"Why would a best selling author go into hiding?" When a motivational book takes the world by storm. An actor, convict, mobster, and a rapper all swear by the book. Everyone is trying to find out just who the mysterious writer really is. Teddy (Berenger), the author has gone into hiding. When young reporter Roger (Astin) finds him he is the one that tries to motivate Teddy to revel himself. This is a pretty decent movie but there were some flaws in it. First of all there really isn't a standard plot in the movie. This is a movie along the lines of Crash, or the recent Third Person where there are many different stories going on that end up connecting in some way. I did think the movie was OK but it never really grabbed me and made me totally engrossed in it. Stallone really steps out of his comfort zone in this and while not terrible I can see why he sticks to action movies. There really isn't a whole lot to say about this other then it's worth a watch but probably only once. Overall, a movie with a great cast that was just OK. I give this a B-.

This movie had me very intrigued at first as I was trying to figure out the characters and I really thought there would be much more to this. Then eventually I started to notice many inexplicable events throughout the movie and that is when I realized that the movie itself was going nowhere and had no real, deep meaning whatsoever. When Teddy is giving his speech at what is falsely portrayed as Redondo pier he begins reciting absurd platitudes in the background and talking about the basic fears of all people (i.e. fear of going to prison). The entire movie is nonsense and about nothing. What really bothered me was when they kept referring to Redondo Beach and showing Venice Beach. Note to Hollywood - We do not have homeless people digging through trashcans in Redondo Beach.

When it comes to ensemble cast films, it has been proved time and again, that even with star power, not every film is great. A successful example of a movie like this is Think Like a Man (2012). An exact opposite of this would be Movie 43 (2013), a film with an ensemble cast so large, it surprised everyone when it turned out to be one of the worst and most despised movies of the year according to many for several reasons. What's interesting is that according to some, this is one of those movies that could ruin someone's career. Is that really so? I do understand that this particular production is having a limited public release and was released digitally the same day of its public release (which isn't a good sign). This film though isn't by any means spectacular entertainment, but it does maintain a level of decent quality that should be acknowledged. Even with its flaws it is not the worst movie of the year, by far.

The story is when a popular book called "Reach Me" of an anonymous writer under the guise as Teddy Raymond (Tom Berenger) takes the public by storm for its inspirational and self-motivating words. The audience will then be introduced to numerous other story threads revolving around other characters that are connected to the book in some way. Unfortunately, the writing, which is the most essential element, is the weakest. A probable reason why the writing wasn't great was due to the running time. With only about an hour and half of time and more than three character threads, a lot of things have to be condensed. The problem being is that the separate story lines themselves have a few flaws. One flaw being that they are quick. Some scenes pertaining to a certain character thread last all of a minute and then transition over to another story line. It's a bit disorienting when trying to focus on a character. For films like these, it's understood that the focus cannot stay too long on a particular scenario but for only a minute feels slightly too quick to have it even register what just happened. Perhaps director John Herzfeld (who isn't new to the job), should have consulted with editor Steven Cohen so that there was more time for these stories to breathe.

Another issue that arises is that not every subplot in each segment is properly concluded. This feels a like a waste in some cases. There's no point in adding it to the story if it will not be concluded. On top of that, several character motivations are left unclear and for those who want an explanation, will feel frustrated, I know I did. With that, some of the actions characters make can feel and look cliché, which doesn't help of course. However, matching these flaws is a number of good points. For one, the ensemble cast is quite diverse. There are several actors from different genres combined into one, under this title. To name some is Kevin Connolly, Sylvester Stallone, Thomas Jane, Lauren Cohan, Kyra Sedgwick, Danny Aiello, David O'Hara, Nelly, Terry Crews and Omari Hardwick. Surprisingly, they all work well off each other. Many of the characters portrayed have charm and acceptable chemistry with their co-stars. This does lead to some believable dramatic and comedic moments through the film. It's not always effective but at times it is.

