AlSoSprach-39232

It took me 18 years but I finally watched this quiet gem of a film. I did not give it a 10 only because I am too much of an intellectual snob.

It is a bit like an onion. It is not in your face. Layer by layer the story unfolds and it will make you cry.

Indy rom com, psychological study of well rounded characters immersed in a cold landscape, superficially unappealing but lovely if you take a little time to get to know it. It's interesting because it could go either way.

Up to the very last scene. Terrific acting, well crafted dialogue, understated camera work and sophisticated soundtrack choices. Humorous in unexpected ways and very very real.

I was a bit skeptical, to begin with. Biopics are not that exciting, after "Walk the Line" and the masterful "I am not there". It is an enjoyable movie. It does well in catching the mood of that particular group of people, involved in that specific scene, in New York City. The action flows and the few "poetic licences" in the portrayal of events are upsetting only for the "holier-than-thou" puritanical fans. Those who would have thrown cans at the stage in 1965. The cast gets a good chance to shine. I felt bad for poor Eriko Hatsune: basically a silent role. She is confined to eye-brows acting. Chalamet looks like Patrick Dempsey's son in the first scene but then it is all Bob Dylanesque quirks. So much so that part of the dialogue is lost. And it totally does not matter. Delightful Elle Fanning. Monica Barbaro is mesmerizing. Edward Norton is Pete Seeger. Dan Fogler's character is the one I particularly liked.

When I am not plotting world domination I like to watch a bit of fluffy feature-long Tourism Board adverts. Add to the mix a fallen idol comeback, the new British sensation who was on the last season of "You", a "paint-by-the-numbers" script and you are in for a relaxing 1hour and 30 minutes. Get the cocoa ready, curl on the couch and enjoy. Maddie (La Lohan) is a talented editor who has basically acted as ghost writer for famous writer Paul Kennedy. Considering the way this vain character is fanned about in the movie, you would not be wrong in imagining his family related to the late US President. Indeed, when the plot moves to Ireland, the location of the Kennedy family residence looks spectacular. I wondered if it was the same of "Downton Abbey". Not since "P. S. I love you" or "Leap Year" was the trope of the American woman enraptured by the beauty of the Irish landscape so thoroughly exploited. There is even a leprechaun-esque lady acting as the Deus Ex Machina. Dawn Bradfield doesn't have much to do but she does it with grace. Jane Seymour did not even have to actually join the rest of the cast in what is literally a phoned-in performance. Delightful.