Charger Arts & Entertainment

Wicker Park: Is it worth paying full price to see?

Brooke Randolph, Charger Staff

Wicker Park rated PG-13, the supposed “thriller of the summer “ was released Sept. 3.

It stars heartthrob Josh Hartnett, a favorite from Pearl Harbor, and upcoming actresses such as Rose Byrne and Diane Kruger , who starred together in the epic Troy. Wicker Park unfortunately lacks half of the suspense you see in the trailer. Matthew (Hartnett), a young Chicagoan on the brink of marriage and a successful career, forfeits it all when he thinks that he recognizes his old flame Lisa (Kruger), who mysteriously disappeared two years earlier, in a restaurant.

After quitting his job and leaving his wealthy fiancee (Jessica Pare) he starts a full blown investigation into finding his lost love.

He takes drastic measures and reaches full stalker status when he breaks into her hotel room and steals her favorite compact. The story reaches a suspenseful peak as the plot unravels and Hartnett finds himself in the middle of a disappointing story line that lacks any urgency in needing to be solved since it is only driven by characters infatuation with one another. Adapted from L’Appartement, a French thriller, Wicker Park butchers the plot by cutting the main story line of murder and deceit.

Even though there is still a trace of both, director Paul McGuigan ( director of The Reckoning) did not use either effectively enough to fill the broad story line.

Rating: 2 stars (Go to a matinee!)