Alone With Her

Reviewed by: Ron Henriques - 01.25.07

As the son of "Forrest Gump" himself, Colin Hanks does indeed have a mighty big shadow to step out of. Rather than try to hone his acting skills with comedies like his famous father, he's graduated from romps like "Orange County" to more character driven roles, such as his minor appearance in "King Kong". Though Eric Nicholas' experimental feature "Alone with Her" isn’t the film than will put Hanks on the map, it shows his willingness to take risks and seek out more challenging material. Though this film is being billed as a thriller, it fails to entertain on that front, but is surprisingly more rewarding as a comedy. Sounds sick to call a movie about an unstable voyeur a comedy and even though the lengths Hanks goes through to maintain contact with a young woman are terrifying, it’s handled with more humor than was intended.

It's painfully clear that Nicholas takes his material too seriously when the film opens with a statement about stalking and hidden surveillance from the Justice Department. Told entirely from the point of view of hidden video cameras, the voyeuristic Hanks randomly chooses Ana Claudia Talancon as his victim after spotting her in a public park. Armed with only a video camera concealed in a gym bag, Hanks easily picks up the proper surveillance equipment from a local spy shop. Over several weeks he follows Talancon to her apartment, place of employment, on dog-walks and even to the local coffee shop where he strikes up a conversation. After breaking into her apartment and planting hidden cameras in every room, Hanks becomes knowledgeable in every aspect of her life: who her favorite band is, what she likes to eat, what movies she has rented, when she likes to masturbate and what she looks like naked. Talancon is getting over a bitter break-up with her boyfriend and her vulnerability gives him the perfect opportunity to insert himself into her life.

After initially meeting Talancon in the coffee shop, Hanks offers to help her design a website that will promote her artwork after she gives him a ride to work. She gets a creepy vibe from him, but is encouraged by her best friend Jordana Spiro to give it a chance. Though Hanks' fascination evolves from dangerous to murderous, the acts he will resort to in his obsession are plain crazy. When Talancon blows off their second date to go out with co-worker Jonathon Trent, Hanks sneaks into her apartment to inject her drink with something that makes her ill. Naturally Trent is understanding, but when Hanks later wipes her linen with an allergen that causes her to break-out in rashes, the dude gets upset when she cancels their date again, putting an end to their association. Hanks manages to spark Talancon's interest after he puts her in contact with a restaurant owner interested in displaying her artwork. To bring them even closer, he sets her up for a nasty accident in her apartment involving broken glass and "coincidently" calls on the phone to come to her rescue.

Sure it's disturbing just how far this guy will go to make this girl like him, but it's nearly impossible not to be humored by it and you have to give the guy an A for effort. With the story being told from the perspective of the cameras Hanks uses to monitor Talancon, he is barely seen for the first third of the film. Rather than come across as suave or charming, Hanks' lack of social skills put him in danger of ruining his relationship with Talancon even when she starts to show interest in him. You just know this guy's gonna explode in emotions anyway. Talancon, a talented performer who recently played in "Fast Food Nation" has the appearance of a young Salma Hayek. Her character is the typical Mexican girl who has immigrated and become Americanized to make a new life, but with her constant physical exposure, one can't shake the feeling she's being a tad exploited. Hanks doesn't command the screen with his performance, but his deranged and out of touch persona recalls his father's work in the TV movie "Mazes and Monsters" over twenty years ago.