Coinciding with these "dramedy" elements is the score provided by Tree Adams. The score, which is sadly, unreleased, sounds very similar to that of Christopher Lennertz style of composition. This is good because the music appropriately matches the scenes, whether its organ, piano, sax and occasionally strings. There is no main theme and that's also because it isn't really a franchise to begin with. The cinematography provided by Vern Nobles is good too. There's no particular style that Nobles heads for but he does get some very wide panning shots of various scenery and that gives a better idea to the audience of their location. However, the best aspect to this movie, is the message it wants to convey to its audience. That message is gathering the courage to move on no matter what your fear is. It's this kind of life lesson that many people strive to hear from motivation speakers and it is important to understand. This is what the individual story lines work into the development of each character- reaching out to others. Unfortunately, with its negative responses and limited release its not going to be truly recognized. Again, it's not fantastic but it is worth the time to see at least once.

Its writing gets cliché at times with unclear character motivations, a few unfinished subplots and choppy editing but its not awful. The actors give charming performances with occasional laughs and heartfelt moments along with good-looking camera work, and appropriate music. Its best element is the "dream big philosophy" that it is based on to help inspire others.

'Reach Me' exemplifies the potential pitfalls of a vanity project. Financed by crowd-funding, this mess of a movie demonstrates how producers and bean-counters can prevent an egotistic writer/director from delivering a self-indulgent, audience-tormenting fiasco. Ostensibly the film relates how an inspirational self-help book by a reclusive author affects the lives of a collection of individuals. Unfortunately the platitudes of the fictional book and the embarrassing final product reek of complacency and the loss of critical faculties.

Only dope-addled stoners will be able to perceive any coherence in the muddled plot. In addition, most of the characters possess annoying personality traits, and the script obliges them to act out endless sequences of scenes depicting imbecilic behavior. Hopefully the film's brutal rejection by distributors and the public has been a sobering experience for those who conceived the idea, donated their hard-earned cash or allowed themselves to be flattered into participating.

Reach Me on the surface would seem like a humorous romp about self-improvement and the surreptitious intersection of a diverse set of people all needing some. After viewing it one gets the feeling it was just a group of well-known journeymen having a bit of a paid vacation.

This movie is fluff from the start. Reach Me segues between the different characters capriciously, never really finding a footing for the story it attempts to weave. The seriousness of everyone's need to take control of their life is made into a bit of a joke so much that there's nothing to invest in, let alone anything resembling real change for the good which, one is to believe, is the point.

The fact this movie was funded by people buying into a Kickstarter Campaign is the real story of certain parties self-help, sadly not for a worthy outcome. The performances, save for Connolly and Berenger which are marginally better, are, to coin a phrase "phoned-in". The weak script and "on-vacation" performances just don't make for anything with any substance. Pleasant enough to wade through, but empty in the end underscores the burning questions: why was this made...and, why did I keep watching?

Continuing my plan to watch every Sly Stallone movie in order, I come to Reach Me/The Collection

Plot In A Paragraph: A motivational book written by a mysterious man quickly gains popularity, inspiring a group of people to re-evaluate their choices and decisions by confronting their fears in hopes of creating more positive lives.

Where to start with this one.

Our main man Sly also keeps it subtle and low-key throughout, briefly raising his tone. Sadly the movie is disappointing, almost instantly forgettable, and without enough spectacular Sly moments to make a film worth rewatching.

The movie is a bit of a mess. Most of the cast seem to have wandered onto the set from another film. The characters meet up have some chats, And that is kind of all there is. Overall there's nothing to keep us interested. With the exception of Sly, Thomas Janes character was the only one I was interested in seeing on screen.

The reason I enjoyed this film was the acting shown by Stallone especially in the scene where he's yelling at the kid while painting.That is the scene that stays with me out of the entire film. I believe if anyone truly likes watching films should give it a second chance and see what differences you find from the first time you watched it you might be surprised

The good point - a splendid cast, especially Sylvester Stalone remembering his artistic potential.The bad point - the story. Nice , interesting, with a decent start and a gray fall. The excuse - the familiar pieces from an old recipe. The not great detail - the absence of experience for use, in reasonable manner, the story. It is a nice try. Nothing more. Like a too simple and untasty food with expensive ingredients made.

2.9 of 10. If this were a satire of self-help books/videos/whatever, it may have turned out better. As an indication of the writer's/director's inability and possibly the misunderstanding of Kickstarter financiers who may have assumed it was intended to be ironic, Reach Me fails to reach beyond self promotion and getting a cast of Hollywood zombies/ex-stars a paycheck.

