This was a good movie but falls short of being great. The problem was that it tried to do too much while failing to get to the heart of its central core. It purports to tell the story of siblings in the struggle to cope with and parent their father in his final days suffering from dementia. However, the movie also tries to cope with childhood abuse, siblings personal struggles and sex lives. It is a comedy that also strives to be drama. Sometimes this works; but unfortunately this movie is all over the map as to what it is trying to achieve.
One suspects that this was in an earlier form a much more substantial piece of work that has suffered the brutality of bad editing in an attempt to get a more reasonable length. The performances by Linney and Hoffman are superb but at the cost of diverting the focus from serious social issues that are seldom touched upon by Americam movies.
I saw the trailer for this movie months ago. I came with great expectations. The trailers suggest a comedy. However, after being introduced to much meatier subject matter, the comedy seems out of place. There are some very funny elements in the movie and life does have its more casual moments. My concern is that as we baby boomers are now aging and parenting our parents is becoming an increasing public concern, a movie as novel as this should focus more on narrative than plot.
I would recommend the movie however that I am told will have wide release around Christmas, 2007. Despite my misgivings it will be an adequate antidote to the usual syrup poured on us at Christmas.
There is jerky camera action
One suspects that this was in an earlier form a much more substantial piece of work that has suffered the brutality of bad editing in an attempt to get a more reasonable length. The performances by Linney and Hoffman are superb but at the cost of diverting the focus from serious social issues that are seldom touched upon by Americam movies.
I saw the trailer for this movie months ago. I came with great expectations. The trailers suggest a comedy. However, after being introduced to much meatier subject matter, the comedy seems out of place. There are some very funny elements in the movie and life does have its more casual moments. My concern is that as we baby boomers are now aging and parenting our parents is becoming an increasing public concern, a movie as novel as this should focus more on narrative than plot.
I would recommend the movie however that I am told will have wide release around Christmas, 2007. Despite my misgivings it will be an adequate antidote to the usual syrup poured on us at Christmas.
There is jerky camera action