I was watching the movie Disturbing Behavior last night before I went to sleep (I turned it off about halfway through it cause it was getting late), and wanted to write a few things about it. First, odds are most people probably only vaguely remember this movie, if at all, even though it's only 10 years old. Second, it's probably right that most people wouldn't remember it, cause it's not a great movie or really remarkable in any way other than it stars a couple people who are arguably bigger stars now than they were then (but it's actually tough to make that case for sure, since the stars are Katie Holmes, James Marsden and Nick Stahl). Despite it not being very memorable or all that well done, it's one of those movies that I've found over the years is very rewatchable when it's in regular rotation on cable.
I don't watch much live TV anymore, thanks mainly to DVR/Tivo and my AppleTV, but before I had any of that my typical TV viewing habits would be to scan the pay movie channels for something that looked interesting (something I'd usually seen before), that I could put on and sort of half-watch, half-listen to while I was surfing the web or something; and then I'd do the same thing when I was watching TV in bed or eating in front of the tube, except there of course I'd give what I was watching my full attention. Anyway, since the way they program pay TV is sort of like a radio station where they have what is essentially a playlist that only gradually rotates you end up seeing the same movies on all the time, and for someone like me who doesn't really watch TV shows I've found there are lots of movies here and there that, while not being great or even good movies, are still plenty entertaining to watch over and over. Disturbing Behavior is one of those movies.
For those who have forgotten this movie and what it's about (i.e. just about everyone), it's the story of how the parents in an affluent northwestern suburb turned to some mad scientist guy to brainwash their troubled adolescents into being goody two shoes, conformist, non-rebellious teens. The unfortunate side effect for all involved is that the kids essentially become like robots and occasionally lash out with uncontrollable violence, even killing people. But at least they're not wearing Marilyn Manson T-shirts I suppose. Anyway, James Marsden and his family are the new people in town, and Jim quickly makes friends with Nick Stahl and Katie Holmes (who broods and frowns so much in this movie she almost edges over into Michelle Rodriguez territory). Nick tells Jim his theory about the stepford students, which Jim dismisses as paranoia, until Nick gets "recruited" (brainwashed) and joins the robotic student elite. Then Jim and Katie investigate further and find out what's happening and eventually put an end to the whole mess (except for the "twist" ending which sets up a potential sequel, which of course never happened).
I remember seeing this movie on DVD when it first came out, all those years ago, and because it was so long ago and DVDs were still relatively new to me (and to everyone, I guess), I actually watched all the extras on it, which were basically a long list of deleted scenes with commentary from the director. It's been a long time, but I do remember essentially the director having a somewhat beaten down tone to what he was saying, talking about how he was forced to cut all these scenes by the studio because he was a relative nobody and they wanted the movie to be really short in length. Basically he was apologizing for how crappy the movie turned out as a result of it being pared down to the bone the way it was. In retrospect though, I doubt the movie would have been much better if it had been longer, and the really fast pace for such a mediocre movie worked pretty well as I found myself last night wanting to get to the next part and always finding that it was right around the corner.
In any event, the main reason I am blogging about this (other than killing time at work) is because there's a really funny thing that runs throughout the movie which I felt I had to comment on. For whatever reason the filmmakers (or the studio or somebody) decided they would try to coin a new hip phrase or saying with this movie, and clearly assumed it would just take off and people would look back on this film as the origin of this word being used this way. It's very reminiscent of that girl in Mean Girls was was "trying to make 'Fetch' happen." Anyway, throughout Disturbing Behavior the characters keep saying the word "Razor" as though it's a common slang term, and it's quite funny every time they do so. Like they'll say "I hope you've got a totally razor plan for this" or "What do you say we get some beers and hang out tonight?" "Sounds razor."
So anyway, if you ever do find yourself watching Disturbing Behavior, keep an eye out for the repeated use of that word, while also keeping an eye on Nick Stahl's great overacting and Katie Holmes' brooding bitch routine. But just remember, if you do watch it and find yourself saying "This movie stinks, what was he talking about?" keep in mind I only said it is mildly entertaining upon repeat viewings, at least in comparison to many other movies. Don't rent it or catch it on TV if you're expecting a great night of moviewatching.