I think Don Roos is a VERY talented writer and director, let me get that out of the way first and foremost. He's smart and funny and cares and has a point of view that is not often seen in mainstream films. So why did I only give it a 7 rating? Because it was two hours and ten minutes long, and I just had a hard time caring that much for that long. If it was just 15 minutes shorter, it may have been a classic, but as science has proved- it's hard to sit still for that long.
Sounds shallow, but there it is.
Everything else about the film I just about loved- Lisa Kudrow was brilliant, as was Steve Coogan and Tom Arnold and Jason Ritter- but, as has been noted elsewhere, the movie belongs to Maggie Gyllenhaal, whose name I've never been able to spell let alone pronounce. She walks away with every scene she's in, and it's a marvel to behold.
I was less crazy about Laura Dern and Jessie Bradford, I felt that they almost tried to hard to show us how interesting and dramatic they could be, and when you're in the same scene as some of the other marvelous actors, it really SHOWS when you're 'acting', if that makes sense.
I wanted to love this film, and parts of it I did, but the overall left me dissatisfied, but hopeful for Don Roos next film, which I will see in it's opening weekend.
Sounds shallow, but there it is.
Everything else about the film I just about loved- Lisa Kudrow was brilliant, as was Steve Coogan and Tom Arnold and Jason Ritter- but, as has been noted elsewhere, the movie belongs to Maggie Gyllenhaal, whose name I've never been able to spell let alone pronounce. She walks away with every scene she's in, and it's a marvel to behold.
I was less crazy about Laura Dern and Jessie Bradford, I felt that they almost tried to hard to show us how interesting and dramatic they could be, and when you're in the same scene as some of the other marvelous actors, it really SHOWS when you're 'acting', if that makes sense.
I wanted to love this film, and parts of it I did, but the overall left me dissatisfied, but hopeful for Don Roos next film, which I will see in it's opening weekend.