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Detention (2011) Movie | Josh Hutcherson

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Written by Jonathan Jacobs

Josh Hutcherson in Detention (2011)

While watching this spectacle, my tonsils remained in a state of quiescence. This is because the script written by Director Joseph Kahn is an attempt at being clever enough to convince audiences to laugh. Though I maintain the finest comedy is that inspired by real life events, there is such a thing as over-contrivance. Joseph Kahn wrote himself into a cul-de-sac without an egress. The jokes are prolix (long-winded) and make little or no rational sense. Perhaps the one redeeming moment in all of this film is seeing Josh Hutcherson in 1980s sunglasses because he looks like an 80s film star and is about as tall as one.

What can any discerning film critic offer when asked to review a film that is a stream-of-consciousness cluster-mess? None of this movie Detention is humorous. Dane Cook looks like a fat pig and has clearly lost his mojo. Josh Hutcherson appears to be talented but this turned out to be a profligate way to use his skills. Often it has been said that imitation is the highest form of flattery...but that pearl of wisdom only applies to quality mimicry and not the kind of garbage Detention (2011) puts forth. What a waste of my precious time.