I liked that the title and story interact/self-reference each other, but that's only enough to provide an artistic intro for the story and keeping your interest for about 15 minutes awaiting something more. What you get are clichés and Sylvester Stallone trying to sell his own real-life paintings.

If you want to get much more entertainment and self-help than this film will ever provide, go to a theater playing this and yell "I don't watch Reach Me" until they ask you to leave.

The latest addition to the genre known as hyperlink cinema concerns a collection of people connected by their interest in a self-help book. I'd say that the main thing that I took from "Reach Me" is that I now know about the song "Denise". For the most part the movie didn't, well, reach me. I've seen most of the cast members in other movies, most of them better than this ("Rocky", "Idiocracy" and "Machete", to name just a few). Hyperlink cinema, meanwhile, has better movies to its name ("Syriana" and "Fast Food Nation", to name just two).

In the end, "Reach Me" will be of interest if you want to learn about "Denise". Not much else otherwise. I think that I'll try to find "Denise" in its entirety.

***review may contain spoilers***

first of when i saw the cast i thought OK ? it is not a Action movie it's more crime drama mixed with comedy as well, the story follows that person who is shy and nervous has written a book called Reach Me novel book self help that changed everyone life's it's a most powerful book that everyone has read. well most of time i thought the cast is good i know it's not action movie i can handle that but it is not showing much (Sylvester Stallone)Gerald. Biggest fan of Sly all time my favorite actor of all time Expendables,Rambo,Rocky,Cobra,Tango Cash, wanted to do this movie so small role only in 5 parts of movie in 1 hour ? didn't do much sucks but i know he is not main role it's mostly it's everyone in movie he plays a role of agency who is looking for writer of Reach Me is that he got person who is work with Gerald is Roger (Kevin Connolly)John Q (2002) is looking for Writer what sly payed him and to let him know when he finds the writer of book Reach Me.

.actor i have always liked Punisher (2004),Thursday (1998),Hung (2010) TV Series (Thomas Jane) Wolfe play's a undercover cop he get's to play little action scene in Bank Robbery and (Danny Trejo)Vic is not even part of movie.he was only 10 second then you know what happens next ? in movie there is a little action scene little shooting in movie that he is feeling bad how many he has killing people because he is a cop, he has played most of movie not all of the parts of movie dressed up like cowboy role. Wolfe was driving while that

Colette (Kyra Sedgwick)The Closer (2005) who was released form prison and seeing her daughter from England (Elizabeth Henstridge)Eve Agents of Shields Marvel (2013) that was actor she was feeling bad about something crashed into Wolfe car. have been getting to know each well Wolfe has read book about Reach Me witch he has to stop doing bad things the book is all about bad things that has people done, the book Reach Me book that helped everyone else in world has to stop doing bad things in world that has changed a lot. the writer was (Tom Berenger)Teddy Sniper Franchise,Platoon who did a lot good movies i am into. who was half of movie he was the writer of Reach Me Book that has changed Everyone life's, He is Shy and Nervous Person. not Stallone Movie it's more of everyone in movie almost don't do much (Nelly)Rapper doesn't do much but he's acting was on fire.

but i am pretty Disappointed ! about the director i really got Disappointed because of actors don't do much it's not Because of Sylvester Stallone is not Main Role it's more of Director John Herzfeld 15 Minutes (2001) Robert De Niro and Edward Burns witch that movie sucked a lot people say oh it's a very violent movie i know another better violent movies out there not 15 minutes he is a rubbish director i have seen this is second movie he has made witch is little bit better but it should have done much better movie i don't how to make it better but here's why Sly has conformed this role because John Herzfeld worked with him in Expendables (2010)and helped for him for movie Sly plays Reach Me For Small Role only 5 parts of film

i had idea that if Stallone,Jane Played together in Action Movie but this ? eh i thought it is lame idea for this movie they could be playing scene together but it didn't seemed that he didn't happen. they about to play Bullet to Head (2013) but Tomas Jane got Fired for no Reason because they need Asian guy ? i think if Sly And Jane played Bullet to the Head would have been better. i liked this movie i thought it was good actors and good storyline was good noting wrong with movie it wasn't that bad film unless if your Stallone fan or any of these actors in movie that don't much if i was you rent it before you buy it. i give this movie 6.10

Quite possibly one if the worst films I have ever seen. Despite the vast cast, it's barely watchable. I have given it 2 stars only because of the assembled talent and nothing else.

