Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
(B- or 2.5/4 stars)
'Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close' (adapted by Eric Roth & directed by Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot, The Hours, The Reader) follows a precocious New York child, Oskar Schell (young Jeopardy champ, Thomas Horn), whose loving father (Tom Hanks), is killed in one of the Twin Towers on 9/11. Oskar & his dad had an incredibly close bond. Oskar's relationship with his mom (Sandra Bullock) is and always has been okay, but somewhat distant. Feeling disconnected from his grieving mom, and to make sense out of the tragedy, Oskar (who narrates the film), sets himself on a crazy, near-impossible reconnaissance mission. See, having discovered a key in an envelope marked "Black" in his father's closet, he believes that his dad has left a message for him hidden somewhere in the city; and he decides to find the lock it opens by tracking down - wait for it - 472 people named 'Black' listed in all the boroughs of NY.
Most of the encounters are brief. In a few instances, such as one involving a woman named Abby (Viola Davis, of The Help), he finds himself walking in on a domestic dispute (with her husband, played by Jeffrey Wright). In most cases, he's met with kindness rather than rudeness. After a while, Oskar makes an ally in his quest - a mysterious old man played by Max von Sydow, who lives down the hall from Oskar's grandma. This old man is mute (by choice, having experienced his own family tragedy as a child); everything he says is written down on a notepad. Throughout the film, Oskar's mission takes him beyond his own personal loss to a greater understanding of the world around him. And he also begins to suspect that said old man may be his long-lost grandpa. Melodrama ensues.
Oskar's hyperactive mind & obsessive-ness is linked to Asperger's (though "tests were inconclusive"). He's awkward in social situations, has difficulty controlling emotions, & is scared by just about everything. He's not adorably cute, nor so is he so obnoxious that you can't stand him. Thomas Horn nails this type of near-ingratiating, yet highly vulnerable child character. It's the type of performance that will either infuriate audiences or cause adoration from them. Tom Hanks does his Tom Hanks thang as Oskar's father in the flashback scenes. Sandra Bullock isn't in the film much, but has 1 or 2 emotionally-charged scenes with Horn. Viola Davis & Jeffrey Wright offer brilliant teeny tiny performances as two people affected by Oskar's search for what the key fits into. And Max von Sydow is wonderful as the elderly mute man who tags along with Oskar on his odyssey. He conveys so much, all while being wordless -- stellar performance.
For me, 'EL&IC' is one of those well-intentioned, well-acted, admirably crafted hit-&-miss-ers (strikingly similar to 2009's The Lovely Bones). So much rests upon the small shoulders of Thomas Horn and his polarizing portrayal. Hate him, and you'll find the movie unbearable. Love him, and the rest goes down smoother. But then, the subject matter of the film is EXTREMELY grim. And people may not want to spend 130 languorous minutes in the company of these characters and with a plot as heavy (and almost exploitative) as this. When I say exploitative, I also should add manipulative.
Not only is 9/11 painful to chronicle, but Oskar's never-ending odyssey (separate from that 9/11 component) takes on a contrived/too-whimsical life of its own. And other segments of the odyssey are simply too uninteresting to sink your teeth into. I'm sure some people will find this human story about a boy who loses his father to be touching. It tells of loss, of coping with loss, and of fathers & sons. And the film hits home in the very end when Oskar finally plays his father's increasingly panicky phone messages during the 9/11 attack. But after a long, depressing movie (no matter how stellar individual components are), you just want to bolt from the theater. It makes you feel uncomfortable. And I don't think that was the goal of the filmmakers.
Most of the encounters are brief. In a few instances, such as one involving a woman named Abby (Viola Davis, of The Help), he finds himself walking in on a domestic dispute (with her husband, played by Jeffrey Wright). In most cases, he's met with kindness rather than rudeness. After a while, Oskar makes an ally in his quest - a mysterious old man played by Max von Sydow, who lives down the hall from Oskar's grandma. This old man is mute (by choice, having experienced his own family tragedy as a child); everything he says is written down on a notepad. Throughout the film, Oskar's mission takes him beyond his own personal loss to a greater understanding of the world around him. And he also begins to suspect that said old man may be his long-lost grandpa. Melodrama ensues.
Oskar's hyperactive mind & obsessive-ness is linked to Asperger's (though "tests were inconclusive"). He's awkward in social situations, has difficulty controlling emotions, & is scared by just about everything. He's not adorably cute, nor so is he so obnoxious that you can't stand him. Thomas Horn nails this type of near-ingratiating, yet highly vulnerable child character. It's the type of performance that will either infuriate audiences or cause adoration from them. Tom Hanks does his Tom Hanks thang as Oskar's father in the flashback scenes. Sandra Bullock isn't in the film much, but has 1 or 2 emotionally-charged scenes with Horn. Viola Davis & Jeffrey Wright offer brilliant teeny tiny performances as two people affected by Oskar's search for what the key fits into. And Max von Sydow is wonderful as the elderly mute man who tags along with Oskar on his odyssey. He conveys so much, all while being wordless -- stellar performance.
For me, 'EL&IC' is one of those well-intentioned, well-acted, admirably crafted hit-&-miss-ers (strikingly similar to 2009's The Lovely Bones). So much rests upon the small shoulders of Thomas Horn and his polarizing portrayal. Hate him, and you'll find the movie unbearable. Love him, and the rest goes down smoother. But then, the subject matter of the film is EXTREMELY grim. And people may not want to spend 130 languorous minutes in the company of these characters and with a plot as heavy (and almost exploitative) as this. When I say exploitative, I also should add manipulative.
Not only is 9/11 painful to chronicle, but Oskar's never-ending odyssey (separate from that 9/11 component) takes on a contrived/too-whimsical life of its own. And other segments of the odyssey are simply too uninteresting to sink your teeth into. I'm sure some people will find this human story about a boy who loses his father to be touching. It tells of loss, of coping with loss, and of fathers & sons. And the film hits home in the very end when Oskar finally plays his father's increasingly panicky phone messages during the 9/11 attack. But after a long, depressing movie (no matter how stellar individual components are), you just want to bolt from the theater. It makes you feel uncomfortable. And I don't think that was the goal of the filmmakers.