Men, Women & Children

Smartphones, Social Media, Surveillance, Spying: Saw Men, Women & Children starring Adam Sandler, Kaitlyn Dever, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jennifer Garner, and Ansel Elgort at AMC Theatres. The film basically depicts the times we live in; and what I mean by that is how the Internet and technology has changed our lives.

The main characters including high school students and their parents are followed throughout the movie which focuses on how the Internet impacts their relationships, communication, self-image, and love lives.

Several societal social issues are explored including, video games behavioral impact on teenage boys, the emotional impact of spreading rumors, per-marital sex, teen pregnancy, eating disorders, drug use, divorce, infidelity, Internet safety, fame-hunting, and pornography.

Each character/relationship is tested throughout the movie; which shows us, the audience, a variety of roads people choose in their lives; some negative, some positive; but no matter the road taken, the one thing that is very noticeably clear; immunity to the significant societal social change through the use of our smartphones, tablets, and computers in our society is unavoidable.

I found the film somewhat difficult to follow, but the narration by Emma Thompson did make that easier to do. Not the most entertaining film, but most definitely one that comes with many life lesson messages. Not a must see, but if you are looking for a different kind of film which delves in to societal social issues, go see it. My cinema score 7/10. ‪#‎maverickradio‬™

I recently got to see Men, Women, and Children, the newest feature from Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air) and co-writing partner Erin Cressida Wilson (Chloe) based on the novel of the same name by Chad Kultgen.

The film is an ensemble drama, about the effect the internet and technology has had on relationships, intimate or otherwise. They're no groundbreaking original story lines. There is a Romeo (Ansel Elgort) and his Juliet (Kaitlyn Dever). A marriage is on the rocks (Adam Sandler and Rosemarie Dewitt). An overbearing mother trying to control her daughter (Jennifer Garner). An unwitting parent trying to live through her child (Judy Greer and Olivia Crocicchia). A newly single parent trying to connect with his video game addicted son (Dean Norris and Ansel Elgort). An impressionable teenage girl dealing with severe body image issues.

All of the actors did a proficient job. Adam Sandler was excellent, in his first straight drama role since Reign Over Me (or Funny People, if you'd count that). Ansel Elgort and Kaitlyn Dever had both breakout performances. Each of their characters plights will your break your heart, and leave you rooting for them. And most of all, Jennifer Garner was as good as I've seen her in years. She did such an incredible job to make me hate her character as much as I did.

It's a linear story from a big studio with an independent feel. Emotional fireworks are few in this movie. Some of the quieter moments feel the loudest.

This story is timeless. Nobody understands technology in this world. Not the teenagers who superficially know how to use it, and not the parents who are mostly right to be afraid of it. No one understands it. Every character in this story believes the internet can solve their problems. They are searching for a way to mask their wounds. It's ironic that the internet provides anonymity, but those who search for it most crave human connection.

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.

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.

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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