Amazon Studios, K Period Media, Pearl Street Films,
Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges, Gretchen Mol, Matthew Broderick, Tate Donovan, Josh Hamilton, Anna Baryshnikov, C.J. Wilson, Heather Burns
Lee Chandler (Casey Afleck) is a lonely guy. He has a long history and has left home in Manchester along the coast to get away to the city where he works as a handyman for a string of apartments. But when he gets a call that his brother has just died from a heart attack, Lee heads home to Manchester to see what must be done. To his shock, his brother has named him as guardian for his teen aged son Patrick (Lucas Hedges) which he is ill equipped to handle. Determined to do the best he can for everyone, Lee is sorely burdened by certain events in his past that have affected his life.
This film is highly honored by the Hollywood Elite, and up for many awards, which is usually a sign of a problem. Then I start seeing FIVE STAR Reviews all over Netflix, and as I read them, they are rather stuffy as well. Then I notice that this is a Sundance film, and that explains why I was so disappointed in this film. There is a class of people who feel they are the true art lovers and who appreciate the nuances and such of a film like this. But I had a really hard time sitting through it. I wanted to be moved, but I couldn’t. Both the young Patrick and the grown version were highly unlikeable. Casey is in one of the worst roles I have seen, and this guy needs some Prozac right away. Flashbacks were all over the place, and very hard to catch on to what was going on. There are several characters in this film, including Michelle William’s character who I have no idea why they are important to the story. Perhaps I am too dumb to get it, but I just felt that this dragged on and on and on, and I was anxiously watching for the final credits when I could finally put this one back in it’s folder and mail it back. I really felt this was not worth the time that I invested in watching it. Watch it if you’re curious about all the awards, but be prepared to be bored to tears.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
