The Adults

Did Michael Cera lose a bet? My new least favourite movie. So odd, so so bad. A steaming pile of art that missed the canvass. Soulless and irritating. After the first 20 minutes I kept watching out of pure morbid curiosity for how it could possible end. It says the runtime was one hour and thirty one minutes, but the second and third acts just barrelled on for what felt like weeks. I aged watching this film. I need two hundred more characters for this review, so I'll finish by listing things I'd rather watch: paint dry, puppies cry, YouTube videos of 1990s commercials, promotional videos for timeshare condos, the Montreal Canadians.

Really interesting to see the mixed opinions on this. I really enjoyed it. It's a beautiful portrayal of sibling relationships, and so much in the movie is in what's unsaid. This can sometimes be frustrating in movies like this but there's so much depth in the characters and performances from the three leads that you can feel their complexities and pain, but also the unique connection they have. Reminiscent of the also great Skeleton Twins. I think it's currently really underrated on here and I'm glad I decided to watch it, based purely on a clip of Michael Cera's (excellent) Tony Soprano impression.

Such a movie is simply necessary to bring your personal psychological state back to normal. It is like a magic balm that helps in this soulless digital world to understand that you are not completely stale yet, that you can still feel and empathize. Previously, there were many times more such paintings, but now it is a rarity and it is a real crime to pass by it.

The plot is unpretentious, but the very history of the relationship between a brother and two sisters does not require otherwise. Eric (Michael Cera) and Rachel (Hannah Gross) make scenes for each other throughout the film, and poor Maggie (Sophia Lillis) finds herself between two fires, while trying in every possible way to reconcile them and terribly worried that nothing will come of it. The early loss of parents still leaves a mark on all this. Eric is a complete gamer who absolutely does not know how to lose, Rachel cannot leave the betrayal of a loved one in the past, Maggie dropped out of school and cannot decide what to do next in her life. Everyone has problems, and against this background, a meeting of brothers and sisters who have not seen each other for a very long time could help them all. But communication after a long break is not easy at all. And all because they have become adults. Only a passion for poker makes Eric postpone his departure over and over again, giving hope to Maggie that everything will work out.

Separately for Maggie - this character was as if specially written for the wonderful and inimitable Sophia Lillis. It seems that she does not play, but simply behaves as she does in life. I can't remember a greater immediacy in the frame. She can joke merrily, and in a second lower her head and sadly lower her blue eyes to the ground. The role is played superbly, because you are only worried about her throughout the film, the problems of her older brother and sister, coupled with personal disorder in life, greatly undermined her psychological state.

A very touching moment at the beginning of the film, when Eric came to Maggie's house in the morning and said that in order to communicate with her and Rachel, he would stay for another day. She cried and buried herself in his chest, and it was so natural that tears welled up in me myself.

Yes, the movie is not without its drawbacks, but I personally really liked it, the ending is warm and pleasant. This story makes you remember that your relationships with loved ones are also, to put it mildly, far from ideal, that you need to love and protect your relatives, because there is nothing more important than this.

9 out of 10

For a good, helpful story and the lovely Sophia Lillis.

I love Michael Cera's work and really rate him as an actor and his taste in projects. He is always interesting.

This film, although a long way from what we usually expect from him was still a good effort. This film is straight up family drama, not a comedy. It shows the quirks and reality of a trio of siblings left without their matriarch and patriarch to find their own path in the world, as they develop their own quirks and flaws as individuals apart from each other. The family house is still there, and the remnants of the siblings routines and mannerisms they developed as they grew up together, now apart.

Cera's character has developed an obsessive card game addiction, and we see this through him fobbing off friends and family in order to get his gaming fix, Sophia Lillis's character had drifted along with her frail quirky character and Hannah Gross's character had pulled back into her shell, still damaged by the loss of their mother and trying to find her path.

The movie was well made and acted and I appreciated the non hollywood approach to the film-making as they made a very real, honest, recognisable portrayal of family dynamics and human failings.

If you were looking for some light relief with good Cera style humour this isn't it, but you can admire and acknowledge the good small movie this team have created. Cera wears the same clothes throughout, the house is realistically spartan, the family show love and failings believably, and the messages are subtle.

I like(d) Michael Cera (the leading actor) comical charisma before in many other movies, one being in Barbie recently. Michael Cera was even producer of this movie himself so he must have had a lot of cloud to mold this movie, but it unfortunately fell flat.

The bad: it isnst a comedy, not even a quirky one. It isnt a drama for sure either. It is some sort of slowburning and BLAND portrait of 3 siblings (1 brother, 2 sisters) who get together again after a long time no see.

No surprising storyline. No original direction. No impressive technical details (sound, photography). No actor's chemistry.

I guess they wanted to create a quirky, comical personal portrait, but they failed big time...