I have been waiting to see this movie since September, and I was surprised to see that only one theatre in the Lower Mainland had showtimes. I honestly thought this movie was more well known. Taking that into consideration, I’ll add a quick blerb as to what it’s about:
After the death of his older brother Joe, Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) reluctantly goes back to the small town he is from and is told that Joe wanted him to be the legal guardian of his teenage son Patrick. While there, he is forced to deal with the past that separated him from his wife and the community where he was born and raised.
Casey Affleck did an amazing job as Lee Chandler! Even though we don’t know exactly what happened, the pain beneath his eyes is ever so present. Whatever it was left Lee with a grim outlook on life. As a viewer, you could feel the anguish he’s going through. The great thing about this movie is that during the flashbacks, you see Lee as a content guy. He has a good outlook on life, but in present day, it’s a complete 180; he doesn’t even care to interact with people the slightest.
The chemistry that Casey Affleck and Lucas Hedges as actors reflected perfectly to their characters Lee and Patrick. They worked off one another, and they genuinely seemed like they were family. The bond between the two was established in the flashbacks with Lee, Joe and Patrick on the boat, so you buy the relationship they have. The part in which Lee asked Patrick if he wanted to see his dad and he replies “let’s just go” and Lee starts to drive off, while Patrick opens the door to get out seemed like a situation that could happen to anyone. They seemed at ease with one another as actors, so it made it work really well.
I really liked the comedy that was sprinkled throughout this movie. The timing was spot on and it cut through some of the drama with such ease that it never felt out of place. Any comedic relief was worked into the movie so well.
How this movie was pieced together was done flawlessly. The flashbacks were never abrupt, it never felt as if you hit a wall when it would switch back and forth between past and present. The transitions were done very smoothly.
The moment I walked out of the theater, the ending rubbed me the wrong way. However, I felt as if I needed to sit on it for a bit before I rushed into a review. The things I liked about the movie: very well acted, very well put together, looked really good, outweighed how it ended, and now I’m at a point in which I do think how it ended worked. I am not one of those people who think that every movie should have a happy ending, but now that it’s been almost one week since I’ve seen it and I’ve let it soak in, I’m content with the ending.
***SPOILER ALERT***
My heart just sank when Lee grabbed the cops gun and tried to kill himself after he was interviewed by the police the night of the fire.
I would have liked to know more about why Lee hated Patrick’s mother. Either they should have added more to the story, or they should have left it out all together.
The parts with Patrick’s girlfriend that was in the band weren’t that great and I felt as if it would have been better if they were left out. Patrick getting Lee to go in to “talk” was the only part of the movie in which I felt they really tried to shoehorn something in.
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