Think It Over Jack: A quiet, weird little tragedy

Is it worth watching?

Honestly, only if you have a thing for vintage black-and-white dramas where everyone speaks in heavy, dramatic declarations. It’s for the folks who like stories about people doing the 'right thing' until the 'right thing' starts to feel like a self-imposed prison.

If you need fast pacing or characters who actually talk like humans, you’ll probably find this movie a bit of a slog. It’s got that specific mid-century stiffness that either pulls you in or makes you want to check your phone every five minutes.

The vibe

There’s something genuinely uncomfortable about the core premise. You’ve got this older teacher—played with a lot of heavy sighs and weary expressions—trying to be a hero, but it just feels like he’s overcomplicating a situation that should have been solved with one honest conversation. Instead, we get a lot of pining and secret-keeping.

The cinematography is fine, I guess. It’s very much a product of its time, full of shadows that feel like they’re trying to say more than the script actually does. There’s a scene in the hallway that felt like it lasted for a decade, and I swear the wallpaper was more expressive than some of the background players.

Random thoughts while watching

• The school caretaker’s daughter is just constantly looking out of windows. It’s a recurring mood.
• The dialogue feels like it was written by someone who has never actually heard two people flirt.
• I kept thinking about Hen Pecked Husbands, mostly because the domestic tension here is somehow even more claustrophobic.
• The lighting in the living room scenes is weirdly dark. Are they saving on electricity?

There’s a strange energy in the way the husband handles the whole 'save the girl' project. It’s like watching a man try to fix a leaking pipe by wrapping it in expensive silk. You can tell he’s proud of himself, but it’s just not going to work, and everyone in the room knows it.

It reminds me a bit of the suffocating social expectations in According to the Code. The rules of the game are so rigid that nobody can just be happy. It’s kind of depressing, really.

Anyway, I didn't hate it, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it to a friend unless they’re really into obscure, dusty character studies. It’s a movie that demands a lot of patience and gives back mostly just more questions about why these people can't just move to a different city and start over. 🤷‍♂️