Longing

Saw this in a 'surprise' screening of a random new movie.

The movie starts by Richard Gere and his ex from 20 years ago reconnecting, finding out that he had a son etc.

From the starting scene on I wanted to leave the cinema but I had just bought popcorn so decided to soldier on. That was a mistake.

Two hours later movie ended. Not a single laugh / chuckle from audience during the movie. Nobody looked happy while leaving the cinema. People around me were pondering is it ok to just sneak out halfway of the film.

The film was a mess, hard to relate to any of the characters and the grand wedding finale feels very flat. In Cinema I felt a wave of relief that it ended. That was also the only time audience seemed to react to the film.

Fiction, whether a book or a film, always requires a willing suspension of disbelief. After all, it's entertainment: you know life and events rarely move forward the way the author presents them, but it's enjoyable to imagine the 'what if?'.

Richard Gere brings his A-game to everything he does. For the first half of the movie, I believe him, and I can see his character's journey. But then, things no longer make sense.

Why does everyone talk and act as if the deceased son was still alive? Why do the supporting characters go along with the craziness? Why does the movie suddenly drop the connection to Daniel's business in New York?

Are all the events of the movie supposed to happen within a week? If so, how could the final scene be even possible?

I like how the movie slowly unfolds and paints a realistic picture of the deceased son with a rich but flawed personality. If the movie focused on how Daniel reassesses his own life based on the life of a son he never knew he had until the week before, I think this would have been a fine movie. But the film adds one implausibility to another and another, until I can no longer suspend my disbelief.

I saw the previous review and thought, well, it can't be that bad. But, it was. It started out pretty good and then before long devolved into bizarre then insanity. Just strange. I kept thinking that there would be some twist that I didn't see coming and that then I would understand all of the bizarre behavior and acting. That never happened. It just got worse and worse. Even at the end I though that something would happen, but it didn't. Overall I think the acting was fine, but the story was just not very good. The movie left me feeling really nothing, except that I wasted a bunch of time. Don't bother with this movie.

I loved this film and can't understand why it has such a low rating. The story develops beautifully from start to finish, with plenty of twists and turns, a lovely sense of humor, and a great cast delivering fantastic performances. What I like most is the balance: neither the actors nor the script become overly dramatic, despite the characters' significant pain. The humor is perfectly balanced as well-any more or less, and it wouldn't work. Well done. It seems like audiences are getting less discerning by the day. If you don't understand what you're watching, please refrain from rating it. I strongly recommend this unconventionally sweet movie.

Wow. Such a great script, such a great thriller. Perfect acting, charismatic actors .. just a delight.

Haven't seen anything like it . Went from laughing to crying to laughing again. So much conflict , so much sanity!

The critique? Alright, I'll spell it out considering the polarization of this movie.

My critique is about the son's actor, not resembling any of the parents in grace or beauty, and about the dream. The dream could've been less .. erotic, but I guess it is rather realistic that way.

It is so rare to find art that is so uplifting and hopeful .. and representing reality accurately.

Praise God!