#116
Post
by kevinknapman » Wed Mar 14, 2012 10:58 pm
I actually quite enjoyed this. Yes it's overlong and occasionally manipulative but if you're going to be manipulated by anyone it may as well be by the best. Cameron Crowe is on solid form here and has fashioned a very charming and likeable tale. I won't lie, quite a few moments left me a bit teary-eyed and I didn't have a problem with that at all.
Crowe is also well-served by Matt Damon who gives a very accomplished performance. Excellent support cast too. Thomas Haden Church very good as the brother, Scarlet Johansson pretty good too and it was also nice to see Almost Famous' Patrick Fugit in a decent role again (shame he had to spend most of it with a monkey on his shoulder). Interesting to see Dustin Ybarra there too (the one with the big crazy hair and sideburns), as he's going to play the Rodney role in the US version of Only Fools and Horses. Difficult to judge his acting here though as he didn't really do much. Though of course they all played second fiddle to the wonderful Maggie Elizabeth Jones as Rosie.
Wonderful soundtrack by Jonsi too, plus a decent selection of additional tracks from the likes of Neil Young, Bon Iver and Wilco.
Yes it's a shame that the story had to be Americanised but not exactly surprising. Though it was a nice touch to get the real Benjamin Mee and his kids to cameo as zoo visitors at the end.
Not surprisingly a film that quite a few people and critics are likely to be cynical about but I enjoyed it for what it was.
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