JEANNE: Katie Vincent stars as Katherine Greene in PLUCKED, a film she co-wrote and co-directed with Usher Morgan. A drama with some very dark humor, this story is set in New York during the Gilded Age.

Mrs. Greene is married to Dr. Peter Greene (Jared Canfield), who is emotionally unstable --- and a bit of a misogynist. She desperately wants a divorce and learns that her request has been granted on the same day as a rather important soiree is planned at her home that evening. It is to be announced that Peter will assume the top position at the local hospital and everyone who is anyone will be attending.

Katherine, a rebel to the core, wants nothing to do with this dinner party --- or the guests. She dons an entirely inappropriate dress and then finally makes her appearance downstairs two hours late. She flaunts her attraction to James (J. Anthony Crane), Peter’s brother, and is openly rude to Peter’s benefactor, Emelie Forester (Susan Gallagher), and proceeds to eat a large sausage suspended on her fork.

As the evening devolves into a host of chaotic shenanigans, things truly get out of hand between Peter and James. And Katheirne is right there in the middle causing even more trouble. When morning arrives and the servants, Maggie (Catherine Curtin) and Magen (Bailey Macejak) return, they are greeted with the horrendous aftereffects from the night before.

PLUCKED relies on an over-used premise of an unhappy wife plotting to leave her nasty husband while having an affair with his brother. And setting it during the Gilded Age doesn’t help, especially since Vincent and Morgan penned their screenplay as if their movie was set in modern day. The dialogue uses phrases and words which would never have been spoken during that era.

An idiom such as “along for the ride” and the words “bullshit” and “pregnant” were not part of the vernacular in the Gilded Age. There are quite a few other examples, such as “you got me” and “shut up” --- all of which demonstrate that Vincent and Morgan either chose not to do their research --- or they didn’t care. But while watching PLUCKED, the dialogue is so incongruous with the timeline that it made it difficult to take the film seriously.

While some of the dark comedy is very amusing, the overall tenor of PLUCKED is bizarre and somewhat gruesome. Much of the acting is over the top, the most egregious offender being Bryant Carroll who plays Nigel, the local constable. Period dramas require a great deal of effort to be successful. Perhaps PLUCKED should have taken place in contemporary time.

OPINION: DON’T BOTHER!

DAVID: If you are a follower of our reviews, you know that Jeanne and I generally agree on most films. However, I am a bit more patient to see how a plotline will turn out.

Through the first half of PLUCKED, I was interested enough to see where the writing would take the viewer. An unhappy wife, Katherine Greene (Katie Vincent, who also co-writes and co-directs with Usher Morgan), wants a divorce from her husband, Dr. Peter Greene (Jared Canfield). They are about to host a dinner party, and she will not be shy about announcing her intentions. Meanwhile, she is having an affair with Peter’s brother, James (J. Anthony Crane).

Unfortunately, PLUCKED does not generate anywhere near the tension it might have. The second half, even though it turned very dark, it fell flat. Ultimately, Peter becomes a simpering wimp instead of a vengeful husband who has been made a cuckold.  

The acting is acceptable --- particularly by Vincent who manages to hold our attention throughout. But the writing is not of a very high standard. In fact, the actors are hampered by the fact that they must employ modern-day language even though the story takes place in 1886, i.e., the Gilded Age. This was one of Jeanne’s biggest complaints about the screenplay. I will say that the phrase “I don’t know” was overused, adding to Jeanne’s ire.

I believe PLUCKED missed an opportunity to be fairly memorable. Instead, it is just a disappointment, especially when you consider that Usher Morgan has won many awards at various film festivals over the years.

OPINION: DON’T BOTHER!