bensam-73923

This movie keeps it simple, and in doing so really lets you get to know the characters. The fact that the movie was this good when it all took place in one room is incredible. While the writing the was certainly great, this movie was carried on the shoulders of Brendan Fraser. He kept you watching every scene. The suit and makeup for his obesity was great. His scenes almost make you want to cry. These character all suffer from past and present sins. Even if you don't deal with the same sins, these characters feel very real, and you are sympathetic towards each of them although they are messed up in different ways. This movie is full of small heartfelt moments that make the movie. Fraser's breakdown in front of his ex-wife, his depressed eating spree, and the last minute of the movie were standouts for me. The depressed eating stood out because it showed how a complete stranger and small interactions can have a huge impact on people. This is very real and happens in the workplace. But this pizza guy who should've known that Charlie was fat by all the pizza he brings, looks as if he saw bigfoot when he sees Charlie for the first time. And this is what tips Charlie into full suicidal again after trying hard to make some connection with his daughter. While Simpkins and Chau did very solid in their roles, Sadie Sink was the other standout performance. What seems like an unrealistically naive teenager feels real with her performance. Yes, I realize I keep saying real, but that is what drove this movie: emotions. All her evil acts that would sound over the top on paper, worked with her performance. And the breakdown in the last scene was the best climax. People do care.

Did this movie flop money wise? Yes. However, I thought the movie was phenomenal and had great time. It has been a while since I thought about a movie so much after seeing it and wouldn't mind going right back into the theater to watch it again. This movie is meant for the theater as you can tell with all the sound. The party's music is meant to be played loud and surround sound. The ending is a montage better experienced in the theater. While it wouldn't work as well on a basic tv, the theme of film appreciation was achieved. After thinking this whole movie was going to be a huge party, it themes were shined own, and they were excellent. This film conveys 3 things in a unique and excellent way. One, as I already said, it makes you appreciate film.

Two, it brilliantly conveys the missing the good old day's theme and the mental effect new times can bring on people. Brad Pitts character showed this, and his role was amazing. He had so much yet so little. The deaths in this movie were so random and you could choose if they were funny or sad. Of course, if it was real life, it would be sad, but when you are watching this movie, you aren't thinking about the world and that's a good feeling. The movie also presents political issues but doesn't force them forward anymore. Nobody starts a rebellion or anything huge. This is a nice change of pace from other studios like Disney where they force it. The characters get screwed, and the story continues. You get to choose for yourself how to feel, and you feel sympathetic towards characters.

Three, the plot tells a story about the changing of the film industry. This sounds like one, but I mean something different. In one I meant the celebration of film. In three, I'm talking about the story/plot and the smooth progression of a somewhat historical story. I found it very fascinating how much changed. The introduction of sound into film was more interesting than I would have thought. I loved the scene where the producer's and LaRoy had to adjust to this, and the director had a meltdown. Again, the deaths were so random I didn't know whether to laugh or not, the movie let me choose. The comedy was spot on from the start with the elephant to the ending. A little much but nothing cringe. One last thing this movie did very well was different and not in a dumb way. This was a unique vision and fun to watch play out. It doesn't remind me of other films or of other films Chazelle did himself.

There wasn't one actor I thought that was bad. Brad Pitt keeps your attention and is and entertaining character at the beginning. By the end, he is a tragic character that you continue to think about. Margot Robbie is the best actress out there in my opinion. She constantly goes from crazy to sad. A character starting from nothing seeking grandeur who by the end doesn't know what to do with her life. I didn't know who Diego Calva was, but he was very solid as someone who gets most of the screentime. A character with a bright future and fixation in film who won't give up his obsession with LaRoy. Tobey Maguire was amazing in every scene he had, though they were few. A character with clever movie ideas. Tobey underground scenes were some of the most interesting in the movie and set forward the stakes. My two favorite secondary characters were the director that had a meltdown and Conrad's first director (not sure if those are the correct titles).

The soundtrack and lighting in the film were very impressive. The only reasons I could see it getting bad reviews is because of the runtime and not thinking the R-rated content was necessary. The thought of time crept into my mind, but I had nowhere to be and was more immersed in what was going to happen next in the movie. Damien Chazelle did a great job.