Bad Behaviour

It had some really funny and heartwarming moments. There were a couple of scenes, towards the end, that felt very authentic and emotional. I think that the script brought up some lesser explored themes that I connected with. Jennifer Connelly is superb as always. I felt like the story could have been told a little bit more cohesively. But I think that Alice Englert, who also wrote and co-starred in it, did a great job for her directorial debut. Jennifer's clothing aesthetic comforted me and I will love her character for a long time. She has great comedic abilities even if she's often been typecasted to darker roles. There were some beautiful shots, especially the one at the end... that was absolutely stunning.

An intriguing, challenging, at times brilliant, sometimes veering off track exploration of mental health, mother/daughter relationships, finding direction and so much more. I won't pretend to have completely made my mind up about this film, or claim to have fully delved into trying to understand every aspect. It is one of those films that is due discussion, and raises questions and self reflection.

I totally understand this is definitely not a film for the majority/masses who like big blockbusters. But I think if you appreciate indie films, and those that look at personal experiences and the impact these have upon one's reactions and perception, relationships and sense of self ,then youll find there is a lot to appreciate.

Jennifer connelly is outstanding, of course. But so too are Ben Whishaw, and in particular, the actress who plays her daughter. There is much to admire and credit this film for. There are scenes that I think are incredible and it is (sorry to use this term but it is the best descriptor) brave. The characters are flawed and we constantly observe them unflinchingly. It can be uncomfortable and frustrating.

With all the above said, the 'star rating' feels inadequate, but I just feel it was a very cold watch, which at times lost its flow and almost tried too hard, too it's detriment. Saying that, it's packed with talent and despite a lot of darkness/the cold I felt, it is streaked with black humour and I'd definitely call it a 'dark comedy'.

'Lucy' takes herself off to an enlightenment weekend and we see how she navigates that and her relationship with her stunt performer daughter.

I struggled really to see what this film was actually about. There was very little about the mother/daughter relationship in the film, except for bad feeling and rushed messages and each not really caring for or listening to the other. But there's no context for that or explanation or resolution.

At the retreat the dialogue is stilted, meaningless, bizarre at times and completely empty in terms of narrative or story context.

The acting now and again was fairly good, but I don't think that was as a result of good direction: I think it was sheer luck that the actors had found something to bite on. Other times it was almost painful to watch as they floundered around not really knowing where the film was going, nor what their part in it was.

Not one single character in the entire film was likeable. Most weren't even pitiable. So the film left me throughout it's excruciatingly long run time feeling bereft of any order, or value, or context, or humanity. It was just a boiling pot of mish mashed emotions and nothingness disconnected form anything else and to be very truthful, I hated it.

How can a movie be this bad? Especially with Jennifer Connelly and Ben Whishaw as two of its leads.

The movie starts off with a woman, played by JCon, calling her daughter as she's about to go to a retreat with limited ability to contact the outside world. The leader of the retreat is played by Whishaw, who - as far as I can tell - has never given a bad performance in his life, and isn't about to start now.

Visually, it's a decent enough film. Some of the color grading (like in a hotel scene) can get a bit rough, but it's mostly at least competent, and some shots are very well done.

Where the film fails is in literally everything else. The characters are shallow nonsense; Connelly's character just kind of does things to move the plot forward, Whishaw's character is basically a big bag of nothingness, etc. The story veers off in a strange way that doesn't add to or advance anything that came before. The film has nothing going on upstairs and nothing to say beyond, "Influencers bad".

Add to that the complete lack of anything interesting going on... it's not just a bad movie; it's a painfully bad movie. Something like The Room or Birdemic can at least provide some entertainment while being bad; this doesn't even have that. It drags and drags and drags. It feels like it should end wayyy before it does. It's truly a terrible movie. Easily one of the worst I've seen.

Starts out as a subtle, but very efficient witty satire about people trying to heal themselves in a meditative retreat weekend, but then suddenly half way through (just as I was wondering if anything dramatic would happen) things turn bleak with an out of wack violent plot turn that I really hadnt seen coming.

The good: a truly brilliant acting performance by Jennifer Connelly, whom we all know from her pretty face roles in the nineties and on (Top Gun), but Top Gun fans stay away from this movie, because this is serious hardhitting drama and no fluffy action romance.

Jennifer Connelly now shows her real acting capabilities with a devestating performance as a mother, who is "DEAD INSIDE" and cant stand to live in her own skin and who has passed her mental pain on to her daughter with a lot of soul wrecking negative fallout. And that is the core of this subtle, bleak drama.

Art house movie fans beware, this is one solid acting gem, with long unedited takes, beautiful photography and sound. I truly applaud the direction by Alice Englert!

Slow, but gripping. Bleak, yet still warm and endearing. Cold, but so humanlike. I am impressed!