Chosen Family

This movie was so bad, it literally forced me to make an IMBD account just to leave my first review. Every aspect of this movie is horrible. The directing and producing of this movie was painful to watch. It seemed extremely low budget. There was no plot or even overarching theme. Just a weird excuse of a movie. Do not waste your time. Ive never seen a movie with no plot. There was just random stuff thrown together. Was it a romcom? A comedy? A drama? Trauma dump? Honestly I have no clue and neither did the characters. Also the acting was horrendous, which is weird because many of the actors have been apart of larger films but all acting skills went out the window with this movie.

This movie was cringe-worthy, cheesy, sappy, and corny. I understand that the creators had good intentions, and I managed to finish it, so I want to rate it at least two stars. They worked hard on this film, but it wasn't good. The acting and directing left a lot to be desired.

Heather Graham and Julia Stiles look amazing, but both are in their 50s, and I think they are trying to act like they're in their 30s. Their outfits were a bit revealing throughout the movie, which felt excessive. The film didn't seem very realistic or effectively portray real life. While Heather Graham has a beautiful body, part of me thinks she took this role mainly to showcase it and not much of her acting skills. And how does a yoga instructor afford a beautiful house by the water? I don't understand how anyone can relate to this movie.

I did not get through the whole movie. I loved the premise, but the execution was bad. It is not okay to call a little girl a b***ch word and compete with her to get her father's attention. It was clear that the little girl was going through a separation trauma and needed help, she did not need a grown woman-baby taunting her and throwing tantrums.

Initially, I was mesmerized by the main character and could relate to the struggle of having to put up with unreasonable relatives. However, as the movie progressed, it just turned into something completely weird where a grown woman was behaving like a five year old.

"Chosen Family," written and directed by Heather Graham, felt to me like a very personal story that took courage to reveal & tell. But that risk of vulnerability she undertakes makes it very relatable. I was rooting for Anne (Heather's character) all the way.

Moments of self-baring, discomfort, heartbreak and even dread are handled with directness. However, the light comedic tone underpinning Anne's experiences helps keep her -- and our -- head above water. More than that, it leads to self-empowerment as well as a realization of what exactly the word "family" -- or what constitutes a healthy support structure in one's life -- should mean.

I was both moved and entertained by Heather Graham's story & film.

I love Julia Stiles in most of her movies but this was not her best role. This whole movie was not impressive. The actors did not contribute much to a good story line and the ending was so disappointing. I'm just glad I didn't watch this in theatre and pay more than I did. They did not put much effort into building the love story which is what the movie seemed to be about. The beginning was a lot of build up of the main character's love life and how disastrous it has been, which would make you think the ending would end with a love story that ended in a happy ending but instead it ends Completely opposite and random. It was overall disappointing and wouldn't recommend.