The only possible reason for its existence is that Soderbergh wanted to position himself at the cutting edge of cinema by releasing a film simultaneously in several different formats. Way cool, Steve. Pity your film sucks.
His last shot-on-the-cheap, 'experimental' effort was the tedious Full Frontal which even the mighty Julia Roberts couldn't save from tanking. At least Bubble can blame some of its awfulness on its cast of non-professional actors.
Thay may sound mean, but they really aren't very good. Not that you'll be hearing their names too often in the future, but Dustin James Ashley takes the role of Kyle, a callow youth who makes dolls with fortysomething fast-foodie Martha, played by Debbie Doebereiner.
(This is a good place to mention Daniel R Christian who plays the factory foreman. He shares a surname with one of Marlon Brando's most famous characters and this is the only place you'll ever see their names together.)
Martha looks after her ageing dad and Kyle, who lives with his mum, has another job at a garden tool factory. They eat lunch together. Sometimes they talk a bit.
Then, what with the world gone crazy for cheap plastic dolls and all, the factory drafts in Rose (Misty Dawn Wilkins) and the little dynamic changes. Now all three of them eat and Rose does most of the talking. She's a live one, that Rose. Martha gives her the eye.
At the end of Rose's first week, she and Kyle go out on a date while Martha looks after Rose's two-year-old. The evening goes okay (an appearance from Rose's scuzzy ex notwithstanding), but the next morning someone is dead.
Suddenly, the audience wakes up. Three people with a motive! It must be... could it be... it can't be... oh, it's finished.
Elliott Noble
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