Premonition (DVD, 2007, Widescreen)

"Premonition" is so terribly done, in all-fashions that I found myself apologizing to my own eyes for forcing them to view this through to end. It may be premature to talk about the "Worst of 2007", but it's a rock-solid bet that, at year's end, this will still be a very strong contender.
It also represents a new low in Sandra Bullock's career. She plays Jim's wife, Linda, who is grieved when a police officer arrives at her doorstep one morning to tell her that her husband has been killed in a car crash. The death leaves her utterly destroyed, but that's nothing compared to how she feels the next morning when she wakes up and Jim is in the house, very much alive.
This back and forth continues for several days, only with variations. One day she confronts Jim's mistress Claire (Amber Valletta), but when Claire arrives at Jim's funeral the next day, Linda swears she's never met her.
On some days, both of her young daughters are perfect; on others, her eldest daughter's face is completely cut up. One morning Linda wakes up to find a bottle of lithium in the sink. The next day she visits a psychiatrist, Dr. Roth (Peter Stormare), who prescribes that bottle of lithium.
In other words, Linda is not really having a 'Premonition' of something bad that is about to happen, the days of the week are just, literally and seriously, out of order — although only in Linda's world.
Eventually, she figures this out, and then she frantically searches for a way to save Jim's life, having foreknowledge of when, where, and how he dies. By then, though, the movie has gone so far off the rails that if the Roadrunner showed up and ran Jim off a cliff, it would be about as credible as anything else in the movie.
Not that "Premonition" is not occasionally entertaining, it's just that when it is, it's because what is happening on screen is so ludicrous that the only option available to the viewer, other than shutting it off, is to laugh. Why have the line be, "I wake up and he's dead. I wake up and he's alive," when it could easily be, "I go to sleep in a T-shirt and I wake up in a nightgown," for it is through wardrobe that director Mennan Yapo handles transitions. He tries to use Klaus Badelt's score to create tension, but since inevitably the payoff is a shot of the bland and very much alive Jim, the music just underscores the silliness of the whole affair.
And the finale finally arrives, it is beyond risible — unless screenwriter Bill Kelly really did want to make a point about why it is such a bad idea to drive while using a cell phone.
"Premonition" plays like a bad student film with production values. One wonders what Bullock and McMahon were thinking when they signed to make a movie out of a script that should have been put through a shredder. Yapo's direction is incompetent, but at least he can fall back on the excuse that he did not have a decent screenplay to work from in the first place. This is the kind of movie that does no one involved any credit. But, then, maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and I won't have actually seen it.

Sandra Bullock either has absolutely no idea how to pick movies, or she simply doesn’t care about how she earns her paycheck. Aside from her barely better than a cameo role in Crash, it’s been string of real crap from her for most of the new millennium. Her choices show no sign of improving, in fact Premonition may be a new low.

In the film, Sandra plays Linda, a suburban housewife with a sometimes dead husband (Julian McMahon). One day she wakes up and he’s dead, the next he’s in the kitchen drinking coffee. It takes Linda most of the movie to figure out what’s happening, but by minute ten you’ll realize that she’s randomly time traveling. The whys and hows of it are uncertain, and Premonition doesn’t seem to think it’s important to explore them. The closest the film comes to an explanation comes in the form of a shoehorned in monologue from a priest, who blames her time travel on a lax church attendance. Actually, perhaps that’s the best thing about the movie. Apparently being an atheist means you get superpowers, which means some pretty great things are just around the corner for me.

The story plays out as if Linda’s walking around in a thick, soupy fog. It’s like watching a movie drunk, there’s no focus to it, the film never seems to be going anywhere because in fact, it isn’t. Linda suspects she’s been spending time in the future, but takes an almost fatalistic approach to it and never bothers to try changing anything until the final act. She simply goes through the motions. Nothing ever quite fits together, and the movie is jam packed with idiotic, logical gaps and blatantly sappy imagery designed to elicit an obligatory emotional response even though it isn’t warranted. It’s just one bad moment after another until the film finally falls to pieces and flops around on the floor like a bucket of suffocating fish on the floor of the theater.

The only conclusion to draw from this is that Sandra Bullock simply no longer cares about acting. It’s not only that she’s picked another bad film to be in, she’s also terrible in it. She may have no control over how much the script sucks once she signs on, but she could do something other than look like a Labrador retriever whose just lost his favorite ball while she follows it. No Sandra, I think you’re running out of excuses. Either retire to Austin and smoke pot with Matthew McConaughey or make movies. Pick one, your fans are suffering.

If there’s a bright spot in the film it’s Julian McMahon who, given absolutely nothing to work with, delivers a marginally believable performance as a working father with an uncertain future. Or at least it’s uncertain to us, if not to him. The film also perhaps deserves a little credit for the way it decides to end. The actual execution of the finale is laughable but they’ve chosen to avoid the Hollywood cliché wrap up for it, so even though they botch it, well at least they tried.

I’m grasping at straws here aren’t I?

There’s just no excusing it. Premonition plays out like the half-hearted, half-formed daydream of a bored, inebriated suburban housewife sick of ironing clothes and cleaning up baby vomit. I can deal with time travel movies that don’t make any sense, it’s time travel after all and you’re probably better off not thinking about it. But it would be nice if Premonition at least made an effort to put together some sort of cohesive narrative. Or maybe it would help if the film had a purpose, a point… anything. Somebody grab

A housewife (Sandra Bullock) is devastated when her husband (Julian McMahon) dies suddenly in a car crash. But when he reappears the next day as if nothing had ever happened, she realizes it may have just been a premonition.
She begins to chart what happens and when in order to prevent the horrible tragedy from happening all over again-and in reality in the present day-therefore save her husband. A good movie-but it requires alot of attention-
because of the over and over occurrance of the happenings of the Premonition.
A good thriller though to fill a nights entertainment and it ends with a bang!

I rated this movie excellent because this movie is like no other movie she played in I like this movie for the sake sandras part i can relate to in a see the future type of way there is no part that i didn't like about this movie well maby just 1 thing when you see it for the first time its confusing your saying to your self after the movie i didn't under stand it one moment hes alive or is he dead it very confusing @ first but when you see it again 2 or 3time you will understand it much more this is not a movie just for anyone this is a movie for the open minded person and for a die hard sandra bullock fan this movie is for adults only not for kids to see as there is graphic spots in the movie aside from that best movie ever by sandra if you haven't seen it do so very well worth it. this movie keeps you in your seat all through the movie if you have to do something while wathcing the movie pause it or you mine as well start watching the movie all over again because you will miss the whole concept of what the story line is this movie will keep you awake but also keep you thinking of whats happining to her charicter.

paul from monroe washington

I must say, this is a very welcome departure for Sandra Bullock after the recent romantic comedies and dramas which I have thoroughly enjoyed. Sandra Bullock is my all time favorite actress, I really like her acting style. As for Julian McMahon, this is the second role that I know of where he is the object of a premonition. This movie is very well made. Just when you think you have it all figured out, it takes another twist and turn. It is a film that must be watched in its entirety to be enjoyed. I first saw it on per-per-view (Movies on Demand). After reading some not-so-favorable reviews, I thought I'd wait until it was available on cable. I was pleasantly surprised, and then ordered the DVD. Although we all enjoy the "happily ever after" fairytale ending once in a while, it was neat to see that the makers of this movie filmed a couple alternative endings, yet chose the least predictable. Bravo! If you adore Sandra Bullock, you won't be disappointed in this piece. It was nice to see Julian again, too ;)