Monthly Archives: August 2014

Let’s take a minute to talk about Stuart Blumberg. This is his directorial debut, but he’s been writing screenplays for quite a while. His three films before Thanks for Sharing were Keeping the Faith, The Girl Next Door, and The Kids Are All Right. Those are three very underrated movies with very well-written stories. So this might be Blumberg’s first attempt at directing, but he knows his way around a plot. He also knows Mark Ruffalo, having worked with him on The Kids. Talk about underrated. Ruffalo is a very talented guy, someone who flies under the radar too often and doesn’t get the credit he deserves. We Don’t Live Here Anymore, Eternal Sunshine, Zodiac, Blindness, Shutter Island, and soon Foxcatcher; all films that feature Ruffalo’s talent in a variety of ways. So combine Blumberg, Ruffalo, & a fascinating cast and you’ve got a film that, at the very least, will have you talking tomorrow.

This is a movie about addiction. Adam, a good-looking executive, is a sex addict. He’s been sober for five years, meaning no porn, no prostitutes, no masturbation, anything sexual relegated to a committed relationship only. Mike is his mentor and is also a recovering addict. Add alcohol to his list, a drug that nearly destroyed his family before he regained control with the help of the support group he now heads. Neil is an anxiety-ridden doctor who’s coping mechanisms are sex & food, two things that he just can’t seem to get enough of. This a story of the lives of these three men, how they cope with their addictions, and the events that lead them to change, both good & bad. Adam meets beautiful Phoebe and struggles with dating, Mike can’t welcome back the son has that has been estranged for so many years, and Neil attempts friendship with a female after dehumanizing them for so long. Each character attempts to live one day at a time, controlling an addiction that they refuse to let control their happiness anymore.

Good thing the acting was spot of in this one, because the subject matter was intense. It’s labeled as a romantic comedy, but it’s not that at all. It’s an addiction tale, a snapshot of the difficulties of beating & living with a demon that wants nothing more than to rip your life to shreds. It’s extremely honest & forthcoming, leaving no details safely locked away. Disease, court orders, self-hatred, anger, relapses; the naked truth is right here to watch and it’s not pretty. Now, this is still a Hollywood film, it’s not a brutal documentary, but the reality of the situation is here on display and the actors do all they can to portray it. This is a movie that definitely is relevant to the issues of today; many people suffer with addiction, whether that be a sex addiction or something related to drugs and alcohol.

Despite the sensitive issues they’re discussing in the film, Ruffalo is great, as always, Robbins is solid, and Gad is surprisingly good as Neil. He has some really revealing moments that were probably personally difficult, but he holds nothing back with this character. Even Pink was strong in a small role and her presence felt believable rather than a ploy to attract audiences. The same could be said for the film; it nailed its goal, to shed light on addiction, and it never felt like a cheap trick to get us to watch. The story was honest, the actors were committed, and the movie as a whole succeeded.

I just watched the 1998 version of the same tale, Great Expectations done as a modern love story.  It, of course, was stylized very uniquely, setting the action in New York City, making the main character an artist, changing some names.  It stuck to the basic plot, but definitely made love the focal point, made the relationship between Pip & Estella one of star-crossed-lovers.  This film could not have been more different.  It’s been years since I’ve taken a look at the novel, but here is a version that sticks to the original format, keeps the same time period, and creates a story about one young man’s expectations and the events in his life that lead him there.  This is a period piece where the other was a re-imagining.  It’s hard to compare the two and pick a favorite, since they are so different, but if I were to rewatch one it’d be the 2012 version.  It’s a well-made adaptation, modernly acted but classically set, a movie that will make you want to read what I remember as a fairly boring book.

Pip is a young boy of the English laboring class.  His only aspirations are to become a blacksmith some day, just like his Uncle Joe, who is part father part best friend.  But destiny might have other plans.  Pip stumbles into the life of an escaped convict, a man named Magwitch who is on the run & looking for revenge.  Helping the man isn’t actually very helpful, as the authorities catch him anyway, but Pip will always remember the experience vividly.  He also soon meets a beautiful young woman of his same age, Estella, a girl in the care of the very strange & very rich Ms. Havisham.  Pip falls in love with Estella instantly, but knows he will always be outclassed by the girl who seems to have no heart.  But when a mysterious benefactor pays for Pip to move to London, things begin to look up.  He is trained to be a gentleman, taught the ways of the wealthy, and his entire existence is altered, all at the whim of someone who want’s Pip to have much greater expectations than the ones to which he was born.

If you like period pieces and you don’t mind them not having Keira Knightley, this is the film for you.  It’s a classic representation of the famous novel, a movie that strives for period perfection in all things, from the manner of dress to the accents, the buildings to the vast class differences.  It was even made to look like an older film at times, with a lighting and slight blur that had the feel of a ancient tome come to life.  So, if that’s your thing, you won’t be disappointed.  I wouldn’t automatically say that it’s mine, but I found myself enjoying the movie regardless.  The mood was just right, the plot moved just quickly enough, and the acting was incredible.  I recently saw Jeremy Irvine is War Horse and I thought he was just OK.  As Pip, he was tremendous.  So were Ralph Fiennes as Magwitch and Helena Bonham Carter as Ms. Havisham.  None of the actors ever came off as cheesy English Shakespearean dramatists; they kept the characters grounded and thus made the movie feel believable.  The story is one many of us already know, but it comes to life here in a film that boasts wonderful visuals and strong support, a movie we can learn to love the book through.