A bad movie in a stable of poor flicks now showing. Preposterous that it could even be made let alone receive the financial backing from a studio. Complete trash without any realistic thinking behind this garbage. A waste of time.

The sole entertainment value in this disastrous movie is its unintended campiness; the story's credibility evaporates only a few minutes into the movie, after which it quickly spirals downwards from one unbelievable plot twist to the next. If Kim Basinger and William H. Macy can be forgiven for at least lending some acting talent to this flick, not so Chris Evans, who is utterly and sadly unbelievable as an impromptu action hero. I just can't believe that the critics such as Roger Ebert watched the same movie as I did, but raved when they should have reviled.… Expand

Don't examine the logic in this giddy, machine gun-paced and surprisingly clever thriller too closely (chances are the pace won't allow you to anyway) and you'll enjoy Hollywood's best mainstream-targeted B-movie joyride since...well, John Dahl's Joy Ride. A slacker beach boy (the likable Chris Evans) is suddenly and randomly recruited, by a call on his cellular phone, to track down and rescue a kidnap victim (Kim Basinger) before her assailants wipe out her and her family. What follows is about 90 minutes of relentless action, suspense and a generous amount of comedy, flawlessly paced by director David R. Ellis, a former stuntman, who, judging by this and his last picture--the gleefully sadistic horror movie Final Destination 2--really seems to be enjoying his current job. I don't own a cell phone myself, and don't intend to get one in the foreseeable future, so I can't vouch for the movie's technical accuracy...but I do know a little about Murphy's Law, which comes into play more than a few times here. As the saying goes, God is in the details, and it's the numerous original touches and variations on familiar territory that really make Cellular hum. The casting of Basinger in a seemingly thankless role seems at first to be a waste of this Oscar winner's talents, but not for long: the character may be desperate, but she's resourceful too, and the actress responds with a multishaded performance that's every bit as worthy as her courageous turn in The Door in the Floor. Even better is the great William H. Macy, who plays what has to be the nicest cop in recent movie history:have you ever seen a movie police officer or other good guy engage in a shootout and then explain to a group of kids who were watching what he did and why he did it, so they won't be traumatized in later life? I've always despised those scenes in action movies like The French Connection, Coogan's Bluff and First Blood where the so-called hero steals some poor schmuck's vehicle and smashes it all over the highway in a chase sequence, but Cellular comes up with a simple but brilliant twist that leaves the audience rooting for the hero to spread said vehicle from one end of L.A. to the other. Three random observations: 1.) Larry Cohen, the cult writer-director who's the movie's original scenarist, has been working in movies since the 1940s, so if he knows as much as he does about cell phones, there's no reason for any of us to use age as an excuse for not learning or adapting to anything new; 2.) the actress who plays Macy's wife (Caroline Aaron) is buried under a mudpack (don't ask why, see for yourself) but underneath it all, did she strike anyone besides me as looking a lot like Nia Vardalos? and 3.) a crucial moment in the movie is punctuated by a distracting, blatant Lord of the Rings product placement. What's the matter, New Line--are the trilogy's DVD sales moving along so disappointingly that you decided they needed all the help they could get?… Expand

Never underestimate what the great minds in Hollywood can come up with (under the guise of "entertainment.") I had been looking forward to a little escapist fare (a "nifty thriller" opined one reviewer), but what I saw was the most unintentionally funny drivel that's ever been someone's concept of a good idea. I kept hoping the film would suddenly be revealed as a send-up of the "damsal in distress" genre (not least of all so that my uncontrollable laughter would be more in keeping with the spirit of the thing), but no such luck. It would be impossible to say which was the greatest abomination - the plot, the dialogue, or the acting (by everyone involved.) Just when I thought the producers of this out-and-out dreck had scraped bottom, some new, ludicrous plot twist would be levelled at an audience that must have felt sucker-punched by "Cellular's" glowing reviews (did it see the same movie as Roger Ebert, et al?) As for Kim Basinger (who just a few years ago won an Oscar for "L.A. Confidential"), I was embarassed for her. Better to never act again than be subjected to this kind of (celluloid) humiliation.… Expand

