Friday, April 9, 2010
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Friday, April 9, 2010
MOVIE REVIEW
The Greatest
Love Amidst The Grieving
Ruins
Aaron Johnson as Bennett and Carey Mulligan as Rose in Shana Feste's "The
Greatest".
Palladin
By
Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
FOLLOW
Friday, April 9, 2010
"The Greatest" are the words Bennett Brewer (Aaron Johnson) says while in bed
with Rose (Carey Mulligan). It's bliss for this 20-something couple, who
for several weeks have scouted each other during their paths to separate classes
on a school campus. That knowing glance. That connection. That
tentative and awkward smile.
"The Greatest" marks the directing debut of Shana Feste, who also wrote the
screenplay. It opened today in San Francisco and several other U.S.
cities, and was released last weekend in New York and Los Angeles.
The story is set in suburban New York. The Brewers are rocked by a death
in the family. One of them doesn't acknowledge the loss. Another
breathlessly and incessantly talks about it. Yet another has a romance
with someone who has major issues of their own.
Ms. Feste's drama contains moments of good acting, notably by Susan Sarandon as
Grace and Pierce Brosnan as Allen. Their chemistry is strong in a film
that often drills home its themes to muster sentiment. (For example, the
repetitive flashbacks of better days.) Despite some flaws in the film,
it's worth noting again that Mr. Brosnan continues to have a strong 2010 on
film. In the span of seven weeks on the big screen he has crafted
memorable portrayals ("The Ghost Writer",
"Remember Me") and keeps that streak going here.
Oddly ceremonial, "The Greatest" presents a subplot to further dramatize the
internal struggles of a family, but the additional plot needn't exist. Had
Ms. Feste decided to focus solely on the family and avoid creating drama from
somewhat ancillary affairs, "The Greatest" truly could have been great.
("Morning", a film at this month's upcoming San Francisco International Film
Festival, does a better job of focusing on the turmoil in specific characters in
the wake of a tragic event.)
"The Greatest" also forges a messy diversion or two to show that additional
complexities within certain characters are afoot. The film however,
doesn't carry some of these diversions through to their conclusion. They
are dangled like appetizers on a menu, only to mysteriously disappear from it
when inquired about.
Many other films have covered the terrain of grief rocking a family, and have
done so in far better ways, including Robert Redford's Oscar-winning film
"Ordinary People". "The Greatest" isn't a bad film but it tries too hard,
becoming maudlin in the process. The material is a step below the film's
talented players, who do their best to elevate it. Ms. Feste has crafted a
self-aware film littered with possibility, but unfortunately the sum total of
its parts are unremarkable if not instantly forgettable.
With: Johnny Simmons, Miles Robbins, Zoë Kravitz, Cara Seymour, Michael Shannon,
Colby Minifie, Lindsay Beamish, John Boyd, Hannah Hodson, Miriam Cruz.
"The Greatest" is rated R by the Motion Picture Association Of America for
language, some sexual content and drug use. There's also a moment of
nudity. The film's running time is one hour and 40 minutes.
FOLLOW
Read more movie reviews and stories from Omar
here.
Read Omar's "Far-Flung Correspondent" reports for America's pre-eminent Film
Critic Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times -
here
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