The Greatest Hits

And, to overuse a delicious quote from SEINFELD, not that there is anything wrong with that. The most interesting thing about this quite adequate film is the odd way reviewers approach it. It is as if no two pundits can agree on what they just saw? Some see a time travel film along the lines of THE TIME TRAVELOR's WIFE. Some see a deconstruction of the role of music in modern society. Some simply see a useful vehicle to move along the career of the always photogenic Boynton (who, for example, is all most of us can recall from the otherwise tedious IPCRESS FILE). Some even suggest that the film's auteur created this ambiguity deliberately to hold the attention. Which is, after all, the primary purpose of any film. Entertainment. Holding one's gaze. This reviewer, like Boynton's own character, sees all the possibilities at once, and each has merit.. But, unlike that character, will not attempt to change or alter any of them. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

Everybody has songs which bring them back to specific times in their lives. For Harriet Gibbons (Lucy Boynton), it happens literally as she travels back in time. She is trying to save her boyfriend Max Enders (David Corenswet) from a deadly crash. She meets David Park (Justin H. Min) at her self-help group.

This has an intriguing elevator pitch from filmmaker Ned Benson. He has a few good ideas in this movie, but the premise needs more work. There are basic problems stemming from the concept. First, she needs to keep going back to the death moment. It only makes sense. It also doesn't help that Max is forced by the story to dismiss her at every turn. It makes him look bad as a boyfriend. The whole movie gets dragged down by many minor issues.

I thought the movie would have had a bit more adventure, as time travel was the main plot device. Over time the script became dull and a lot of the music was a distractor as opposed to tying in with the story. The writers needed to smooth out the rough edges on the script and simplify the story a bit. For example, the therapist, Harriet's best friend, and David's sister were useless characters who had nothing to contribute. I did appreciate the chemistry between David and Harriet, and that both characters suffered an immeasurable amount of grief.

If you're a record collector or someone who is a sucker for romantic movies that tug at your heart strings, you might like this. From my perspective, the fun moments were infrequent and forced. Think of the movie as a Powerpoint presentation that moves so quickly, that you don't have time to take in the details.

The other night my wife and I watched The Greatest Hits now streaming on Hulu. The movie stars Lucy Boynton and Justin H. Min and is written and directed by Ned Benson. The Greatest Hits follows Harriet (Boynton) as she tries to lead a normal life after the tragic death of her boyfriend. Getting over him proves to be more difficult than normal because every time Harriet hears a song that reminds her of him, she is sucked back in time until the song ends. As you can imagine, this affliction not only makes it difficult for her to get over him, but it also complicates her everyday life, including dating her new love interest David (Min).

This movie had all the makings of a cute rom com that really hits you in the feels. Unfortunately, it fell short of this goal. My overall rating for this movie is a 6.5/10 meaning that, although I did not think that this was a particularly bad movie, I also won't go as far as saying that it was good. This was a perfectly ok and forgettable movie that I will most likely never think about again after I finish writing this blog. To me, the movie did not do as good of a job of relaying the message that it wanted to convey. It seemed that it was showing us the pain of moving on and how hard it is to do that, but the execution was just lacking. The acting felt hallow and I found myself not being able to get immersed into the story. All in all, if you have something better to watch on your movie night, maybe skip The Greatest Hits.

Thanks for reading and please comment below your thoughts or if you have any suggestions on reviews you would like to see.

This film was so well pieced together from start to finish. From the tiny details like the timeless timepiece on her wrist to the editing with the memory flashes. The acting was so much more realistic than typical movies these days. The dialogue felt natural and not forced or scripted. And the storytelling itself was just excellent! I was so impressed with this film. I was in a similar scenario as her and I have certainly been transported by music when it comes to certain songs tied to certain memories. For me, this film was like a daydream fantasy of mine that I'd give anything to be able to experience in real life. Absolutely fantastic from start to finish. 10/10.