Sam Levinson's (son of director Barry) 2011 family drama, which he also wrote, is one of those rather frenetic affairs, with the camera eavesdropping on the all-too-often trite and somewhat banal conversations of a probably all-too-typical U.S. family. Events surrounding an imminent wedding open up old wounds as family members, estranged relatives and sick elderly parents all bring to the fore their own dilemmas.
I viewed it on Sky Movies Indie and it has 'indie' written all over it, for which, on this occasion, isn't necessarily a good thing.
The cast, which combines talented and respected names - such as Ellen Barkin, Demi Moore, Ellen Burstyn and Thomas Haden Church (Sideways) mix with relative unknowns but this doesn't make the mix sweeter or the recipe any richer. The acting veers toward heated melodrama rather than fine and nuanced performances, leading you to find it hard to like or bond with any of them.
I don't follow British soaps and whilst I'm not directly comparing this with that, I think an affiliation and enjoyment of everyday family issues would get a lot more from this than I did. The comedy element is often injected oddly, so we are not sure if it's funny, in bad taste or just odd people saying odd things.
What will probably put most off, or at least completing the whole disc is its length; almost two hours isn't going to be a huge pile of fun if you're not following/enjoying any movie. The uninspired direction and often suddenly changing scenarios hardly help for a smooth ride, either.
So, a movie that's maybe for you but sadly wasn't for me.
I viewed it on Sky Movies Indie and it has 'indie' written all over it, for which, on this occasion, isn't necessarily a good thing.
The cast, which combines talented and respected names - such as Ellen Barkin, Demi Moore, Ellen Burstyn and Thomas Haden Church (Sideways) mix with relative unknowns but this doesn't make the mix sweeter or the recipe any richer. The acting veers toward heated melodrama rather than fine and nuanced performances, leading you to find it hard to like or bond with any of them.
I don't follow British soaps and whilst I'm not directly comparing this with that, I think an affiliation and enjoyment of everyday family issues would get a lot more from this than I did. The comedy element is often injected oddly, so we are not sure if it's funny, in bad taste or just odd people saying odd things.
What will probably put most off, or at least completing the whole disc is its length; almost two hours isn't going to be a huge pile of fun if you're not following/enjoying any movie. The uninspired direction and often suddenly changing scenarios hardly help for a smooth ride, either.
So, a movie that's maybe for you but sadly wasn't for me.