Strap in for one of the best action films of the 21st century. Tom Cruise may be weird off screen, but I’ll be damned, he’s one of the best to ever do it on-screen. Pure nostalgia, soaked in adrenaline, hurled at the screen at Mach 3. With a 2 minute scene between Maverick and Iceman that has more heart and levity in it than most entire drama’s in the past decade. Bravo not only to the old man, but this amazing young cast with hopefully bright futures ahead of them all! This is how it’s done!
“We’ve gone to far in our story to say “the end.””
I did not expect the tremendous emotional impact of this film, and don’t anticipate that I’ll experience anything close to it for quite some time. It was akin to Tony Stark’s “I love you 3000” monologue, but for two and a half hours straight, tugging at the chordae tendineae (heart strings). I will divulge that this may be due, in large part, to the resonance the story had with that of the person writing this review. There were emotions that I thought were either long gone or successfully buried that came flooding back with this one. But that’s the beauty of the movies. They (literally) shine a light into darkness, and accompany us in approaching poignant topics. If you can cover the worry with wonder, then it’s no longer as daunting to face it. To process it. To conquer it.
Technically speaking, this film is to Spielberg’s filmography what “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is to Quentin Tarantino’s: The director at the absolute height of their powers, but with a wisdom that is missing in their former works. A bow, tying together everything we love about the respective director in their love, appreciation, and dedication to the craft. Similarly, they are both films that are also love letters to film itself, and shows why each is the veritable auteurs that they are. Finding solace in the hum of a projector as the silver screen is bathed in illuminated imagery and imagination. The distance between the lens and viewfinder their armor against whatever malevolent force they may be facing, or trying to avoid.
There’s a sense of sincerity in this film that you drown in as an audience member. Spielberg’s one of the best at showing, not telling, and this film is his best work in that department, alongside one of John Williams’s best scores, as it captures both the wonder and torture contained in the story. Despite what you may read in other reviews, the film is perfectly cast, as far as I’m concerned. Even Seth Rogen. Between this and “Long Shot,” he’s Oscar-worthy in my book any day. The characters are so human, the stories so messy, the themes complex. The overarching theme of the cost of success and the beauty that can be found in life’s messiness was so well done, I find it hard to critique. From the triumph of witnessing an audience admire a first showing of a film to the heartbreak of sitting alone in the sadness of fresh heartbreak… The relatability is off the charts, but not ham-handed. Before I gush too much more, it’s my movie of the year.
Have you ever lost a friend? Not that they died, just, didn’t want to be friends any longer? That’s the premise of this whole movie. But it’s as brilliant as the countryside wide shots in this film are breathtaking.
Our two main characters get in a “Grumpy Old Men” style bickering match when one is confronted with his mortality, and they are set on diverging paths. One believing friendships and the impact we have directly on people is our lasting legacy, while the other is insistent that the work we do and the things we create are our lasting legacy. With those set as our corners, let the shenanigans begin!
After reminding me of “The Girl Next Door,” this film really blew me away with how insightfully deep it was! I expected a romantic comedy of sorts, but was instead treated to a tale of being lost, finding direction, losing direction to the tides of life, and finding home in unlikely spaces and people.
Lyndsy Fonseca brings it all together and takes it over the top with her portrayal of Natalie the escort. Her performance shines as it brings out fuller performances from the other cast members. Her likability really brings the character to life in a way that gave the movie a much deeper meaning than it otherwise could have had.
A much more complex film than I was anticipating as I sat down in the theater. A family drama, character study, romance novel, and a business whodunnit, all wrapped into one film. At times, the narrative became as messy as the characters, but in the end, this film drove home the importance of connection, and more importantly, the importance of working on ourselves to make the connections that build the life we deserve for ourselves.
The entire cast was as divine as the wine Hildy and Rebecca down as the gab about the town gossip. A definite feel good after it makes you face uncomfortable wisdoms film.
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 