Tumbledown

I was expecting a romantic comedy when I got this movie, and I have to say that not only is that not what this is, I was pleasantly surprised.

This movie is about grieving and learning to let go of those we've lost, but it is also sweet in a sort of unexpected way. Rebecca Hall and Jason Sudeikis are a great pair and their on-screen chemistry is fantastic. It's the first movie that has made me a fan of Jason Sudeikis.

Set in the beautiful Maine mountains, the soft folk music in the background adds to the serenity of the mountainside and the heartbreak Hall's character is experiencing and the journey you'll go on with her.

If you're looking for a movie that is sweet, poignant, and guaranteed to tug at your heartstrings, this is it. I would highly recommend this movie.

'TUMBLEDOWN': Four Stars (Out of Five)

Indie rom-com/drama flick; starring Rebecca Hall and Jason Sudeikis. The film tells the story of a widow, still coping with the death of her folk singer husband, who must deal with a New York writer; that comes to her small town looking to write a story on him. The movie also costars Dianna Agron, Joe Manganiello, Griffin Dunne, Blythe Danner and Richard Masur. It was directed by first-time feature filmmaker Sean Mewshaw, and written by Mewshaw and Desi and Desiree Van Til (both first-time screenwriters). I enjoyed it.

Hannah Miles (Hall) is still grieving over the death of her husband; a folk singer, who was somewhat of a celebrity in her rural Maine town. Her family, and friends, all think she needs to get over him and move on. That troubled healing is further aggravated, when a New York writer, named Andrew McCabe (Sudeikis), comes to town investigating the beloved musician's death. He's writing a book on the singer, and Hannah doesn't like the idea of it (at all).

I'm becoming a bigger Jason Sudeikis fan, with every movie he does! He's always funny, and he always picks quality projects too; the roles, he plays, always seem like real and relatable people. This film is no exception. I also like how he does a lot of lower-budget indie flicks too. Hall is great in this movie as well. She's definitely not as funny, but her performance is topnotch; and the two have beautiful chemistry together. It's yet another indie hit win, for Jason Sudeikis!

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I was pleasantly and unexpectedly surprised by this movie. I found it a realistic portrayal of how hard it is to let go of the memory of deep love that is now gone and learning how to move on and sometimes failing and falling down, until suddenly you wake up and life unexpectedly opens up to something new and wonderful. I am surprised by the negative reviews. It is not a romantic comedy or a typical slick, fast paced Hollywood film. But it works as a touching, authentic slice of a life, portraying what loss really looks like and the beauty of love. The music was also really fantastic. A touching little gem.

My wife and I watched this at home via Amazon Prime streaming movies.

A woman in a sleepy Maine town, where everyone knows everyone else, works as a part time writer for the local rag. Her husband, a well-regarded composer and singer, had died not long ago in a hiking accident and she was having trouble getting past it.

A Hofstra professor in New York was a fan, he wants to write a proper biography of the singer, so he travels to Maine to see what he can find. This gets him to encounter the young widow.

While this exact story has not been told in a movie it is not unlike many others. The widow and the writer do not get along at all, he is pleasant but frank, she is emotional and resistant to anyone meddling into her dead husband's memory. But he persists and ultimately, fortunately before the movie ends, they begin to find ways to work together. And maybe a nice romance thrown in as a bonus.

A pleasant enough movie for a slow evening after a steak and a bottle of Oregon Cabernet.

Reviewing a Nicholas Sparks'-related film is not a happy assignment because of its near-guarantee of maudlin, tear jerking sentiment. Hooray! Because Tumbledown is the anti-Sparks romance, nothing to do with his weepers, in fact a hard-nosed but sympathetic study of Hannah's (Rebecca Hall) writing a biography of her notably- accomplished folk-singer, late husband's short life.

Although this summary might seem Sparksean, it is not that at all. Perhaps the innocence and originality of the production comes from its freshman director, Sean Mewshaw and his collaborating writer, his wife, Desiree Van Til. Both are gifted and devoid of the penchant for cliché so dominant in other romances.

This realist-oriented romance finds Hannah struggling with her writing and her business-associate, a college professor, Andrew (Jason Sudekis). Although a certain element of formula must be present as she insults him regularly (a sure sign they will fall in love), it is 90 min before they kiss—another Hooray! During this first 2/3, most of the dialogue is rapid and sardonic, a sweetness to my word-addicted ears.

Moments occur in this dialogue-driven segment when I am reminded of the early 20th century love of screwball comedic repartee. The rapid fire insults and witticism are nectar to those of us who have grown up on Jud Apatow's romcoms potty humor and pratfalls. While Tumbledown has its moments of pratfalls and excessive dialogue, overall it is balm for the ears, and, given the attractiveness of Hall and Sudekis, a sight for sore eyes.

Because I lived for a year in Northern Maine, I must laud the picture's artists for capturing small town Maine life without parodying its apparent narrowness and gruffness. A warm interior lies at the center of the outwardly hostile natives; it's a warm interior that catches heat from the ubiquitous fireplaces (we had wood stoves). Visitors from the city like Andrew and his girlfriend, Finley (Dianna Agron), may just never qualify for residency the way Hannah does.