Middle Men
R, 97min., 2010
Cast: Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribsi, Gabriel Macht, Rade Serbedzija, Laura Ramsey, Jacinda Barett, with Robert Forester and James Caan
Directed by George Gallo
Screenplay by George Gallo and Andy Weiss

Middle Men is too impatient to give us the epic about how the Internet porn empire was made and settles for cliché drama that is given some spark by a committed cast of actors.

More after the jump…

Told over a lax and long monologue by Luke Wilson, who stars as Jack Harris, an average Texas business and family man, who happens to get into credit card charging business during the late 1990s with two coked out LA geniuses named Buck Dolby and Wayne Beering (played by Gabriel Macht and Giovanni Ribsi with a lot more ticks and energy than the rest of the movie). The catch for Harris is the credit card business becomes the start up for the Internet porn empire.

The millions upon millions of dollars the trio is swamped by attracts many violent and colorful characters, including the Russian mob, a 23 year old porn star vixen, the FBI, and a vicious shark lawyer (James Caan in another performance to show how to be tough old school style). This all rushes by you at the drop of a hat, never settling for any real character driven moments.

Filmmaker George Gallo knows this genre of mixing drama with a nature comedic flare well – the best being his screenplay of Midnight Run from 1988. Here he never finds the right voice for this story, which keeps tossing the story back and forth between Wilson’s wheez family guy monologue and the violent cocaine gangster drama of Ribsi and Macht. 

The idea is clearly to be a Martin Scorsese or P.T. Anderson time sprawling drama – several scenes are set to the music of The Rolling Stones, the LA setting, and amazing long shot takes. One sequence in particular has the camera following Harris through a porn palace orgy that feels lifted right out of Boogie Nights; it’s entertaining but we’ve seen it all before.

Somewhere in all of its dangerous wheels, deals, cocaine lines, and porn stars lies a good movie to be told in Middle Men, but it doesn’t surface here.

Grade: C

Screen Junkies and Break is hosting a screening of the new film Middle Men Tuesday at 4:30PM in Los Angeles, and we’re inviting you! That’s right. YOU! 25 people plus a guest can be the first to see the movie, which chronicles Jack Harris, one of the pioneers of internet commerce, as he wrestles with his morals and struggles not to drown in a sea of conmen, mobsters, drug addicts, and pornstars. Don’t pretend like you aren’t intrigued by all of those subjects.

After the screening, I will moderate a Q&A with producer Chris Mallick, whose story inspired the film.

To attend, all you have to do is be one of the first 25 people to follow Screen Junkies on Twitter and tweet your enthusiastic response. Check out the red-band trailer to whet your appetite.

I’ll save you all a seat in the best section of the theater.

_{The Internet used to suck.}

The Internet is good for a few things besides revitalizing Betty White’s career, and Middle Men is here to remind us of that. The new film is inspired by the brave heros who brought porn to the Internet, and molded it into the universe it has become. Luke Wilson stars as a businessman who helps guide the first online billing company that deals exclusively with adult entertainment. Judging from their unkempt look and sparring habits, Giovanni Ribisi and Gabriel Macht co-star as the staff of ScreenJunkies.com. Oh, I’ve just been told that they play the programmers who invent the billing method. I was close.

Soon the trio are caught in the middle between porn stars, fabulous riches, Russian mobsters, the FBI, and Luke Wilson once again has to tangle with Mr. Henry. It’s weird to see him without Rowboat.

PAY SOME RESPECT TO THE INTERNET’S HERITAGE AFTER THE JUMP…

Middle Men – Trailer – Watch more Movie Trailers

Middle Men opens in theaters August 6th, 2010.

Director: George Gallo

Cast: Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, Gabriel Macht, James Caan

Synopsis: Businessman Jack Harris (Luke Wilson) had the perfect life – a beautiful family and a successful career fixing problem companies. And then he met Wayne Beering (Giovanni Ribisi) and Buck Dolby (Gabriel Macht), two genius but troubled men, who had invented the way adult entertainment is sold over the internet.

Release Date: August 6, 2010