deezaky

Maybe I'm crazy, but I really do not understand the appeal behind this atrocious excuse of a film. I say that because the entire thing feels disjointed, and almost like watching a series of 'funny' Youtube skits one after another that are crammed within its runtime to fit the overly simplistic, unoriginal overarching narrative that drives this film forward. The acting was serviceable at best, nothing of note, with much of the actors on screen being nothing more but serving as a short cameo to dispense lame (sometimes offensively misinformed) jokes.

I guess the actors.

The film's performances, spearheaded by screen titans like Michael Keaton, Edward Norton and Emma Stone is absolutely fantastic. Keaton is in his S-game, somehow being able to dig out the deepest emotions from audiences, yet also able to tone it down when certain scenes of him being outperformed by Edward Norton's character are playing. Edward Norton's emotional mess of a character serves as a counterbalance to Emma Stone's explosive emotional mess. The dynamics between all characters are all interesting and compelling, and oh my God this is only just the three main leads.

On the technical aspect, this is a film with cinematography so great and editing so sharp that the film is perhaps the reason I began to overanalyse filmmaking technicalities. The long takes, tricky shots and seamless transitions are straight up mind-boggling. Couple that with the amazing percussion-driven score, and what you get is truly a film that has a life of its own. The plot explores a pretty commonly-done theme, however the script here is organic and downright relatable. The film really does not coddle audiences, it is rich in subtlety and thought-provoking moments, dialogues and visuals.

From the same brilliant mind that also brought us What We Do in the Shadows, this is a film that lives up to the comedy-drama genre to its fullest.

The film may be based on a book but that does not take out the brilliance of the script itself. The dialogues in this film are memorable, the jokes are hilarious with universal appeal strengthening the laughs and they never once overstay their welcome. The performances in this film are brilliant, with Julian Dennison straight up breaking the mold of 'child actors are terrible' by spearheading this hilarious film with full angst, childhood emotional trauma and heartwarming wholesomeness. All this is only complimented by Sam Neil's brilliant emotional mimicry that even with little dialogue, formed a heavy brunt of the film's emotional weight.

The plot itself follows an oddball story that spirals into the realms of media madness. All throughout the well-played-out story, we are spoiled with a wealth of brilliant shots of beautiful settings and some memorably clever camera play at work. Aside from the two leads, the film is also littered with quirky side characters that, although not as well fleshed-out as the leads, still leave a hell of an impression with their performances derived from such an amazing script.