John Krasinski's feature directorial debut, #TheHollars is one of this year's must-see films, it's the most honest and hilarious dysfunctional family comedy I've seen in recent years. Perfect ensemble cast, especially the great Margo Martindale whose performance has Oscar written all over it.
Krasinski plays a struggling NYC artist named John Hollar who hates his job and has a rich and caring pregnant girlfriend (Anna Kendrick). John returns to his small mid-America hometown upon hearing the news of his mother's (Margo Martingale) illness. But coming back isn't easy because it brings up not only old pains between family members but also high school rivalry and other anxieties. Co-starring Richard Jenkins, Sharlto Copley, Charlie Day, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Josh Groan and Randall Park.
I think it all stems from Jim Strouse's script that gives us a look at a family that is reflective of the ones we the audiences have. The story just flows naturally becomes I think it comes from a very real and truthful place. You don't have to have grown up in small town U.S.A. and you can still relate to the banter, the anger, the argument, the jealousy, and the heartbreak. The comedy in "The Hollars" is so ferocious so whenever the drama does kick in, you feel it all the much stronger. All the actors involved did a phenomenal job of having an emotional impact on you, especially Margo Martindale whom I've always considered to be a national treasure, in "The Hollars," she gets to unleash her fullest potential, it's as if everything she ever did her career over the years had led her up to this defining moment, what a remarkable actress. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll find hope in "The Hollars." -- Rama's Screen --
