Friday 12 November 2021

Bliss (2021) (4 Stars)



This is a film written and produced for Amazon Studios, so it's only available on their streaming service. It stars Owen Wilson in a role that's untypical for him. He's known as a comedian, but in "Bliss" he's serious, even tragic. His acting is good, I'm just annoyed by the strange accent that he puts on. Couldn't he have spoken with his normal voice?

Greg Whittle works for an advertising agency. He's fired because his boss considers him lazy. Greg sits at his desk drawing pictures of his dream house. Yes, that's lazy. When Greg pleads with his boss he accidentally knocks him over. The boss hits his head on his desk and dies. Greg flees from the office and goes to a bar opposite his company.

In the bar Greg is approached by a homeless woman called Isabel. She tells him that the world around them is a computer simulation. Greg is real, and so is she, but everyone else around them is fake. She shows Greg that they can knock the fake people over with the power of their minds. Instead of returning to his apartment, Greg goes to live with Isabel in her tent next to a bridge.


Films about virtual realities seem to be popular in recent years. It's only a few weeks since I watched "Free Guy". Both films show a world which is made up of a mix of real and fake characters. "Bliss" has a different concept. The real world lives in comfort and luxury. The world's richest businessman distributed his wealth to everyone else. That's something we all want to happen, don't we? But in "Bliss" it has bad results. People don't appreciate their perfect lives. To solve the problem, an imperfect virtual reality has been created in which people can experience crime and poverty. The virtual world is in its early experimental stages. Only a dozen volunteers are among the first beta testers. Millions more will follow.


There are unexpected complications. Isabel remembers her life in the real world, but Greg has forgotten everything. He feels attached to his teenage daughter, refusing to believe she's not real.

"Bliss" has received poor reviews from critics. I like it. It's not a masterpiece, but it's still a good film that's worth watching more than once.

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