When a cast of stars come together, interest is, inevitably, garnered. Most people do a double take at the poster anticipating the possibilities that a powerful ensemble can bring, much like the excitement basketball fans feel when all-stars join together in the off-season to create a superteam.

However, this excitement is not without trepidation: many times have ensemble films, and for that matter superteams, failed to reach the level of success anticipated at their conception. There are times when everything goes right--when the cast on screen makes everything better and is not fighting over the proverbial ball.

Reach me is a film that gets it right. Films like Crash and Two Days in the Valley (the later of which was written and directed by John Herzfeld) are good representations of the quality of Reach Me, and thus any film lover should be able to appreciate what Reach Me will bring to them. Namely, inspiration, understanding, and a look behind the curtain at real people, who struggle and persevere like anybody else.

The story: without spoiling anything, Reach Me is about self help book written by a mysterious author, which, through its strong message brings an unlikely cast of characters together, their stories interweaving and building a wonderfully moving narrative. These people are all rich characters who learn to and desire to better themselves. The effect wad not only felt by the characters but also by me, as I left the theater feeling nourished. I found that I couldn't stop smiling after seeing this movie, and I really felt like I had gained something after this film, I don't know what, but I do know that this movie was inportant.

I want to stress the quality of writing and filmmaking in Reach Me. Director John Herzfeld has masterfully woven a tapestry through this film. He has created a movie that is thought- provoking, emotional, inspirational, and at the same time witty and entertaining. Very few filmmakers can marry art and entertainment so harmoniously, and yet Herzfeld does just that. This film is hilarious and clever and it's also inportant, from an existential point of view. I highly recommend Reach Me to everyone, although I believe those who have experienced real life would be more receptive to this movie. If you're on the fence, hop off and go see Reach Me, you'll be better for it.

Assured, smart, multi-character comedy. Manages to stay consistently intriguing and connected. Great use of music. Meaning of it all may not be immediately obvious but the comedy is clever and the cast, cameos included, are wonderful. In a word, enjoyable.

A hare-brained comedy about a self-help book that actually cures an oddball variety of people of either their fears or their conditions, "Reach Me" manages to amuse occasionally but amounts to overwrought nonsense. A variety of celebrity performers, some of whom are around briefly and others who wander through this 92-minute idiocy, makes you think there is more here than meets the eye. Tom Berenger stars as the reclusive author, while bespectacled media owner Sylvester Stallone wants to know about the book. Kyra Sedgwick is an ex-con who designs clothes. Tom Sizemore is a golf-club wielding mobster. Thomas Jane is a trigger-happy cop who has blown away 44 suspects, and Danny Trejo appears as a pistol-packing thug. Writer & director John Herzfeld, best known for "15 Minutes" and "2 Days in the Valley," creates an array of eccentric characters and struggles to shoehorn everybody in for their respective two minutes. Eventually, the reluctant author screws up the nerve to appear in public and he addresses his fans.

Review: I stupidly thought that this was going to be a gangster movie! It's all about a best selling book which affects many people's life's. The film shows how the book makes these different individuals face there fears and the way that they concentrate on the positive things in life, even though they are all in difficult situations. From a hip hop artist, an undercover cop, a prison inmate, a couple of hit men, an actor and a journalist, the book really changes there life's for the better and it saves some of the characters life's. Personally, I thought that the storyline wasn't that great and I got a bit annoyed with the constant switching to different characters situations. It seemed like the director crammed to many concepts together at once, which made the film messy and not that well written. I liked Sly's character because you get to see him without a gun or a knife, for once but he's only in a couple of scenes. Anyway, the director really wasted this great cast and the whole book concept was unrealistic and boring after a while. Disappointing!

