This movie is a great first film for Burr Steers. The performances are uniformly excellent, and Kieran Culkin adeptly carries the film amidst large but enjoyable performances by an impressive roster of experienced older actors.
The NYC locations and vibe are great, and reminded me of cinematic love letters to the city like "Manhattan," without being too derivative of that, or other films.
The dialogue is snappy, the costume design is excellent, and the film navigates a mix of arch comedy, angst-filled coming-of-age stuff, and social satire well. The downtown NYC audience I saw the film with responded with more gusto than they might in Toledo, but I think most audiences that enjoy films that do not follow prescribed Hollywood formats will respond to this flick, one that veers unexpectedly from cynicism to soul-searching, satire to tragedy.
The ensemble cast is a huge draw, and they are all great. Big performances and some goofy risks from pros like Sarandon, Goldblum, and Pullman make for lots of fun, and actors who I've not much cared for in previous films (Amanda Peet, Ryan Phillippe) are at ease and doing good work here.
It's got flaws: the narrative wanders a bit, there's one scene of teen angst pushed, arguably, a bit too far into melodrama, and there are a few brief dances with cliche. But this is a small film that not many people are talking about, but that deserves support. It's funny, touching, intelligent, and well-made, with a wealth of quirks and nice touches for movie buffs.
The NYC locations and vibe are great, and reminded me of cinematic love letters to the city like "Manhattan," without being too derivative of that, or other films.
The dialogue is snappy, the costume design is excellent, and the film navigates a mix of arch comedy, angst-filled coming-of-age stuff, and social satire well. The downtown NYC audience I saw the film with responded with more gusto than they might in Toledo, but I think most audiences that enjoy films that do not follow prescribed Hollywood formats will respond to this flick, one that veers unexpectedly from cynicism to soul-searching, satire to tragedy.
The ensemble cast is a huge draw, and they are all great. Big performances and some goofy risks from pros like Sarandon, Goldblum, and Pullman make for lots of fun, and actors who I've not much cared for in previous films (Amanda Peet, Ryan Phillippe) are at ease and doing good work here.
It's got flaws: the narrative wanders a bit, there's one scene of teen angst pushed, arguably, a bit too far into melodrama, and there are a few brief dances with cliche. But this is a small film that not many people are talking about, but that deserves support. It's funny, touching, intelligent, and well-made, with a wealth of quirks and nice touches for movie buffs.