So, until we get a few more suggestions from people, it's all pay for or pirateable movies from now on.
Peter Griffin, please come in to talk about your film.
It's available on Youtube & Google Movies for £2.49
Or alternatively you can get it from here
Ok so as I mentioned to Mik when I sent my choice I figured there may be a few out there that wouldn't watch a Sandler film due to his reputation and (general) quality of films. And while I personally am a Sandler fan theres is undeniably a lot of guff on his CV.
So for the film itself, It takes Sandler out of his 'comfort zone' In to a more serious role (of course there are funny moments). But the premise is Sandlers character is having a very obvious breakdown after his family were killed in the 9/11 attacks five years previously. This comes to light after Don Cheadles character comes back into his life after they were at college together.
Don't really want to say too much more for people who have not seen it, But this is a warm, sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking (one scene particular) film and is maybe Sandlers best work for me, He and Cheadle are a excellent co-lead in this.
Ok, I'll give this a go.
Sounds like this one is going to devastate me too.
I heard of this one when it came out. I'll watch it today!
I can’t remember if I’ve seen this already, I think I have.
Picked it up for 99p.
Finished! Really good movie, I had heard of it when it came out and knew it was a more serious role for Sandler.I wish he'd do more roles like this. It was a very heartfelt, touching movie. I am still confused8/10
I remember seeing this and finding the story a little too sad for my taste.
But I highly recommend The Meyerowitz Stories for anyone looking for some serious Sandler acting.
Oooh we found that one so boring.Originally Posted by Fro
Just watched this with my wife.
Yup, a good movie. Sandler held himself extremely well. A tear fell at one or two points. A few parts hit quite close to home.
Only negative part was the whole dentist girl part - that didn’t really add up or sit well. Especially the ending.
However, the bulk of the story is around dealing with grief - and I felt they dealt with the topic interestingly.
I think I had seen this, but I have no memory of it.
After last weeks films claustrophobic setting, this couldn’t have felt more different with the canyon like streets of New York.
First the elephant in the room, Adam Sandler, what to make of him? Without trying to be flippant, he’s very nearly gone “full retard” here. This is a difficult character and a difficult performance. I don’t think he pulls it off. Mental illness may be one of the hardest things to portray in film though.
Thankfully extreme grief like his is not something I have experienced, but I have seen the negative reaction of someone to Ricky Gervais’ latest show After Life that had a comparable experience to the one in the show, that makes me wonder what the real families thought about this films portrayal of them. Using real events and then fictionalising them is tricky ground. Ground that doesn’t need to be covered.
If I remember rightly this was one of the first films to tackle the September 11th terrorist attacks aftermath, Japan went for the metaphor with Godzilla after the atom bombs and Hollywood did this with those attacks.
Random thoughts:
Don Cheadle is pretty good, having to deal with another nagging screen wife. Why does any one stay married in films it looks awful.
Saffron Burrows, what the fuck was all that about? Seemed like she was in the wrong Adam Sandler film.
I want a whole film of Donald Sutherland telling people to shut up.
Why does it end with a cover version? Adam Sandlers character is all about the old vinyl and then the film ends with a Pearl Jam cover, odd.
***
Thought this was a somewhat difficult film to breakdown. Just so disjointed between it's earnest or warm moments and it's more sophomoric or clumsy ones. But on the whole I did like it more than I didn't.
Cheadle was really pretty good here while Sandler's performance was the flagbearer for the uneven elements. Playing a mentally broken man can't be easy, especially as crossing that line into mocking can be so dangerous, and I felt like for all of the poignant and touching parts Sandler tapdanced on that line a couple too many times. But I trust his intentions were good and so it wasn't criminal or anything, just tough to swallow here or there.
Also thought it was shot really quite nicely, with so many artistic sweeping looks in and around New York. Kudos to the art direction there.
Ultimately I don't think I'd recommend this one regularly, unless the subject of conversation were directed at something pointed about this film like Sandler, Cheadle, ptsd, or the like ... just not as an all around must-see film. That said I found myself interested in where it was going by and large, and knowing I wouldn't have ever just picked this off the shelf on movie night I gotta give props to PG for the selection.Well played, dude.
Last edited by Percussion; August 18th, 2019 at 7:51 PM.
This whole exercise is dead in the water if all of 4 out of 17 people are going to actually participate..
I'm planning on watching tomorrow.
I just finished up my summer gig. I am gonna see if it's streaming tonight, if not I'll have to give it a rental
I’ve been away on holiday. Planning to watch today.
As promised, I've just finished watching it.
I found it entertaining enough, but I honestly didn't think that it was particularly good at all. I thought that Sandler massively over acts throughout the film, in every way, whether in comedy, in anger, in grief, in psychosis. I thought that his performance had absolutely no subtlety whatsoever. I thought that overall it was an incredibly one note, heavy handed portrayal of PTSD and grief that did not ring true to me at all.
I thought that Saffron Burrow's role was utterly pointless, same with Liv Tyler and Jada Pinkett Smith. Such badly underwritten and under served characters.
