I was a little worried by the low score of this movie and the one positive review, but I always like Justin Long and the trailer looked good.
The director and or actors obviously have some people who dislike them regardless of their output as this film is an expertly written and performed piece of film making that hits on many levels. If you're rating this a 1 like 20% of the voters then you didn't watch the movie and your vote is a personal vendetta of some kind.
Anyway, on to my thoughts on the film.
This was a really moving and entertaining look into the lives of a family we can all relate to around the last days of their loved Grandmother (Mother, Great Grand Mother).
The acting was exceptional, and for anyone who hasn't yet been through the passing of a loved one passing from old age and general body failure, this is exactly how it goes. The film dealt with and touched on so many details of it, it felt real, human and heart felt. My eyes welled up a little but I think I'm just tired, or there's some dust in the air, or something.......
But it wasn't dealt with a some sad tear jerker of a movie, it was simply a slice of this family's life and the movie centered around well formed characters with well formed personality quirks and importantly some insights in to the difficulties of modern life.
I did really like Justin's predicament as an impassioned professor trying to engage his class in the good old 60s/70s movie way, and how that back fired because of the world we now live in.
And there was humor through it all, it was always funny even when it was about the sadder moments, what a fantastically well balanced and enjoyable movie this is to slip out without any fanfare.
This movie is really a 9, but I thought if I put that in my rating you'd think I was one of the film crew hyping a rubbish movie. This movie is so not that, it's a masterfully written acted and edited work of modern film making that perfectly hits its mark for all of its 93 minute run time.
I'll be watching out for the directors next movie and it's great to see Justin is choosing his projects well. Also good to see Fran Drescher doing a great straight role. Wasn't expecting that. She was perfect. They all were.
