Titreenp SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Anoushka Slater While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

popcorn909 Set against the backdrop of a devout Christian family, Natural Selection is more than a satire of Christianity. It is a light-hearted story about warped individuals connected by love. Rachel Harris plays the faithful wife of her religious husband who refuses to have sex with her because it is sinful to have sex for pleasure and not for reproduction. As Linda (Rachel's character) is infertile, sexual intercourses can only result in a pampering for lust. The twist crops up when Adam the husband collapses from a stroke at a sperm bank where he has secretly frequented for 20 years. Instead of falling into a fit of rage at Adam's "infidelity", or betrayal because as a guy he can justify his masturbation from donating sperms while a woman can only stay painfully celibate, Linda sets out on a solo road trip to find Adam's sperm-son, Raymond, played by Matt O'Leary. To carry on the comic vibe of the film, the son turns out to be a foul-mouthed oddball and a junkie wanted by the police. While Raymond is a far cry from the social league of Rachel, they surprisingly develop a very strong relationship. Both actors had amazing performance. It's a joy to see their chemistry, which makes the story so absurd yet so believable. One may think this is just a story to taunt people's dogmatic observance of their religious beliefs. But Robbie Pickering has another surprise in store, which actually shifts the focus on the internal journey of Linda in her struggle with forgiveness, self- identity, and also the cravings of love and sex. As Raymond turns out to be a responsible, self-accountable adult at the end, Linda attains an even greater transformation which is also up to the audience's interpretation. If you want a movie for a laugh and a touch of the heart, Natural Selection is your naturally the choice to be!

Bryan Kluger 'Natural Selection' is a breath of fresh air in the indie film scene. Director Robbie Pickering puts an original face and new spin on the standard road trip film where a pair of people set out on a journey to discover who they really are, a plot line that has been played out time and time again. But with the performances of Rachael Harris and Matt O'Leary, and Pickering's visual style, 'Natural Selection' rises above the rest in the independent film genre.The follows Linda (Rachael Harris), a shy evangelical woman who has been married to Abe (John Diehl) for a couple of decades. They live in a small town and both put God first before anything else. However, Linda is very sexually frustrated, as she hasn't been intimate with her husband for a long long time now, reason being that since Linda is unable to have a child, Abe believes that they shouldn't have sex for pleasure, but rather for just making babies. Needless to say, Linda is is pretty depressed about it, although she stays true to her husband.However, one day as she is talking with her pastor/brother-in-law Peter (John Gries), she gets a phone call informing her that Abe has suffered a major stroke, but is still alive. It is also revealed that he had the stroke at a local sperm bank, which he has frequents quite often since they were married, and also enjoys watching fetish porn as he fills those cups.Linda is outraged as she has come to the thought that she is unwanted by her husband for all of these years, but he still goes to the sperm bank every chance he gets. She feels inadequate, guilty, and overall worthless, mostly because she wasn't able to provide Abe with a child. So, Linda secretly looks into the sperm bank's files and finds one of the kids Abe has fathered through the sperm bank, and thus sets us off on our journey so that Linda can bring him to Abe, in hopes of giving him a child he so desperately wants, before he dies.Unfortunately, this kid is now in his mid to late twenties and goes by the name of Raymond (Matt O'Leary), and is a wicked drug habit, a foul mouth, and has just recently escaped prison, which we see the hilarious and brilliant escape in the opening scene of the film. From here we see these two worlds on opposite ends of the spectrum collide with Linda's shy and true nature in helping, and Raymond's drug fueled rages and incoherent ramblings bring one closer to another. Never done in a cheesy way, both are on journeys within themselves as they are physically on the road. This is mostly a serious drama film, besides some of the story plot and the character of Peter, who literally goes insane, when he finds out about Linda's journey.Harris is phenomenal in her role. It completely surprised me and I think she could win an Oscar for this role or a future role. If you don't recognize Rachael Harris, you might remember her from 'The Hangover' as Stu's (Ed Helms) bitchy girlfriend. You won't even recognize her in 'Natural Selection' and she just steals the show. As for Matt O'Leary, he also does a solid job of playing a drug addicted loser. He plays it so well, that there is not one point of the film where you do not root for him. He is very likable, even though he does some deplorable things.'Natural Selection' is a fine film. It will be in my rotation cue to show people this stroke of genius. The acting, directing, and story are quite engaging and is a great addition to the independent film world. I hope all indie filmmakers strive for a film like this. I definitely recommend this.

heamovies The two main characters made the story, even though I had a tough time understanding a woman of Linda's age having so few basic survival instincts when she first meets the, clearly dangerous, druggie son. I got a huge kick out of the 'slice of devout Christian life' (at least as far as these characters were concerned), the inherent hypocrisy they were living daily, and making good excuses to themselves and others for such inconsistency in how they stood by their beliefs. There were gaps in the storyline, that if they'd been there, the characters (especially Linda) would have been a bit less hard to understand/empathize with, but overall these gaps did not ruin the movie. The biggest problem I found with the story, and why I didn't rate it even higher, is that the story skipped from the 'dark moment' straight to the ending without US, the audience, getting to see Linda prove that she had grown and changed (by making that stand to her husband, and to her abusive sister, as well). Also: The ending shot, really, (and maybe this is because we didn't get to see her face down the person that had 'done her wrong' and prove that she finally had a spine), didn't really feel like it matched the actual character arc that the screenwriter started out wanting her to have (or wanting us to think she was going to have). The first shot we see of her (and quite a few more as the story progresses) seems to say that she is a woman who needs to empower herself sexually (and by doing so, empower herself in all other areas of her life where she has been a doormat), to overcome the event from her past that sent her into her current life, but, alas, this is not ever resolved on camera. Instead, the resolution takes place off screen, and all we see is where she goes to enjoy her new-found freedom. (Of course, since I didn't get to see her stand up for herself, I can't help but think: okay, here you are, in your current state--what are you going to do now? Are you even capable of taking care of yourself? Since I didn't get to see her take charge of her life, it leaves me wondering if she actually did, or if she'll fail and go back to her old life after her little 'vacation' from it.Would I watch this film again? Yes, probably--because I found the concept very compelling, and the two main actors played off of each other extremely well.

zetes An okay indie flick bolstered by a fantastic lead performance by comedienne Rachael Harris. Harris is probably best known for playing Ed Helms' wife in The Hangover, or perhaps for her appearances on The Daily Show or VH1's I Love the '70s/80s/whatever. One could never have predicted the depth she gives to her character here. She plays a sexless, Christian housewife whose husband (John Diehl) suffers from a stroke. It comes to light that, though he refuses to sleep with her, he frequents the local sperm bank. Harris feels betrayed, but her husband is at death's door, so she attempts to forgive him. He mutters, perhaps from delirium, that she needs to find a long lost son, and she sets out to find the young man. Matt O'Leary plays the drug addict she finds, and, attempting to escape the sheriff, he takes off with her on a road trip. O'Leary is quite good himself, but, again, it's Harris' movie. The film starts off a little snarky about the whole situation, but Harris takes her character's dilemma seriously and plays her as a woman in deep emotional turmoil. The film is a dramedy, and it's often very funny. But Harris' dramatic moments are the ones you're going to remember. She's a true revelation here, turning in one of the best performances of the year.