a dominatrix, she orders dog-collared clients around for a living. Helfer’s tall stature and modelling background are perfect for Celine’s sexy latex outfits.
A need for quick cash sees Alberta follow in Celine’s footsteps, but what could have been a fantastic comedic study of the dominatrix world turns into a fumbling caper. The relationship between the women has intrigue and the potential of exploring a sexy master-and-apprentice relationship. Instead the plot goes horribly wrong with violence, cheap laughs and a confusing criminal twist.
Sobieski and Helfer are perfectly cast for their roles, but their character development is virtually abandoned 45 minutes into the film, when the unnecessary villains arrive. The villainous trio is led by Renee (Jesus of Montreal’s Lothaire Bluteau), a nasty club owner looking for his stolen cash. The film ends up terribly disjointed with little cause for the audience to care about what happens to Alberta and Celine, who go from barking orders to running like dogs, and even less about their client Paul (Jacob Tierney).
Cuffley co-wrote this script with Calgary’s Jason Long. The two local filmmakers have made a quality production, but the inconsistent story keeps the film from moving beyond mediocrity to truly dominate the screen. Pick up Cuffley’s first flick, Turning Paige, and hope that his third movie shows more control than Walk All Over Me.
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