"a pointless conversation between a pompous fundamentalist Christian and a sneering atheist"

[rug]

Can’t wait until Thanksgiving dinner to witness a pointless conversation between a pompous fundamentalist Christian and a sneering atheist? Then “The Ledge” is the movie for you.

This shrill and pedantic exercise in speechifying gives us “deep” conversations about religion and the afterlife that wouldn’t pass muster in a freshman Philosophy 101 study group, delivered with all the earnestness and lack of subtlety of the old “Davey and Goliath” show. (If that Christian cartoon had featured Liv Tyler’s breasts, that is.)

Tyler, fresh off playing a former drug addict who married Rainn Wilson as a way to get a grip on her life in “Super,” broadens her range by playing a former drug addict who married Patrick Wilson to get a grip on her life in “The Ledge.” When these two move in down the hall from committed atheist Charlie Hunnam, who becomes Tyler’s boss when she gets a job working at the hotel he manages, things start spiraling out of control.

The movie opens, in fact, with Hunnam standing on the roof of a tall building, with policeman Terrence Howard trying to talk him down. Howard’s character, a devoted Catholic, is having his own problems, having just learned that he’s sterile. Since he and his wife have two children, this news comes as some surprise.

http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2011/07/08/the-ledge-equals-god-for-dummies-film-review/

ouch

[dmallind]

1. Never seen or heard of this movie but lemme guess....

.... the atheist character realizes his life is empty without God and decides to joyously continue living. Probably lost his faith due to some traumatic experience but now realizes he can't blame God any more too, I shouldn't wonder.

[sudopod]

2. He's blaming the wrong guy.

The world wouldn't be so fucked up if Xenu hadn't dropped all of those alien Thetans on us. Besides, who knows how much damage h-bombing our volcanoes did to the environment.

[Adsos Letter]

3. Davey with Liv Tyler's breasts? Disturbing...

[Jim__]

4. If the arguments between the protagonists are deliberately lame ...

... but the real life dilemmas show deeper aspects of the questions; then the movie could be interesting. However, if it's just a lame restatement of well-known, pointless arguments, the movie will be quite boring.

[struggle4progress]

5. Links to reviews (+ spoilers)

... written and directed by Matthew Chapman, an outspoken atheist who says it's Hollywood’s first offering to feature an openly atheist hero in a story about religious conflict ...
09:24 AM ET
New atheist movie 'The Ledge' evangelizes godlessness
By Steve Walsh, CNN
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/08/new-atheist-movie-the-ledge-evangelizes-godlessness/

... "I have worked hard to reach out to non-believers, agnostics, and people questioning the concept of faith, but there's no reason why a believer or someone who doesn't think a lot about religion should not enjoy the film just as a thriller," Chapman says ...
"The Ledge" Director Matthew Chapman Calls On Atheists; Is He Preaching To The Choir?
BY Jenni Miller
The thriller, out today, borrows a page from Bible-toting film supporters to market a movie with a godless message.
http://www.fastcompany.com/1765900/the-ledge-atheism-matthew-chapman?partner=gnews

... “I thought it was such a well-written script,” said Gorham. He said he’s “proud and grateful” to be part of "The Ledge" ...
Inspired by York County Trial, 'The Ledge' in Limited Release This Friday
The "philosphical thriller" was inspired by a 2005 Clarence Darrow-esque case in Dover, Pa.
By Teresa McMinn
July 7, 2011
http://norristown.patch.com/articles/inspired-by-york-county-trial-the-ledge-in-limited-release-this-friday

... Well, for example, there was a scene where I’m totally gagged and bound and tied to a chair. I was doing that sort of for Patrick, and we got to the end of the day, and it was a very small-budget movie, and they were going to pull the plug and finish the day. And I hadn’t done my close-up yet, and I had, like, two minutes or five minutes or something. After sitting there all day giving so much to everyone — to convey all that emotion — and to have this very rushed “Come on! We’ve gotta go! We’ve gotta go!” was so unfair in a way. I definitely was vocal about saying, “Stop! Just give me a minute to do this.” And just other things, shooting-wise. Matthew reminded me of something today where we thought we couldn’t do this really important wide shot because we didn’t have time to turn around. And I was like, “Why don’t you just keep the camera where it is, and then turn me around?” ...
The Movieline Interview
by S.T. VanAirsdale
07 08 2011 1:10 PM
Liv Tyler on The Ledge, Battles of the Sexes and Lord of the Rings at 10
http://www.movieline.com/2011/07/liv-tyler-on-the-ledge-battles-of-the-sexes-and-lord-of-the-rings-at-10.php

... Bill Donohue’s Catholic League has been baited into attacking it, which is great PR for the film ...
Will Atheists Rally Behind “The Ledge”?
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2011/07/08/will-atheists-rally-behind-the-ledge/

... I suspect there's some quality work being done here. I'm just not sure where it's hiding ...
Movie Review: The Ledge
By: Benny Gammerman
http://www.ology.com/movie-reviews/ledge

... “The Ledge,” it should be noted, is not dumb. What undoes it is its mechanical structure: a stale dramatic formula of the sort taught in elementary playwriting classes ...
Looking for Answers Before He Leaps
By STEPHEN HOLDEN
Published: July 7, 2011
http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/07/08/movies/the-ledge-with-charlie-hunnam-review.html