Cellular 3/5 Thugs break into an upscale-looking home, shoot the housekeeper and kidnap the wife (Jessica Martin - Kim Basinger.) They steal the family?s Porsche SUV and stash her away in the attic of a safehouse as a prisoner. One of the thugs, played by Jason Stratham (The Transporter), smashes the attic telephone with a sledgehammer, narrowly missing Jessica Martin?s head. The scene is meant to intimidate her. Left alone, she manages to mend the phone enough to allow her to ?dial? random numbers by touching a couple of wires together. She ends up connecting to the cell phone of Ryan, a seemingly unremarkable college-aged dude with a totally hot girlfriend who he?s trying to stay with despite her disinterest in his juvenile ways. While running an errand to impress his girlfriend, Ryan receives a phone call from the captive Jessica Martin, a total stranger who he at first disbelieves. Ryan soon takes up Jessica?s cause and stumbles through a series of misadventures in order to save her life. The supporting cast saves this film from being a dud. Rick Hoffman is absolutely hilarious as the slick, wanna-be woman-magnet lawyer who has his new Porsche carjacked by our hero. This guy needs to be in more films! William H. Macy plays a cop who is nearing retirement and dreams about opening up a day spa ? a most unlikely career for a man to go into. As usual, Macy is superb, even in this lightweight film. Jason Stratham is menacing, mean and intense as one of the key bad guys. He?s not as charismatic as he was in the Guy Ritchie films, but he is a talent in need of a suitable film to launch his career to greater heights. Kim Basinger and her film family won?t win any awards her, but she truly does look frazzled and worried. Sure, there are holes in the plot and scenes that are too contrived to be really believable, but this is not a dreadful film. Still, compared to superior movies like Collateral and Spartan, Cellular is formulaic and mostly forgettable. Not a film I would see again. … Expand

The absolute stupidity of the characters gut reactions and behaviors make for some great laughs. The actors do their best with some terrible ideas. Entertaining but filled with many things nobody would ever do. In the end all that matters is the amazing scenery in the background of virtually every shot, constant hotties!!

Unlikely plot but believable in the present age. Great action thriller. Nasty bad guys, unassuming good guys...nip-and-tuck throughout with a solid win for the good guys...NO WIERDED OUT special effects for a change...

Throw logic out of the window with this one, folks! This movie is sooo fun, and sooo unbelievable that you'll have to fight the natural reflex to screan "C'mon, Gimmee a break!". This film, like many new films nowadays, will be enjoyed depending on your approach. You should have a great time with "cell" if you know before hand that this is a film that wants nothing to do with reality-it chew it up and spits it out. Don't make the mistake of overanalyzing, or you'll be in for an excruciating time. I recommend you dumb yourself up, sit down, and enjoy the ride.… Expand

Action was well done, and the whole feel of the movie felt slick and well done. There was not a time where you felt uncaring for the characters, and did not worry about what would happen next. The attachment to the actors would keep you watch the rest of the way through.

Good movie. Not enough Jessica Biel but definitely worth watching. Very funny, watch with a group a friends while playing cards.

The tension was annoying, and the action was laughable. Seeing the old retiring policeman diving about shooting baddies was hilarious. As a parody of the standard Hollywood action film it works quite well.

All i can say is.."are you ricky martin?!"

Efficient action-thriller. Well acted. I liked that movie...It doesn't have the "Kill Bill" originality and raw humour I like but it's aiight.

Forget logic in this film,you dont need it. Just sit back and enjoy the dumb story with an edge of your seat film.

Good suspense, overall it was an alright movie.

Cheap thrill - and fun to watch. Gets a 9 for pure entertainment. Wont' win any awards though.

What's the greater anachorism: a novum that posits Barbara Stanwyck on a cell phone in "Sorry, Wrong Number", or that wall phone in "Cellular"? You would think the kidnappers might want to secure the room from any possible communication before they deposit their hostage, but, oh, never mind, "Cellular" is too much fun to harp about unlikelihoods. The reason behind Jessica and her family's detainment is a pretty good one. Just don't spend too much time wondering why her husband doesn't go directly to the authorities with his information. Usually, a mainstream film's idea of a quirky character is, a mushroom-savvy bounty hunter who wants to open up his own restaurant, like The Rock in "The Rundown". William H. Macy, as Mooney, a cop who'd be at home in a Coen Brothers' film, isn't effaced of his idiosyncrasies like he was in, say, "Mystery Men". He is very memorable, and suprisingly, so is "Cellular". … Expand

Complete crap. S....y writing. Ridiculous characters, lousy story. Not even exciting. I nearly dozed off several times, in an 'exciting' movie.

Great, Well Acted and an edge of your seat thriller!

Pretty entertaining - every minute without Kim Bassinger gets an 8, every minute with Kim Bassinger gets a 3 - that averages to 7.

No matter how entertaining it gets, you just can't get past how stupid the plot is. Jason Statham, Kim Basinger and William H. Macy should seriously start looking into better movie roles in the future.

Lose the number. Better yet don't answer the phone.

I'm the type who falls asleep while watching movies any time after 9pm. However, when i saw the late night showing of Cellular, I was kept at the edge of my seat the entire time. Literally. The actors are very believable. I found myself rooting for Basinger and her family the entire time. One of the best thrillers I've ever seen.

there is novelty in the story. there is less originality as it seemed nothing new. execution is good. it was enthralling and captivating. direction screenplay and technical values are good. casting and production values are also good. overall the movie has missed somewhere in the middle to become a trade mark movie. but it is engaging and worthy to have a watch.

This was a great movie. It was action packed with a good story. It exposed some of the possible twists that may exist in reality with two-timing cops. Jason Statham always delivers. I just couldn't stand the women - she's a terrible actor. She has the sound of a phone sex lady throughout the movie for some reason.