Mary Steenburgen interviews Robert Redford, a scientist who has apparently proven the existence of an afterlife. We gather that his discovery has led to an epidemic of suicides. When asked if he feels responsible, he denies it. Immediately one of the crew members kills himself on camera, and we watch Redford's horrified reaction. That's how The Discovery begins. Unfortunately, the first scene is the best in the movie.
The movie is fairly grim, but it doesn't sustain its tone or its urgency. As soon as Jason Segel shows up and starts flirting with the suicidal Rooney Mara, I lost interest. That was the next scene. They're so unlikable and have no chemistry, but they way they interact it's clear they will end up romantically involved before long, which is just dumb.
The characters aren't interesting, and they're played flat as pancakes. Half the dialogue is muddied and stunted, mixed as though they were speaking from opposite ends of a hallway or on a bad phone connection. Between revelations of relationships and the afterlife, the plot simply loops back on itself, reviving and resuscitating just when you hope it'll stay dead.
Re-enter Rob Redford as a Mad Scientist and cult leader, isolated in his mansion. The film feels weirdly like The Master and Flatliners had an ugly baby. The cult members have all tried to kill themselves and now wear jumpsuits and worship Redford because it makes them...happy? I'm still not sure. I also just didn't care. The movie is clearly a ripoff of other stories, and can neither make itself interesting nor tonally consistent.
I only watched this the other day, and I can't even remember how it ends. I may have fallen asleep watching it, which tells you all you need to know.
IMDb: The Discovery
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