The Wise Kids, though a fairly good film, leaves me feeling disappointed. I did have high hopes for this and I must admit, they weren't quite met. Here's why.
The film, I believe, has two (debatably three) strong and convincing characters and performances: Tim, Bree (and Austin). The rest are hampered with unconvincing acting and iffy dialogue - the guiltiest party being Laura. Austin comes to by the end, but Tim and Bree were the only consistent characters and also, I'd say, the only believable relationship.
Which moves onto the next point: relationships. For a film about community, more exposition and depth was required with the full cast of characters and their respective roles within the community (Bree's father, the old woman and the atheist woman spring to the forefront of my mind but all of them, to be honest) More time should have been spent with them and explaining more about them. This applies to both lead and secondary characters - Tim and Bree are good characters, yes, but not perfect. Certainly, more was needed on the the three main characters' relationship as a whole - more focus was required with that.
As a result of this lack of depth, the ending feels weak and unsatisfying; since things aren't properly secured down at the start, it's a lot more difficult for it to be at the end.
This is where The Wise Kids needs to prioritise. It often focuses on less important plot points where it should be explaining more we need to know (such as their aforementioned relationships and situations, such as whenever Tim came out to his dad, and the biggest of all: Tim's absent mother - a HUGE hole in the film)
So basically, it needs more depth. It isn't a shallow film by any means, I certainly think it has it's heart in the right place with regards to it's themes and the film as a whole, but it did require more depth for both to work properly.
As I said, I was very much drawn into Bree and Tim. I think the film required a bit more with them but with the time they were given, they were great and what actually made the film worth watching. Certainly The Wise Kids' strongest element.
Yet I can't and won't shy away from the fact that I still felt unsatisfied, as much as it disappoints me to say. The film just needed more attention and focus both from the director and in the editing room.
I wish there was more discussion (I do quite crave it) but unfortunately, not many people have seen this. Maybe a few more reviews can get the ball rolling!
The film, I believe, has two (debatably three) strong and convincing characters and performances: Tim, Bree (and Austin). The rest are hampered with unconvincing acting and iffy dialogue - the guiltiest party being Laura. Austin comes to by the end, but Tim and Bree were the only consistent characters and also, I'd say, the only believable relationship.
Which moves onto the next point: relationships. For a film about community, more exposition and depth was required with the full cast of characters and their respective roles within the community (Bree's father, the old woman and the atheist woman spring to the forefront of my mind but all of them, to be honest) More time should have been spent with them and explaining more about them. This applies to both lead and secondary characters - Tim and Bree are good characters, yes, but not perfect. Certainly, more was needed on the the three main characters' relationship as a whole - more focus was required with that.
As a result of this lack of depth, the ending feels weak and unsatisfying; since things aren't properly secured down at the start, it's a lot more difficult for it to be at the end.
This is where The Wise Kids needs to prioritise. It often focuses on less important plot points where it should be explaining more we need to know (such as their aforementioned relationships and situations, such as whenever Tim came out to his dad, and the biggest of all: Tim's absent mother - a HUGE hole in the film)
So basically, it needs more depth. It isn't a shallow film by any means, I certainly think it has it's heart in the right place with regards to it's themes and the film as a whole, but it did require more depth for both to work properly.
As I said, I was very much drawn into Bree and Tim. I think the film required a bit more with them but with the time they were given, they were great and what actually made the film worth watching. Certainly The Wise Kids' strongest element.
Yet I can't and won't shy away from the fact that I still felt unsatisfied, as much as it disappoints me to say. The film just needed more attention and focus both from the director and in the editing room.
I wish there was more discussion (I do quite crave it) but unfortunately, not many people have seen this. Maybe a few more reviews can get the ball rolling!