While nicely filmed and decorated with soft visuals and tones, this otherwise heavy-handed, unappealing message drama tries to get its blunt point across in an awkward, obvious way.
Stevens lends nuance to the role, but the truth is that James is shallow before, during and after his transformation into a ruthless hotshot. This cautionary fable offers far less than meets the eye.
There are some gnarly questions - of faith, love and self-worth, for starters - at the heart of "The Ticket," if only its makers had chosen to address them.
It's enough to sustain The Ticket as entertainment, but not enough to whitewash its various shortcomings as a statement piece about America's obsession with shallowness.
