Coming off Les Mis I guess Anne Hathaway thought it would be a good idea to give the pipes another airing.... Not with this limp biscuit of a plot, luv.
Anne Hathaway provides a performance based on sad eyes and lots of profiles of that long neck - not really enough for the audience. Johnny Flynn is given little to do except look sympathetic and sing nicely (but the songs aren't exactly his and lack his style and punch). The moments where the audience could have some fun are muted and quickly over. Consequently Mary Steenbergen steals the show with her energy.
It's a very "romantic" plot - she's sad/ he's stuck creatively - the only cliche it avoids is that they don't disappear together into the sunset. It looks pretty - lots of NY skylines over the river at night.
Don't want to rain on Johnny Flynn's parade on this one but it was very early days, he wasn't in his own environment, Hathaway was a producer, and no one seemed to have a clue that he is a fine comic actor (as she can be too when given a decent script).
As already noted Mary Steenbergen steals the show because she is allowed her moments of fun and whackiness but for the rest of the time the storyline is buried under a tone of funereal reverence for the poor lad on the bed. The Danish Suzanne Bier did this plot so much better in OPEN HEARTS.
Some of the music acts were fun.
It's cruel to call it a vanity project on Anne Hathaway's part but I suspect that that is what it is.
If you make a film about the impact of a singer and then blatently misuse the singing talent of your male lead you HAVE NOT BEEN PAYING ATTENTION.
Anne Hathaway provides a performance based on sad eyes and lots of profiles of that long neck - not really enough for the audience. Johnny Flynn is given little to do except look sympathetic and sing nicely (but the songs aren't exactly his and lack his style and punch). The moments where the audience could have some fun are muted and quickly over. Consequently Mary Steenbergen steals the show with her energy.
It's a very "romantic" plot - she's sad/ he's stuck creatively - the only cliche it avoids is that they don't disappear together into the sunset. It looks pretty - lots of NY skylines over the river at night.
Don't want to rain on Johnny Flynn's parade on this one but it was very early days, he wasn't in his own environment, Hathaway was a producer, and no one seemed to have a clue that he is a fine comic actor (as she can be too when given a decent script).
As already noted Mary Steenbergen steals the show because she is allowed her moments of fun and whackiness but for the rest of the time the storyline is buried under a tone of funereal reverence for the poor lad on the bed. The Danish Suzanne Bier did this plot so much better in OPEN HEARTS.
Some of the music acts were fun.
It's cruel to call it a vanity project on Anne Hathaway's part but I suspect that that is what it is.
If you make a film about the impact of a singer and then blatently misuse the singing talent of your male lead you HAVE NOT BEEN PAYING ATTENTION.