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Chapter 27 movie review screener!

by Kris ⋅ April 9, 2008 ⋅ Comment Now

dreamlogic.net's MOVIE REVIEW Screener . Chapter 27

Director: J. P. Schaefer
Starring: Jared Leto, Lindsay Lohan
Genre: Indie, Drama
Opens in San Francisco April 18th, 2008

I wrote the bulk of this review in March 2007 and am surprised at how neutral I was about the &%(@! subject matter. In light of the Beijing Olympics protests, this might be proper timing to remember someone who lovingly promoted peace, and one man who violently took that from him.

Jared Leto fat. Now that’s reason enough to watch Chapter 27 but may also be a reasonable mark against it. If suspension of disbelief is important to you, it might be tough to dive into this one, even though Leto is barely recognizable. Even if you do manage to get sucked in, there are the scenes with Lindsay Lohan pulling you right back out. I’m not knocking LiLo, I actually defend her comedic charm. Another odd note questions why her bubbly character and Little Red Riding Hood metaphor Jude (arrgh), would befriend Leto’s oddball, although upon reading up on Chapman’s bio, he had charmed quite a few ladies.

Co-star weirdness aside, Leto does a good job at portraying Mark David Chapman, someone most of the world hates. In fact, Chapman was placed in high security not only for the severity of his crime, but for his own safety. Chapman murdered an icon for peace and love and damned good music, whose fans formed a loyal lynch mob. Mark Chapman killed John Lennon.

Piecing together a general biography of Chapman isn’t essential (I was curious), but is best digested prior to viewing Chapter 27, which merely glosses over his past. He was a born-again Christian in a sect that would rather preach the doctrine of distrust for outsiders rather than “love thy neighbor”. Chapman, a confused, chubby conformist, quickly succumbed to their belief system, and sprinkled in some of his own twisted life lessons. His “second Bible” was J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, which he would often alternate passages with the Holy Book, merging them to fit the situation. This is how his mind worked, or didn’t work, morally speaking.

Chapman, a symbiotic Beatles fan sought out Lennon’s wisdom, his urgency for personal growth and societal change in a chaotic chasm of the political realm at the time. Vietnam, hippies, sexual revolution, oh the whirling sights and scenes. This must have simultaneously angered and attracted him.

Chapter 27 sadly doesn’t fully portray Chapman’s twisted mind, maybe a few cuckoo shouting bouts, but amongst the flawless edits and awesomely drab sets, we’re presented with a bland, diluted snore. I would have loved to have dived into the assassin’s warped point-of-view, the breaking point where his fandom turned to rage; this especially helpful for those entering with a negative aspect of the subject. Not necessarily empathizing, but maybe a congruence of character betwixt victim and assassin… hey, they both had “visions”, did they not? This was not subtle in a good way. They would benefit from being brutal.

Technically, bundled up in a bulky coat, Leto really didn’t have to pack on the pounds, latex double chin and fat suit sufficient. Method acting, whatever; this was no Machinist. Maybe Leto wasn’t the right actor, but I can’t blame the lack of depth solely on him, and I imagine Chloe Sevigny (or someone adequately 1970s-ish looking) in the Lohan role. Someone a little plain, but with lots of presence.

Ultimately, I ended Chapter 27 with the same question I had when I started: who cares?

TRIVIA TIME: Actor Mark Lindsay Chapman portrays John Lennon. Oh, the irony.