THE LODGER (2009)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *uncanny*
MYTHICITY: *poor*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *drama*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *psychological*

Though I'm not a big fan of Hitchcock's 1927 LODGER, I succumbed to curiosity as to whether this 2009 psycho-killer flick would build on any of Hitchcock's conceits-- though I knew from the outset that this contemporary film wasn't about Jack the Ripper, only a modern-day imitator.

I'm not spending a lot of time reviewing this boring dud of a thriller. As quick as possible then: a serial killer starts menacing Hollywood by murdering hookers in such a way as to closely duplicate the crimes of the Ripper. For some reason, the crimes are linked to a perp who was executed seven years earlier on evidence compiled by experienced police detective Channing (Alfred Molina), so this raises the likelihood that Channing sent an innocent man to his death. Channing is therefore monomaniacal about tracking down the new killer, but as the script has things, the cop isn't particularly guilty about his bad call. He's more preoccupied with his personal problems-- a wife sentenced to an asylum after attempting suicide, a daughter who hates him-- so his fervor seems more like overcompensation. He also flagrantly accuses his rookie partner of being a homosexual, which turns out to be another unfounded accusation.

Parallel to Channing's plotline is one about a mysterious lodger, Malcolm (Simon Baker), who rents a room from a couple with a troubled marriage (Hope Davis and Donal Logue). This is the only part of the film resembling any part of the Hitchcock film or its source material, but it generates zero suspense. Is the killer Malcolm or one of the two unhappy spouses? Who cares?

One irony is that I partly decided to watch the film because I admired Alfred Molina. But his Channing character is repugnant without any redeeming qualities, and Molina doesn't bring any special touches to his lead role. If anything, Hope Davis gives the standout performance as the fragile, possibly unstable wife, who forms a romantic attachment to the mysterious stranger. But Davis's performance didn't justify slogging through this turgid, pointless mystery.