Homens, Mulheres & Filhos

Men, women and children is an intriguing movie about how the internet can influence our lives and what it can do to us if we stay in that 'world' for too long. There were multiple different stories in this film, all were great. Also the characters were all well developed and all have secrets that will make you question whether your own best friends have secrets and even your partner! The soundtrack was also very good and i really want to listen to it right now! The acting is great! Ansel Elgort is amazing, Jennifer Garner is also great. Jennifer Garner's character is all about protecting her daughter on the internet. She is paranoid that her daughter will come across a predator and she is just over protective. Adam Sandler is also great, he is addicted to pornography and has forgotten what it is like to be loved again. This film is great, I think it is a very under rated film which will be more appreciated as it ages.

From my perspective, the point of the entire film was to show us how complex human behaviour and communication really is, especially after the internet. It shows briefly how our actions have consequences and it's a film for both parents and teenagers to watch and relate to, and maybe comprehend that we all struggle sometimes, making it important to ask for help. It screams at the audience that communication is key, therefore getting its message across, but it could have explored some plotlines a little bit more, making it a bit clearer.

It's very easy to get carried away by Men, Women & Children. From Emma Thompson's sincere, opening narration of doom and foreboding we are led to believe we are in for an emotional ride that will open our eyes, drop our jaws and force us to reassess our obsession with mobile phones, technology and social media.

But step back to consider for a moment after the event and we see Jason Reitman has delivered just a very simple, clear message: Internet bad, parents worse. Men, Women & Children is an affecting and engaging film, but it doesn't really tell the truth and opts instead for shock and disgust over reason and discussion. Sometimes, though, we do need to hear the worst news in order to reevaluate.

Men, Women & Children is a dip into the world of a group of high school teenagers, their families, their relationships and their angst played out through texts, Facebook, Twitter and every other online forum that offers as much privacy as a damp tissue over the nether regions in a hurricane. Beyond, or perhaps central to, the teenagers' own problems are those of their parents and, no matter how bad it is for the kids, the adults are in a far deeper quagmire of their own making.

The principal subject matter of Men, Women & Children is the danger of social media but Reitman merely uses it as a spoon to stir a thick, coagulating mixture of isolation, self-obsession, anorexia, infidelity, lust, pornography, mental health, bereavement, divorce, anger, abandonment, oppression and a hint of rape. Ouch! So much subject matter in so little time? That just about sums it up.

Writer/director Reitman has tried to shoehorn so much into his two hours of screen time that there is little opportunity to reflect. Indeed, as the final credits faded, I found myself sitting, static, trying to absorb the impact and information with which I had been bludgeoned. Initially, I felt numbed by the subject matter although my overriding feeling was positive about the film itself. It is a worthy attempt to highlight a worrying trend in our society; I'm just not sure it was well executed.

Billed as a comedy drama, there is little to laugh at in Men, Women & Children. It is a film of extremes that shows the worst of our fears and depicts the darkest of our social media nightmares and you'll need to step back a bit and realize that the world isn't quite this bad (is it?). Reitman it makes plenty of valid points but he nails them firmly to your heart. I'd urge parents and those who live their lives through Facebook to see it, but regard it as a wake up call and not a factual reflection of your impending doom.

Men, Women & Children is a tiny bit sexy, a smidgen funny, often good, very unnerving and frequently thought provoking but it isn't necessarily entirely accurate and it certainly couldn't be accused of being understated.

Adam Sandler is more restrained than we have seen him for a good long while as Don, one half of a bored, unloved married couple. On the flip side, Jennifer Garner is so extreme, so, um, psychotic as the overbearing, paranoid, dictatorial Patricia that you hope Quentin Tarantino is going to appear as a guest director in the final third and wipe her out in a glorious hail of gunfire and swishing Samurai swords. Needless to say, that is not on the cards.

