The Elephant King

Oliver's instant switch from bespectacled nerd to Thai-stick smoking, love-struck tourist is more embarrassing than convincing, as is the film's reliance on literally elephant-heavy symbolism.

Vaguely pitched somewhere between indie-gritty and predictably conventional, the film struggles to strike a manageable equilibrium, much as its characters attempt to navigate the prospects and pitfalls of a footloose life overseas.

Director-writer Seth Grossman provides a lazy narrative, with stereotypical characters and plot.

Tells a colorful if conventional tale of dysfunctional Americans abroad. The misadventures of Jake and Oliver play off against the conflicted sympathies of the locals, who simultaneously resent, enjoy, prosper from and exploit the tourist scene.

Equivalent to a crummy band with a monster of a drummer who convinces you to stay for the whole show anyways.

The film may be too mainstream for arthouses, and too arty for the mall.