... It's got all of that 'clock is ticking' nonsense they include in films to make it suspenseful ...
"You should come out and see, it really is a lovely view"
Trailers. What more do you need to know?
Fri, 08/07/2011 - 16:50 by Peter Meehan
http://www.holymoly.com/film-dvd/blog/friday-film-trailers-ledge-magic-trip-chasing-madoff-fright-night57959

... the dialogue is all stuff you've heard a hundred times before ...
Review: Despite its Great Actors, This "Ledge" Might Make You Want to Jump
Posted by Brent Hartinger on July 8, 2011
http://www.afterelton.com/movies/2011/07/review-the-ledge-charlie-hunnam-patrick-wilson-liv-tyler

... This movie is preposterous -- complete with eye-rolling dialogue, secular vs. biblical miscommunication, sexually-frustrated fanaticism, and finally, a reversion to Bible-quoting violence ...
The Ledge
Reviewed by Sam Kressner on Jul 7 2011
http://www.filmcritic.com/reviews/2011/the-ledge/

... the credibility of this preposterous drama immediately plunges into the abyss ...
The Ledge
Last Updated: 10:20 AM, July 8, 2011
Posted: 11:20 PM, July 7, 2011
Kyle Smith
http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/movies/the_ledge_RDbw2gXS6lwISJPlHj3nvI

... Shana and Joe invite Gavin and his gay roommate (Christopher Gorham) for dinner. Wrongly assuming they are lovers, Joe, a religious fundamentalist, offers up a prayer for their salvation. Gavin decides to liberate Shana from her fanatic husband and soon seduces her ...
Movie review: 'The Ledge'
Despite a capable cast and attractive Baton Rouge, La., locales, Matthew Chapman's film suffers from a seriously flawed script
By Kevin Thomas
July 8, 2011
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-capsules-the-ledge20110708,0,6723905.story

... really .. state of the art when it comes to atheist-fundamentalist-ex-hooker love-triangle thrillers ...
Weekend Forecast
by S.T. VanAirsdale
07 07 2011 9:00 PM
http://www.movieline.com/2011/07/weekend-forecast-bosses-zookeeper-to-wilt-in-dark-of-the-moon.php

... It doesn't take long for Patrick to sniff them out, and when he does, he concocts a devious plan. He strips Liv naked, ties her to a chair, and places a ball-gag in mouth at gunpoint ...
Movie Review: The Ledge
By: Benny Gammerman
http://www.ology.com/movie-reviews/ledge

... Liv Tyler's breasts ...
Your Weekend at the Interchangable R-Rated Comedies and Man-on-Ledge Movies
Posted by Jesse Hassenger on Fri, Jul 8, 2011 at 9:47 AM
http://www.thelmagazine.com/TheMeasure/archives/2011/07/08/your-weekend-at-the-interchangable-r-rated-comedies-and-man-on-ledge-movies

... you guessed it — someone stands on a ledge ...
'The Ledge' Star Liv Tyler Remembers Her Early Days Wearing A Bikini On MTV
by Meg Jones
http://hollywoodcrush.mtv.com/2011/07/08/liv-tyler-mtv-debut-the-ledge/

... jealous husband threatens to kill his wife unless her lover jumps from a high-rise ...
Posted 07/08/2011 5:10 AM PT by 'Mr. Moviefone' Russ Leatherman
http://www.ontheredcarpet.com/Mr--Moviefone-reviews-Horrible-Bosses--Zookeeper/8238641

... The four leads are such cut-outs that you really don’t care if Hunnam jumps or not ...
"The Ledge" equals "God for Dummies"
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/07/us-reviews-film-theledge-idUSTRE7667T420110707

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

6. Spoiler question. I now know one part of the ending but not the other.

Highlight this post to read.

I know Gavin eventually jumps and dies, but what happens with Shana? And Joe?

To "invisibilize" part of your post, do like this, but using square brackets instead of parentheses:

(font color="#FFFFFF")This test will be invisible.(/font)

[rug]

7. Let me try that.

Crap, didn't work.

[frogmarch]

13. You have to substitute

brackets for parentheses.

[rug]

14. !

Thank you!

[ZombieHorde]

8. I occasionally hide secret messages in my posts by doing that. nt

[onager]

10. Well, stop it. I read one of them backwards...

And developed a taste for Xian baby flesh.

[ZombieHorde]

12. Seems like the opposite would happen if you read the message backwards.

Since when the message is read normally it says, "Please eat more Christian baby flesh."

Actually, I usually write, "Congratulations, you found the secret message!"

[LAGC]

15. The answer to your question (SPOILER ALERT):

I just watched it online at: http://www.sundancenow.com/

To answer your question (spoiler, highlight):

Cops raid the hotel room across the street where Joe is holding Shana at gun-point, proceed to arrest him -- just a minute too late for Gavin though.

I actually thought it was a pretty good film, even with the "immoral atheist infidel promoting adultery" meme, in the end the atheist shows he really does have beliefs worth dying for.

And I love how the Catholic cop has a "crisis of faith" of his own afterward once he returns home...

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

16. Thanks!

Highlight:

I positively hate, hate, HATE movies with downer endings. I avoid them like the plague. If I want to get depressed, I'll look at reality. It's cheaper.

About the quality of the movie (notwithstanding the above, which doesn't apply to everyone), looks like it has become impossible to ascertain it from a review. You might as well go to Free Republic and ask whether a Michael Moore film has quality.

[MisterP]

9. dinner at the Hitchenses'?

[dimbear]

11. Isn't it more uplifting to remember the big blockbuster hits where the hero is obviously an atheist

and his atheism saves the day for all concerned? One of the many of those?