Talkie Zoo: LEAVES OF GRASS

I usually really like Edward Norton in movies, but Leaves of Grass (2009; R) left something to be desired. In this film, Norton plays the role of twin brothers. One is a professor of philosophy in a large university. The other is a criminal -- he sells weed and is embroiled with drug lords and bad people he owes money to.

The professor character is lured to his hometown by reports that his twin was killed. He learns pretty quickly that it's not so, and that his brother has concocted a scheme to get back at the drug lords he thinks are the cause of all his problems. Like a man giving an insurance quote, he lays his plan out to his twin brother, hoping to enlist him as his double so that while he commits a heinous crime, witnesses will say they saw him in another location.

The story line runs pretty slowly as characters are developed. There is blood, murder, bad language, and drugs to keep you interested and watching the movie, but none of them are enough to really make this a good or fun movie to watch. It's billed as a comedic violent movie. It wasn't even that funny.