"Dinner for Schmucks"

The central premise concerns the kidnapping of a 15-year old boy, as a result of his brother owing money to a cowardly drug dealer. A friendship soon develops between the boy and one of his kidnappers, as the situation spirals more and more out of control. The kidnappers soon realize that there isn't really any way to let the boy go after all that's transpired.

The most significant problem with "Alpha Dog" is that the characters are all so cut-and-dry. Johnny Truelove, the cowardly drug dealer, is exactly that. He has no redeeming qualities – he's an asshole to his friends, and cares about nothing but money. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Zack Mazursky, the kidnapped boy. He's done nothing wrong to anyone, and seems like an innocent kid throughout the entire film. These characters are both fine, however, as they are the films antagonist and protagonist, respectively, albeit taken to extremes. The problem lies in the fact that there is only one character with any semblance of dimensionality; Justin Timberlake does a good job with Frankie, creating the only genuine character in the whole film. His relationship with Zack is the only one of consequence, and his character seems genuinely conflicted by the situation as it develops. It's really the lone bright spot in a film consisting of mostly cardboard cut-out characters.

As the film spirals more and more to its conclusion, we, as an audience don't really gain much of anything. We don't gain any insight into the events that are happening, or why the characters act the way they do, aside from being domineered by their cowardly friend, who is too afraid to do his own dirty work. Why they allow themselves to tolerate his bullshit is beyond me… but I suppose he wouldn't be the ‘bad guy' if he wasn't a complete dick. It just so happens he'd be completely powerless without the very friends he abuses so frequently. I hope the real life Johnny Truelove was a little more bad-ass, and actually deserved his place on the FBI's most wanted list. I also hope the true story was a little more involving and interesting.