The Trouble with Bliss

Despite the mediocre rating we decided to watch this and were surprised. It's quite a bit better than the rating. The well acted, odd storyline kept us interested. The main character is seemingly an unmotivated mid-thirties flunky who evolves throughout the film, but not how you might expect. Despite his lack of redeeming qualities he somehow draws you in. Perhaps it is his innate charm, or his boyish qualities and laissez faire approach. His quirky teen-aged girlfriend simultaneously provokes and entices, impossible to predict - nearly. This is not a formulaic Hollywood piece, though the film does not exactly break new ground either. Enjoy!! We did.

I confess that I disliked the beginning of this film, but as it progressed I bought into its odd narrative about a thirty-five-year-old New York City man who appears to be a loser.

Morris Bliss (Michael C. Hall) lives in his father's (Peter Fonda) apartment and has no job prospects. It appears that his life is on hold. He seems to have no convictions. And he is seeing an eighteen-year-old high school student.

During a week filled with coincidences and strange happenings, Morris gradually gains agency and makes decisions. He may finally be on the path to responsible adulthood.

Brie Larson plays the quirky high school student, Stephanie, who is unpredictable and challenging. Because Morris exudes little energy, it is Stephanie who moves the plot. But there are other strange friends and acquaintances who interact with Morris, like fellow tenant Andrea (Lucy Liu) whose intentions are unclear. And Steven "Axe" Jouseski (Brad William Henke), who still revels in the "glory" of their wild high school days.

The film definitely has a sense of humor, which emerges more in the second half. I found myself being drawn into the quirky universe of Bliss. It is not a world of big laughs, but droll absurdity and irony.

I wasn't sure whether to watch this or not initially, but I liked the look of the cast list and went with it to see what happened. I can say that in a lot of ways I am glad I did. While not a world winner it was good enough to entertain me for 90 minutes.

Michael C Hall is was the lead actor and was IMO well suited to the role of a man with no money, no prospects and only one big dream, to travel the world.

He is stuck in a rut living with his father (Peter Fonda) in a pokey little flat. His life needs a kickstart and he gets it from the consequences of his very short liaison with the 18 year old daughter (Brie Larson) of one of his school mates (Brad William Henke).

One word to describe this movie would be weird, but it was a fun sort of weird and there are some amusing parts that make it worth the watch.

Not a movie for someone looking for lots of action.

I Love Michael C. Hall and if you liked Six Feet Under or Dexter I would highly recommend this film. It has an indie feel, it's not for anyone looking for an action film or a romantic comedy. Very real down to earth movie, if you have ever been depressed or felt like hiding away then you could related to the main character. All the acting is very well done and the female actresses "Brie Larson" "Lucy Lu" and "Sarah Shahi" are very attractive. It's also not going to take up much time at about an hour and a half. I got this movie out not expecting much because of the mediocre rating, but I'll let you be the judge because I was pleasantly surprised.

It's not funny. Kinda quirky & really just "ok" Was kind of a let down really. But if you're looking for an arty, indie type movie then this might be for you. Even on those terms though, I'd still call it average at best