Let Them All Talk

How much you like this will depend on how well or how little you think the ways Soderbergh and Eisenberg develop the characters (apparently from what Ive read it was semi improvisation, Altman but with locked-down Soderberghian angles and mis en scene instead of long lenses and wandering pans). I would have loved to see how much the actors just came up with dialog on their own (usually not what we expect seasoned pros like these women to do), but over this story of a storyteller and her friends and what stories and romance inform the fictions we create is compelling and interesting, and the setting makes for these characters to have literate, thoughtful exchanges about how bloody difficult it is to be emotional with one another (or you can *confide* in others, but depending on the company).

In other words, I can see how this is an "experiment" in some part of the form, but it's so satisfying to see that this direct or made sure to craft it into a film and not just a bunch of ramblings that don't come to a head (and this does). It's really about something, about how we reconnect or make new connections and how tenuous those can really be based on what's happened in the past and trust issues or just how much a planetarium can bring a man and woman together, and all the while it feels like the setting and style and music are closer to a Golden Age Hollywood movie (but with a Soderbergh twist).

I'm not sure if I liked the movie as much as I wanted to. The story sounded more interesting than it actually is. I catched myself a little bored at moments, waiting through the whole movie for something really exciting to happen.. but nope. It could have been better though if it wasn't for Lucas Hedges' annoyingly-forced acting.

Knowing ahead of watching that the dialog was totally unscripted and improvised I found myself appreciating the true art form by the actors. Knowing how petrified they all were during the shoot, it's never apparent from their seamless performances. They were all given a frame to stay in and also an ending to each scene. The rest is them and their own words and reactions. Shot in only 8 days, the film is a triumph of modern day filmmaking. My only criticism was the ambient lighting was at times distracting.

I approached this title with extreme skepticism, but from the beginning it spoke to me in a realist, naturalist and unpolished sense. Every conversation you hear feels raw and improvised like in real life however there is huge contrast when it comes to the flow and the planning of the film which feels effortless and elegant. It is a surprisingly beautiful piece of cinema touching on an artist's social struggle and the many ways one can touch other people's lives. In my opinion, essentially it is a film about the intricacy of everyday relationships and an artist's struggle between their social life and their work. It is about self-obsession and betrayal. And the loose way these themes have been portrayed in, gives you an odd sense of rhythm, the kind that you find in an actual conversation. At the end of the day the film feels like a conversation, and a beautiful and moving one at that. With the help of brilliant acting and simple but alluring cinematography.

I understand that they thought they were creating a "life like" cinematic piece but this movie is living proof that if you don't have a good story then no matter how perfect the acting is nothing will save your movie. This movie had NO story. No plot. Absolutely nothing happened. I'm not even joking - in the 2 hours it took me to watch this movie way more interesting things happened to me while I was sitting on the couch then in this movie - I went to the restroom a couple of times, got a few texts, ate dinner... There were so many random little "wtf" scenes here that went absolutely nowhere. The dialog is such a drag.... no one actually finishes their sentences. Everyone just rambles on and on for hours. Kind of like how I'm doing right now only 100 times worse. For the love of god - do yourself a favor - and skip this garbage. Let's show filmmakers that we deserve at least a good story, if nothing else!