Lo mejor de mi vida

Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfriend, and Aaron Paul do a fantastic job with the sorrowful story of a father and daughter and the relationships their within. Several other reviews call for boxes and boxes of tissues. I did not have that experience at all. How this did not get more nominations escapes me.

After his wife's death, Russell Crowe can't cope with being a single father. He may be a beloved successful writer, but he has deep psychological problems. Twenty-five years later, his daughter Amanda Seyfried is getting her masters in psychology and volunteering at a children's center. The film cuts back and forth between the past and the present, and while normally I don't like those types of movies, Fathers & Daughters is an exception.

For some unknown reason, this film was completely ignored during awards season, even though the acting is phenomenal and Brad Desch's script is powerful. Russell Crowe gives the type of performance that is deserving of an Oscar, but he didn't even get a nomination. He hasn't shown off his acting chops like this in over ten years. Kylie Rogers plays his little girl, and her performance in the film is incredible and heart-wrenching. I hope she has a marvelous career as she grows up; child actresses with that much talent are hard to find. Amanda Seyfried branches out of her teen image, and is very convincing as a young adult with lots of problems. And before you judge her too harshly, remember it's just her character. Her unlikability isn't really her fault.

This is a very heavy movie, so get out your Kleenexes and have the pause button ready; you'll need to take a couple of breaks and have a good cry. I watched it with my mom, but anyone brave enough to watch it with her dad will probably shed twice as many tears. Rent it, though, even if you need to watch it by yourself. It's worth it.

If you come away praising only one thing from this movie, I'd be willing to bet that it would be Kylie Rogers' performance as Russell Crowe's young daughter. She gives a genuinely affecting performance for a girl her age and although Crowe himself needs no help here as he puts in a brilliant showing of his own, he's all the better for her presence. They played off each other so well and the film was much more enjoyable whenever they shared the screen. Amanda Seyfried was her dependable self but this kind of role is easily within her wheelhouse so don't expect to be blown away by her.

The film itself has a nice flow to it when considering the run time and although it dips into the cliché pot a couple of times, I found the screenplay just fresh enough that I would say I enjoyed it overall. Although the directing wasn't anything to write home about I do believe that he showed a delicate and subtle handling of the subject matter which is to be commended. The score is also quite wonderful.

Overall, a solid 7/10. The performances are the reason to see this one.

Based strictly on content, "Fathers & Daughters" is not the type of movie I would usually see. However, after watching the trailer and seeing the star power of Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, and Aaron Paul, I decided to give it a try. While the plot of this film can be a bit shaky at times, one almost doesn't realize it because the quality of the acting invokes such strong emotions all the way through.

For a basic plot summary, "Fathers & Daughters" opens with writer Jake Davis (Crowe) struggling to cope with his life after the loss of his wife in a car accident. Fortunately, he still has his lovely daughter Katie (Kylie Rogers), but even that is threatened when his seizures and medical problems begin. Flash-forward 20-some years later, and Katie (Seyfried) has grown up to become a successful social worker...who is also as promiscuous as they come in terms of love life. However, when a new little girl named Lucy (Quvenzhane Wallis) is put in her care, and then Katie meets Cameron (Paul), she begins to be confronted by the demons in her life that have caused her so much pain.

I wish I could say that "Fathers & Daughters" is a "best of all-time" type of movie, but the fact is that it isn't. The writers/producers/director make some head-scratching choices about how they play the narrative out, and there are a few key plot points missing that probably needed to be included to make this a "tighter" film. So, this is really more of a "niche" film built on emotion.

But boy oh boy, though, does that niche ever get filled perfectly here! I'm not usually one to get overly emotional during a film-watching experience (at least visually), but "Fathers & Daughters" moved me to tears on a few occasions. It truly is that powerful of a film, as it deals primarily with the relationship between a father and daughter (something that isn't always seen in these types of films). It would have been very, very easy for this film to turn into a typical tearjerker, as all the elements for it are indeed present. Fortunately, although not without a few hiccups along the way, it ends up producing natural instead of contrived emotions, which I have a great deal of respect for. All the emotional moments in the movie feel earned.

In large part, I believe that is due to the incredible acting performances in the flick. It has been awhile since I've seen a movie where every performance was this spot-on. Crowe really commits (and when that happens, he's always golden), Seyfried is (as usual) perfect for her role, and Paul is absolutely killing every role he takes these days. Even the youngsters, Wallis and especially Rogers, bring the emotion perfectly.

So, while "Fathers & Daughters" may not rise to elite heights due to a few storytelling difficulties, it has more than enough acting and emotion to be a solid film. It uncommonly moved me during my viewing of it, and I will always remember the experience because of it. Even if this doesn't look like your "cup of tea", you may want to give it a chance, as more than likely you'll be moved as well.

"A Pulitzer-winning writer grapples with being a widower and father after a mental breakdown, while, 27 years later, his grown daughter struggles to forge connections of her own."

I literally have no words for this movie (and I should be writing like 10 lines, right). This kind of love, father's love and the power of Katie's pain when she's standing next to that jukebox...That can't be described. I cried my eyes out, because I will never be ready when that moment comes, in real life. The song in the end was just an outstanding finishing. Summary: Haven't seen better and scarier movie in a long time.