Joby Taylor (Paul Dano) is a failed musician who just got divorced. He is estranged from his ex and his daughter. Essentially he is a complete mess. He needs to work out custody of his girl Ellen (Shaylena Mandigo) and in the process hopefully reconnect with her.
Paul Dano is able to play this part well. However I think it took too long to get to the girl. It felt repetitive to see him as a loser for that long. It stagnated the film. For the film to work, it needs to get to the girl quicker. I hate to complain about a little girl's performance. But she added very little to the emotional feel. She is stone-faced thru most of her screen time. Although it could be argued that it is called for, it's hard to act back and forth without 1 side participating.
Paul Dano is able to play this part well. However I think it took too long to get to the girl. It felt repetitive to see him as a loser for that long. It stagnated the film. For the film to work, it needs to get to the girl quicker. I hate to complain about a little girl's performance. But she added very little to the emotional feel. She is stone-faced thru most of her screen time. Although it could be argued that it is called for, it's hard to act back and forth without 1 side participating.