There is actually plenty to enjoy about Men, Women & Children in spite of the heavy-handed delivery. While the adults are busy screwing up their own live and the lives of their children, Brandy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Tim (Ansel Elgort) are quietly, imperfectly attempting to find their own paths through the emotional mayhem. After trying too hard and missing much of the time in The Fault in Our Stars, Elgort brings some much-needed calm and thoughtfulness to the table and the friendship between Tim and Brandy is the calmest but most powerful aspect of Men, Women & Children.

Men, Women & Children could have done with being filtered to make a greater impact but Reitman has shunned subtlety; why be suggestive when you can make your point with a sledgehammer? Be warned, be concerned, be aware, but don't live in fear of your teenagers and Reitman's prediction that their world is going to hell in a handcart.

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The film Men, Women & Children is another societal exploration of American / western culture by Jason Reitman. It is a freakishly good movie. I didn't really know what to expect, to be honest the trailers were not that engaging, but this character driven movie captivated me. It's a little long and the slow pace is not helping but every minutes were worth the cramp I got on my ass from sitting too long in the movie theater.

Every character had their kinks and quirks, a singularity about them that some people might call one dimensional, I disagree. The message wouldn't have been so loud and clear if the characters didn't have a stereotypical aspect to them. By the way what was the message? It sure feels like there's one but the at the same time it doesn't feel like it's patronizing message. I think it is whatever you feel it is, you will definitely leave with something, but it might not be the same as the people who sat next to you. In that sense the movie feels neutral, showing you how it is and how it can affect lives.

The movie is not as heavy as the trailers suggest, well it is heavy but there were light and funny moments that helped not making the film a drag. The way Reitman opened his subject made sense and it was tastefully done. Unlike the web he left some things to the imagination or implied them. The film goes to "scary" places, revealing some heavy uncomfortable things about teenagers, parents, couples, and society. You go to these places because it's done every so slightly, tastefully, step by step.

It was a great assemble of a cast, there is not a bad performance in this movie. Each of the actors play their part on this beautiful movie that is Men, Women & Children.

If you haven't seen this movie, please check it out, and I would like to know if the movie resonated with you? Tweet me @wornoutspines

I read the book when it came out, and absolutely loved it. I won't go too in depth into the differences between the book and the movie. Some characters were cut, some stories were shortened and rearranged, and the ending is somewhat less dark. However, I would say that all of these changes are understandable when making a two hour movie. The soul of the book is still there though. If you liked the book, you will like the movie. The directing and acting are great, and I have zero complaints in this department.

I do have a few complaints, starting with some parts of the plot seem like they would be hard to follow if you haven't read the book. There were segments of the story that would have benefited from a little more time spent on them for clarity. I am a fan of long movies, and understand that a lot of people are not, but I think an extra 15 minutes could have made a big difference.

The narration seems to be a sore subject among the other reviews I've read, and I have to say I have mixed feelings. I like the idea of narration in a book-turned-movie. There's a certain amount of context and motive behind characters' actions that can get glossed over in a movie if there's no narration, but it was too inconsistent in this case. It either needed more narration, or it needed to be limited to just the intro and outro.

I think the major issue with the movie is that people are focusing on the wrong parts of it. Everyone wants to talk about the blunt sexual content, and the excessive use of technology in the movie. To me, those are the things that make it a realistic story. Perhaps that's just because I'm in my twenties, and blunt sexual content and excessive technology use are a large percentage of my life. People call this a movie about how technology is ruining and/or changing relationships. I disagree. This movie is about growing up, relationships, and miscommunication. Affairs aren't new. Questionable parenting isn't new. Body image issues aren't new. Sexual frustration isn't new. Depression isn't new. The movie shows technology not as a cause or effect of any of these things, but as being intertwined with them the exact way technology is intertwined with modern life. People are looking to MWC as a comment on technology in modern life, and finding it wishy- washy. But that's because it's not taking any sides, it's just showing how things are.

If you go in to this movie expecting an interesting story, rather than an editorial about technology, you'll probably enjoy it. Just don't bring your kids or your parents.