I'm wary of indie cinema in general and anything set in Cleveland in particular (A Christmas Story a noteworthy exception), but I had heard good things about this film and decided to give it a try.Battle follows the story of one Kelly Ernsweiler (Shia LaBeouf), a smart-aleck from just over the border from Shaker Heights, one of the wealthier communities in the Cleveland area. Kelly takes part in WWII re-enactment battles, but has trouble following the scripts; he steals German uniforms and changes the outcome of the skirmish. In school, he lips off to his history teacher about his glib coverage of the Civil War; and even to his parents, he's kind of sharp and short. Kelly is a young man making his own mess with his quick brain and quicker mouth, but at one battle he meets what might be a kindred spirit, wealthy Bart Bowland (Elden Henson), who shares most of the same interests, he just happens to live in a mansion in Shaker Heights. The two boys get along well, Bart trying to sand down some of Kelly's rougher edges, when trouble between then starts to crop up in the form of Bart's older sister, Tabby (Amy Smart). Kelly falls for the pretty, older woman, and Bart starts to sour on him.LaBeouf is highly engaging as the wise-ass Kelly. It's impossible (well, it's impossible for me) not to like him, because while he is mouthy, he's also usually right. Kelly knows he's meant for something more, and LaBeouf portrays very sharply his edgy energy in trying to figure out exactly what that is. For a while he's convinced it's Tabby, unlikely though that may be.The problem with the film, as engrossing as the first two-thirds are, is that it doubles back on itself. Suddenly Kelly's wit is a liability, not an asset; his rejection of authority morphs into a rejection of reality, and all of his character flaws that make him so interesting are now suddenly regarded as mere selfishness. Kelly himself never changes, it's just that how we are meant to look at him does; and in the end he achieves 'redemption' by dulling his acerbic wit and acting more normal (though he's given a consolation prize in Shiri Appleby, so it's not all bad).I'm a little surprised this film was the winner of the Affleck/Damon driven Project Greenlight project; while it displays some sharp humor and strong acting (and a nice supporting cast including one of my favorites, William Sadler), ultimately the movie betrays not only its own roots but the unspoken indie creed of be yourself and you will find happiness. Indeed, the message of Battle is subvert your intelligence and be part of the crowd and you'll be okay. Which, okay, is probably more honest than the first one, but it's a hell of a lot less satisfying to watch.

This movie demonstrates that you cannot make movies by committee. You need a clear vision of the end product before you begin, which these directors obviously didn't have. But it's harmless enough. I didn't laugh. I didn't cry. I've seen much, much worse.

I was totally into PG2, so today I went over to the Archlight CineramaDome on Sunset Blvd., in Hollywood, CA to see the final result of 'The Battle of Shaker Heights'. The movie is about a 17 year old boy named Kelly (Shia LeBeouf) who re-enacts war battles in his spare time. He also works the night-shift at the local supermarket with his friend Sarah (Shiri Appleby) who seems to have a crush on him. The movie centers around the events that take place after Kelly meets a new friend, Bart (Eldon Henson) at one of his battles. He meets Bart's sister, Tabby (Amy Smart) and falls for her. Problem is she is 23 and engaged. The film tries to make what Kelly goes through, too melodramatic. Like everyone is getting all excited over nothing. The plot whizzes by pretty fast. You end up saying 'Well, why is Bart mad? Is that all? Seems like he's over-reacting). Alot of the movie is this, over-reacting. The script (written by Erica Beeny) could have been better served after a few more drafts. And a script doctor. The directors (Kyle Rankin & Efram Potelle) don't accomplish the task of making the movie funny. There are hardly any laughs. I remember only chuckling once, perhaps twice. But I didn't laugh. Neither did the audience I saw it with (which was pretty crowded for a 1:50pm show on a Wednesday afternoon. Don't people in Hollywood have jobs!?!) The show Project Greenlight, chronicled the making of the movie. And they rushed this movie into production (filming only took 3 weeks and editing 2 or 3) The movie defintely suffers because of it. If given more time to be developed, like other movies do, it would have been alot better. It had great potential. Not to say it was bad, it kept me entertained for an hour and a half. I was just disappointed though. It felt incomplete. But, the final shot of the movie made was worth the 11 bucks I shelled out for the ticket. When Kelly finally realizes he belongs with Sarah and walks off with her into the horizon, he jumps on her back and then she jumps on his. It was so sweet, and cute. A true portrait of young love. And the clencher was Peter Gabriel's song 'When You're Falling' playing in the background. It was a PERFECT moment, as the movie faded out. It's rather rare I love an ending so much. But anyway, Kyle & Efram are funny guys, and they should write their own stuff from now on. It's not great, its not bad. It's just OK.RATING: ** out of ****

I don't know who is giving this movie all those 10's. It cannot seriously be based on the quality of the movie. The directors are more talented than they got credit for in the series, but the movie is completely predictable and full of sorry cliches. Shia Lebeouf is a decent actor but, personally, possibly the most annoying person I've ever seen.