Vida Real

I found myself totally engaged in the story and cared about the characters. It has a good balance of humor and engaging drama to propel it forward and make it a totally great viewing experience. I loved the acting; Jane Lynch and John Heard round out a sold cast. I liked Matthew Morrison on Glee, but here he gets to show a wider range of his talents. I also thought the cinematography was great. Being from the Midwest I so enjoyed the landscape and wanted to be on that lake!!

I spent a lot of time fast forwarding during this because some parts were just flat and I was expecting something more. Maybe I was expecting a bit more depth from the other characters (the only one who seemed to have it was Kate) and I wanted to see the connection between the reality show and actual reality a bit more clearly. It's as if the movie needed about 10 more minutes for us to have an ah-ha moment. It really just fell flat for me.

I think 20 -30 minutes more would have really made this an even stronger movie, giving more background, character development and helping round out the end of the show with a little more clear resolution, as it felt like some pieces were missing. But if was still really good and got me in the gut with regard to grief, broken relationships, and how to move on from our past toward something better. I felt it was really authentic and honest. I really enjoyed it. Some of the scenes were really grounded and felt very real, leaving the viewer time to really feel the emotion of the characters as they tried to find a way forward.

I've lost some dear friends and family and have never seen a film about grief that captures the reality of it like AFTER THE REALITY... oh... And it's an uplifting film! I laughed and cried. The Young Bucks (the reality show contestants) are so spot on funny and real to those shows. Sarah Chalke delivers a performance of a lifetime and Matthew Morrison is right there with her. I just wish there was little more Jane Lynch. She and Matthew are such a fun on screen duo. Some people might not get the shifting realities but it's a complicated emotional film Definitely gong to watch again.

I was really excited to watch this as I liked some of the cast. So many things made it worth watching and it didn't disappoint. The story was real, awful, fun and poignant, with beautiful photography. I loved it and hated it as I watched brother and sister finally figure it out. I highly recommend it and will watch it again... and again.