Round-Up: I'm amazed that Sylvester Stallone, Nelly, Danny Aiello, Tom Berenger, Kelsey Grammar and Terry Crews, agreed to do this movie after reading this awful script because it's not like they need the money. Its not very often that a Stallone movie goes straight to DVD so they must have done it as a favour to the director, who I haven't heard of before. He made Two Days In The Valley, which also had a lot of top names starring in it and 15 Minutes which was one of Robert DeNiro's weakest movies, so his reputation isn't highly rated. Anyway, the adverts and movie posters are really deceptive because it looks like it's going to be a comedy crime caper with some action scenes. I'm not surprised that a lot of the critics slatted the film because it's really hard to find anything slightly interesting about the whole project. On the plus side, the happy ending was sweat and the actors did perform well but it has to go down as a bad day at the office for all of the big names that were involved in this awful film. 

I recommend this movie to people who are into their comedy/drama movies about a group of people who are influenced to make there life's better after reading a book. 2/10

Movie Review: Reach Me. A ensemble film including several different actors including minor roles for Sylvester Stallone and Kelsey Grammar. The main plot centres around an anonymous writer who has written an inspiration self help book (Tom Berenger) which everyone thinks is great. In fact the self help is really total BS, but that little detail is overlooked by the movie.... Apparently you can quit smoking by just yelling to the ocean that you don't smoke and like magic, the addiction is gone... forever... as the young reporter claims, the next morning... apparently relapses don't occur in this Hollywood film.. why do American movies get self-help soooo wrong. Characters include a reporter would be novelist, gangsters, an aspiring movie actress, an ex-con, a cop who apparently moonlights as a vigilante killer, a priest who he confesses to, and of course the writer of the self help trash, One of the characters inspired by the book is a woman just released from prison where she served a sentence for burning down her house. She meets up with her actress friend who is upset over being groped during a movie sex scene... the friend cries while driving, crashes into another car driven by an cop / vigilante killer. In spite of potentially serious injuries (at least two have of the characters concussions, and one would likely have had a spinal injury)... the vigilante pulls the actress from her car seriously endangering more serious complication... completely the WRONG thing to do in a traffic accident... details details... they all choose not to call for ambulances or their insurance companies for some unknown reason, and sneak off to the actresses home... no reason is given... nuts... The man collapses with a delayed concussion. later he wakes up from his concussion and finds out that the actress was horribly groped during her sex scene, so he goes off to find the actor and bashes out the teeth of the actor who groped her during her sex scene. The vigilante also makes a career out of gunning down criminals... judge jury and executioner... The film over all has the sleekness of "Get Shorty", but the story is just so totally stupid... and like many Hollywood films is very pro gun violence. I advise anyone not to reach out to Reach Me and in fact to avoid this movie like that plague.

Only my second review on IMDB.

Yes, Sly is in this, which is why I thought 'watch this, he's a great actor'.

Sly has only a few scenes. He adds great gravitas to a movie that needed a big name, purely because the nature or ethos of the movie most likely would not have been produced.

If you're looking for a 'feel good, snuggle up in front of TV with snacks on a cold day' then this is the one.

Acting 10/10 just check the cast list Feel good factor 10/10

An awesome movie, the plot and a few twists are excellent (plot surprises) I can't recommend enough.

Enjoy!

The story opens with a number of subplots that one way or another come together at the end. The main plot concerns author Teddy Ramons (Tom Berenger) who has written a rather generic self help book called "Reach Me." It is basically face your fears and just say no type of thing. The book goes viral and obtains cult status as Teddy tries to remain anonymous.

Reporter Roger (Kevin Connolly) is attempting to discover the author's identity at the request of his boss Sylvester Stallone, who plays a small part. Wolfie (Thomas Jane) is an LA cop who enjoys killing bad guys and then confessing about it. He had a great opening scene. There is also a mafia captain using two hit men to recover money from a movie deal. Another subplot consists of a woman (Kyra Sedgwick) who just got out of prison. Many people are using his self help book for motivation.

At times the film felt like a grindhouse, other times a drama. There is some formula writing which makes you think you are watching a romantic comedy or Lifetime film. The film fails if you try to put it into a category, but doesn't fail overall. Then again, it doesn't soar because it was all over the place. Good characters. Fair plot.

Worth a rental.

Guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity.

I thought it was a good movie and story. A lot of positive messages. Great performances. It stayed with me after watching it.