User Reviews

I was expecting something different. Maybe something big to happen but it was just slow paced family drama to the end. I feel like there should have been more of a spooky factor to it to make it more interesting. Like maybe there is no lady upstairs O_o Also, I don't know why people are whining about Amy when I feel she barely had any time in the movie or was such a presence to even remember her. And that person commenting on her weight "I hope this doesn't sound mean". Grow up. It's not that hard to think of a more substantial insult other than "hurr durr fat person". But these reviews are about the movie, right?

It is rare that I watch a film and take absolutely nothing away from the experience. Usually there is a theme, character, performance, setting, thrill, or something to point towards and say "I enjoyed that". "The Humans" was an exception to that rule for me, as I found almost no sense to be made from it or no other redeeming value upon its conclusion.

For a very basic overview, "The Humans" takes place during a family Thanksgiving dinner. Brigid (Beanie Feldstein) has just moved to a dumpy New York apartment with partner Richard (Steven Yeun) and they play host to her sister (Amy Schumer), father (Richard Jenkins), mother (Jayne Houdyshell), and grandmother (June Squibb). As so often happens around the family dinner table, old wounds are picked at and new ones are opened, leading to a little bit of drama from each character.

I was drawn to this movie because of its A24 studio roots, as well as the fact that I usually enjoy small, dialogue-heavy ensemble pieces. Unfortunately, I found all the characters here to be so generally unlikeable or uninteresting that it was difficult for me to form any emotional attachments. The dialogue is also so matter-of-fact and understated that no significant stakes or drama ever springs forth. While not "documentary style" in any sense, there is far too much hum-drum reality here and far too little reason to engage a viewer's attention.

But the biggest head-scratcher present in "The Humans"? The decision to fill the flick with long shots of the decrepit apartment, play up its claustrophobic atmosphere, and feature spots of certain characters doing very weird things--and then never pay a single one of those angles off in any meaningful way. Clearly the filmmakers were trying to introduce a horror/suspense angle to the overall tone, but then the whole thing just ends without any payoff to those setups. Exceedingly strange execution, to say the least.

So, the combination of lackluster/droll conversations (in a movie where success/failure will hinge on such moments) and an attempt at a moody atmosphere that leads nowhere is a formula for disaster. Like I said, rarely do I finish a film feeling completely devoid of any meaning taken or emotions felt from the experience, but that was the case here. Only the pretense of it trying to take itself seriously kept this from the dreaded one-star rating.

"The Blake family bounces back that's what we do". That's good because the Blake family kinda has it rough. Everyone has lost their job (or is about to), one of the members has colitis (ugh), one is formally depressed with a trust fund on the way (five years away), and the mom is quote unquote, "eating her feelings" (ouch). The Blake clan (and the daughter's boyfriend) are chronicled in 2021's The Humans.

So OK, The Humans is like an art house version of a holiday vehicle where everyone weighs up, bickers, and purges. Actors like Richard Jenkins, Amy Schumer, and Beanie Feldstein are well cast and they sort of look alike (that helps because their characters are well, related). They're natural on screen together and the dialogue for "Humans" is pretty much improvised and overlapping.

So is The Humans avant garde for a slow burn Thanksgiving Day drama? You know it. And does "Humans" have a playful hint of a dwell-ed haunting? Maybe. And is the opening shot for "Humans" a doozy to end all doozies? Yep.

The Humans takes place in a dingy Manhattan abode where lights continue to go off and pots/pans go bump bump in the night. Rookie director (Stephen Karam) fashions "Humans" as a pic where the camera is constantly peeking in or spying on these complicated, Blake household members. They are filmed chewing the fat (or turkey) in long shots, Steadicams, and wide shots. And that's even in the space of an enclosed, narrow apartment.

Watching "Humans" is like having mediocre seats at a rock concert where you can obviously hear the music but don't get a great view of the performers. I mean I've never seen a flick shot quite like The Humans. The acting is good however and the remnants of strained, family dysfunction sneak up on you from a mawkish standpoint. I just wish the film's combo of masturbatory lens styling-s, human spectacle (natch), and purported horror came to a final fruition. "Humans" almost "being".

Interesting and VERY well acted. I just got so intrigued in the beginning because of the shot where the coat falls out of thin air-like it looks like there's a coat rack it's hanging on then it falls-no one sees it but the viewer. I thought ooooh spooky stuff is going to happen to this family but other than that and some noises, nothing spooky happens. It's very slice of life family drama but with an eerie tone. I can't really figure out why the coat part happened.... I Guess maybe it was trying to set you up like that and then have you realize that the spooky thing was really just real life and family and the human experience all along. OooOooOooh. I don't know I AM glad I watched it. I love the cast. Even Amy Schumer. I don't know why everyone is so mad at her.