We all should have known better.
A mysterious package arrives at the house of Norma and Arthur Lewis (Cameron Diaz and James Marsden) followed by a visit from a disfigured old man. The old man claims that if they press the large button contained within the box, they will be given one million dollars. No strings attached… except for the fact that in addition to this payment, someone in the world that they don’t know will die. The couple have twenty-four hours to decide what to do.
Since this movie runs a full two hours and not just fifteen minutes, it’s not a spoiler to tell you that yes, they press the button. Because it’s hard to be a top scientist at NASA and pay for both the Corvette and the boy’s tuition to private school. You gotta get the money any way you can, right?
Well, after the button is pressed, all sorts of crazy things start to happen and things really start to turn to crap. (They don’t get any better for the characters in the movie either. I’m telling you, no one is spared.) People start getting random bloody noses and holding up two fingers like a bunch of goddamn hippies everywhere Norma and Arthur go. It’s enough to make you never want to press another button ever again.
Gotta mention the fact that this film is set in the 1970′s because the filmmakers have attempted to drill it into my subconscious. Look! A TV commercial for that new show “What’s Happening!!” Alice! Johnny Carson! Crying Indians who hate litter! But, that’s not all! Hideous wallpaper! Ugly pants! A general public interest in the space program! OK, we get it. Move on to, oh, I don’t know… Perhaps trying to better explain why all of this work is being spent to prove the obvious: people are greedy.
Ultimately, there’s nothing to be learned here except that there are much better ways to spend a couple hours of your time. Like by, say, pressing mysterious buttons.
No Devo?