Writing novels and writing screenplays necessitate two very different skills. It's rare that both are successfully accomplished by the same person. "At Home at the End of the World" is proof positive that acclaimed author Michael Cunningham is something of a novice as a screenplay writer. The result is that his novel has been transformed into a far less successful movie than it deserved.
There is a serious lack of character development in all three principals which robs them of the authenticity needed to make them truly believable. They tend towards the stereotypical which severely weakens the work as a whole.
It's a great pity, because on hand are a highly talented cast of actors, helmed by veteran theater director Michael Mayer. They all do excellent work, but Cunningham's screenplay keeps getting in the way.
Mayer elicits strong performances from the child and teens actors who grow into Colin Farrell. The physical similarity of all three characters, render this transformation a natural one; something of a rarity.
Despite the script, Robin Wright Penn and Dallas Roberts do have many powerful moments. However Sissy Spacek 's underwritten role has an artificiality about it that not even an actress of her caliber can overcome.
The real eye opener is Colin Farrell. He deserves admiration for momentarily taking an artistic detour from his meteoric Hollywood career for a role far more challenging than the blockbusters he seems destined for. What may surprise many is that Farrell proves himself an actor capable of emotional depths one might not have expected from him. It's an effective, heartfelt performance and largely the reason to see the movie.
There's a lesson to be learnt here for authors who are reluctant to relinquish there novels to more experienced screenplay writers. Cunningham's novel has not been well served and for this he has only himself to blame. He could not have wished for a better cast or director, but certainly should have wished for a better screenplay.
There is a serious lack of character development in all three principals which robs them of the authenticity needed to make them truly believable. They tend towards the stereotypical which severely weakens the work as a whole.
It's a great pity, because on hand are a highly talented cast of actors, helmed by veteran theater director Michael Mayer. They all do excellent work, but Cunningham's screenplay keeps getting in the way.
Mayer elicits strong performances from the child and teens actors who grow into Colin Farrell. The physical similarity of all three characters, render this transformation a natural one; something of a rarity.
Despite the script, Robin Wright Penn and Dallas Roberts do have many powerful moments. However Sissy Spacek 's underwritten role has an artificiality about it that not even an actress of her caliber can overcome.
The real eye opener is Colin Farrell. He deserves admiration for momentarily taking an artistic detour from his meteoric Hollywood career for a role far more challenging than the blockbusters he seems destined for. What may surprise many is that Farrell proves himself an actor capable of emotional depths one might not have expected from him. It's an effective, heartfelt performance and largely the reason to see the movie.
There's a lesson to be learnt here for authors who are reluctant to relinquish there novels to more experienced screenplay writers. Cunningham's novel has not been well served and for this he has only himself to blame. He could not have wished for a better cast or director, but certainly should have wished for a better screenplay.