The (Not) Happening

The Happening is a movie presenting an interesting premise, but handled to such an extent that we feel like we're watching a 91 minute commercial telling us we need to Go Green.

(Some very minor spoilers ahead)

The movie opens in Central Park with people committing suicide, and then to some skyscrapers with the construction workers jumping off scaffolds, and then to a policeman who shoots himself in the head with his own pistol -- followed by people in his vicinity recycling his gun to kill themselves, as well. This is The Happening. People losing their minds and having uncontrollable suicidal tendencies.

The movie follows Mark Wahlberg as Mark Wahlberg, a high school science teacher (of course), who figures out that the plants are causing The Happening (and the wind spreads it) about ten minutes after most of the audience reaches the same conclusion. His wife, played by Zooey Deschanel, is two-dimensional. She exists only to provide enough dialogue to bump the movie from about 80 minutes to 91 (a manageable theatrical runtime). She's a great actress, and Mark Wahlberg has done well before, but neither fit in with this lackluster script.

The movie's best scene belongs to neither protagonist, but to a hermit Mrs. Jones. Once she becomes under the 'spell,' she smashes her head against the outside of her house (where Mark Wahlberg is hiding inside to avoid the air). Mrs. Jones moves along and uses her head to smash in the windows, which allows for airflow to get inside. In this moment there's more tension than any other -- is Mother Nature forcing her to help, or is it just a quicker method for her to kill herself? A great moment of the film, but it's quickly glanced over and not addressed in favor of some half-hearted recollections of Mark and Zooey's first date.

The film's 'message' is so blatant I feel like I shouldn't even mention it here. We need to stop messing with nature! Wow, really? Thanks. We get it.

Rating: 3/7