thesuthernman

I've never in all my years had a hard time understanding people speaking or singing in a film or on stage for that matter. But from the opening song and throughout the film (off and on), I couldn't understand half of what these folks were singing and saying. I get that high pitched vocals and multiple harmonies are sometimes hard, but it's the director's job to make sure that the audience can understand the story and follow along. If I'm having to struggle, it doesn't make for a very pleasant experience. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed much of the film, when I could understand it.

Yeah, this movie's been made about a hundred times already. It starts off painfully slow and kind of awful, but if you can power through, it weirdly gets better. The real MVPs are the supporting characters-they actually have chemistry with the leads, unlike the leads themselves. Ashton has aged... debatably...and probably needs to gain weight...or something. Reese is exactly the same as she's been for the last decade-which, depending on your affinity for her, could go either way.

Thankfully, they're not on screen together much, which might be the film's greatest gift. Yes, it's insanely cliché, but the writing manages to land a few sweet moments and emotional beats that work. The supporting cast is what makes this worth watching (maybe Zahn was superfluous). Decent soundtrack, and the direction was tight and efficient.

The first half is a 10 and the second half is an 8. Unexpectedly fun film. The two leads are great together. The script is fresh and really great on character dynamics along with suspense. It's also beautifully shot and well directed. I could have actually enjoyed the film even more if they didn't have so much reveal and left it a little more mysterious continuing the trajectory of the first half.