I was attracted to this film by the talented, no, the very talented cast. The lead roles and sporting roles were played superbly. It is not too sad but as sad as life generally has in store for all of us at some point, or in store for people close to us, close enough. The realism delivered by Brian Dennehy and Helen Hunt is as good as and better than any performances by other Oscar winners of this year and past.
Liev Schreiber took on a most difficult role to play from beginning to end given the changes in the story's context that pertained to his character. He manages to stay the course, making the right moves so subtly that you have no reservation and no question about what feelings he conveys or even why the character is experiencing such feelings. Think about it. He uses very few words, his body language and facial expression never exaggerating the emotion but letting you know exactly what it is and what prompted it.
His character is not transformed, it merely experiences what life has thrown in his path; his character proves to be a rock, not a saint. Ezra Miller and Skyler Fortgang play Hunt and Schreiber's sons and acquit themselves as well as the director could surely have hoped for, no less. They also make you believe what experience their characters are going through; the performances are not overdone, they are on the mark. We understand exactly what they feel. The sultry Carla Gugino plays her role very well; you don't hate her flawed character, you understand it and don't feel compelled to judge. I will now use a famous quote which I hope summarizes the parable I saw in the film, which is: Life unfolds as it should.
I will recommend it to movie lovers who seek more from movies than the average audience. More of my friends will disagree than agree, but then again it takes a while to develop a taste refined enough for this genre of drama and this quality performance.
Liev Schreiber took on a most difficult role to play from beginning to end given the changes in the story's context that pertained to his character. He manages to stay the course, making the right moves so subtly that you have no reservation and no question about what feelings he conveys or even why the character is experiencing such feelings. Think about it. He uses very few words, his body language and facial expression never exaggerating the emotion but letting you know exactly what it is and what prompted it.
His character is not transformed, it merely experiences what life has thrown in his path; his character proves to be a rock, not a saint. Ezra Miller and Skyler Fortgang play Hunt and Schreiber's sons and acquit themselves as well as the director could surely have hoped for, no less. They also make you believe what experience their characters are going through; the performances are not overdone, they are on the mark. We understand exactly what they feel. The sultry Carla Gugino plays her role very well; you don't hate her flawed character, you understand it and don't feel compelled to judge. I will now use a famous quote which I hope summarizes the parable I saw in the film, which is: Life unfolds as it should.
I will recommend it to movie lovers who seek more from movies than the average audience. More of my friends will disagree than agree, but then again it takes a while to develop a taste refined enough for this genre of drama and this quality performance.