Writer/Director Cecilia Miniucchi's offbeat film Expired starts out promising, but ends up tortuous and illogical. This is a character driven drama with the meek, mild and kind-hearted meter-maid Claire (Samantha Morton) who meets and re-meets and ultimately dates an incredibly mean, insensitive, emotionally crippled, angry disaster of a man, Jay (played with brazen force by Jason Patric). For the first hour I was riveted by their odd relationship and Jay's never-ceasing put-downs and over-reactionary quips. Illena Douglas plays a reasonable best friend and Teri Garr is terrific as Claire's mother who suffers from stroke. She also Claire's aunt, whom we're told is a nut, although I failed to see why. All of the acting is top notch. The real problem with the film is the script.
In a character driven drama the characters have to have an arc. They have to start in one place, go through their series of trials and tribulations, and end up in a different place, or the same place with a new understanding. Again, the first hour is great. But then, slowly, the film continues to plod along with the same structure, pacing, and verbal abuse. It becomes relentless, and where we found Jay's inability to act like a decent human humorous and quirky, it later becomes too pathetic and we no longer enjoy his misogynous ways or misconduct (or her inability to even say "you're a jerk"). The film crumbles, and then, as if she had no idea what her concept was or what she wanted to say, Miniucchi ends the film with a completely left-handed and illogical moment that lacks in reason, hope, redemption, or comprehension. I've never seen an audience bolt before a Q&A so fast.
