13 Conversations About One Thing

A multi-strand story dealing the impact of luck/fate/random chance on the day-to-day existence of four characters, 13 Conversations comes on like Short Cuts by way of Philosophy 101. Troy (McConaughey) is a successful lawyer who accidentally knocks down a pedestrian while drink-driving and has to live with the consequences of running from the scene of the crime; Beatrice (DuVall) is the pedestrian, whose faith in good karma takes a serious knock when she's struck by Troy's car; Walker (Turturro) is a physics professor who rubbishes the idea of luck and chance while carrying on an affair with an English professor; and Gene (Arkin) is a cynical insurance investigator who sacks a member of his staff just to see if it will impact on his happy-go-lucky outlook on life. It all makes for an intriguing stew of ideas and counter-concepts, and the strong performances render believable characters from what might have been cardboard cut-outs spouting cliches and platitudes, with Arkin in particular in splendid form. Unfortunately, the film is far too long and writer/director Sprecher loses her nerve and focus during the final reel. As a result, the movie ceases to question and instead starts to lecture, offering simplistic and pat resolutions to narratives that would have been far more interesting had they been left to dangle.