A good movie

To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this flick but, since it was starring Julianne Moore and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. This movie was also interesting because it was Jesse Eisenberg’s directorial debut. I have noticed that it didn’t get some strong ratings but, as far as I was concerned, I thought it was not bad at all though. It was pretty obvious that it was his first directing feature as, I have to admit it, the material was just too slight. Basically, except for the 2 main characters, this movie didn’t really have much else to offer. However, the characters played by Julianne Moore and Finn Wolfhard were just so flawed and complex, I thought they were quite spellbinding to behold. At some point, the father/husband called them some ‘narcissist’ and the guy really nailed it with this description. It’s too bad that it basically was his only contribution to the whole movie (seriously, what was his name actually?). Still, there was something quite humanistic in Eisenberg’s approach and I think that’s what impressed me the most, the way he managed to create such characters who both were sometimes really unlikeable, even cringe-inducing and, yet, they also had some redeeming features as well. I think that Finn Wolfhard and Julianne Moore also delivered some solid performances but, at this point, I wouldn’t expect less from Moore. To be honest, the ending, especially for the mother, was rather clunky and felt rather random and unearned so once again, not everything really worked. Still, Eisenberg displayed here that he had a talent to deliver some compelling characters and, now, I can’t wait to see his follow-up, ‘A Real Pain’, especially since it was critically acclaimed when it was released. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, I actually liked it and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

7/10