I found it a very trite and cliche in how it resolved it's different narrative strands.
I thought that it was messy, overly long (2 hours?!) and therefore baggy. I did like some of the moments with Cheadle and Sandler.
Glad I watched it, glad I didn't go to the cinema to see it. Overall, I didn't like it.
If I want to see a film of Sandler acting rather than being a comedic figure, I'll stick with Punch Drunk Love.
Is Punk Drunk Love actually worth watching? I’ve not seen it.
Yes, it's a great film.
So just finished it. I think my biggest issue with it is that because it's Adam Sandler I'm much more to think of it as him being say Happy Gilmore or Billy Madison and pretending to be going through this leaving me in a constant state of waiting for him to break. Keeping me from fully getting engrossed in his performance or finding it believable. Now thankfully I've never personally gone through anything this serious nor do I know anyone that close who has so that may be why I find it not too believable just because I felt it was all too extreme.
The main female characters seemed completely unnecessary because at no point did I really feel that Cheadle's character was going through that much personally, even the death of his father was kind of just there for the furtherance of his relationship with Sandler's. I can't say I particularly liked it, but I didn't hate it. It also isn't something I would have gone searching for myself so at least it did accomplish that for me.
Finally got my physical copy, but may not be able to watch until Saturday.
This was Adam Sandler singing Somebody Kill Me Please, ramped up to 11 without any comedy.
I enjoyed it but agree with some of the criticism above. Lots of unnecessary bits in the movie that didn't add a lot.
My recommendation is going to be shit in comparison though.
Having trouble getting somewhere too watch this. I think it might have to be the pirated route, but really trying to avoid that with this.
I’m going to give it a couple more days so we can get a few more reviews for this.
Unfortunately a lot of the films selected are not readily available, so some piracy may be needed.
I’ve now got it on Blu-ray, don’t really want it so could send it on, cos I’m such a great guy.
I'm sure I don't need to use spoilers anymore. I saw it that it was just an awkward moment between the two based on what had happened before and that it wasn't intended as that type of kiss. Just an awkward coming together. I think she saw herself and Charlie as 'broken hearts', as she mentioned outside the courtroom.
Yes, I don't struggle with much, but fictionalising real live events is one of them. I agree that it's ground that doesn't need to be covered and I just think about the real victims in these situations. I think the fact it was 9/11 was only touched upon maybe once or twice in the whole movie. Was it necessary? No, I don't think so.
Right, on to the film. I watched it last night with Mrs Murphy and overall, thought it was a good film. I love Don Cheadle and I too hadn't seen a serious Adam Sandler role before. I thought he was good. Over the top, perhaps, but good. Cheadle is always great. Wife was a pain in the arse character.
I thought the scene in the courtroom at the end, where the pictures of his family were being talked about, shown around and then placed in front of him was a little ridiculous. He was clearly having a breakdown and was getting warnings from the judge? To me, this seemed unrealistic, but I may just be being naïve here.
The criticism of Liv Tyler's character and the dentist girl? Meh, it was a little disjointed perhaps, but they tied in ok to the story, so they were fine by me.
Overall, ***. I did enjoy it. I think it was a 3 star film that could have been a 5 star film. Good choice though, PG. And like others have said, it's not a film I'd have chosen myself, given the subject matter. So that's 2 films I've enjoyed out of 2 that I wouldn't have seen so far.
Last edited by Murphy; August 23rd, 2019 at 4:43 AM.
Thanks @Murphy. That does make sense.
I'll start with the positives, and of course the most obvious one is a good central performance from Adam Sandler. It's not up there with Punch Drunk Love, but it is an interesting exploration of a man who has been destroyed by disaster. A times I think he does meander a little too closely to cartoonish, with a few scenes reminding me far too much of his performance in Little Nicky, but he is brilliant at portraying unstable and broken. The scene in which he finally opens up is fantastic. It's not fully opening up, it's like cracks in a damn in which he's letting things out just to keep the pressure inside at an acceptable level. As soon as internally he's stable again, it stops. It's realistic, brilliantly performed and the best scene in the film by light years.
Don Cheadle does a fine job, though I wouldn't class it particularly memorable.
That's pretty the much the extent of my positive comments though, I was not blown away by this by any means.
Not to say it's a bad film, it's obviously not. But it is incredibly uneven, too long, the story is at times contrived, and I think the film is unsure of what it's trying to say.
For a film dealing with these overwhelmingly emotive themes, I find it too easy a watch. Now, some of that I actually find impressive. The deliberate use of Sandler's music, which has a tonal dissonance with the themes we're watching and what's being discussed, is quirky and interesting. But it's quirky and interesting in a film school kind of way, not in an engaging watch kind of way.
Liv Tyler offers nothing.
The sub-plot was the worst offender though, adding on far too much ridiculous baggage, hurting the film and making it far too long.
All that said, I'm glad I watched the film, a good Sandler performance and that outstanding scene. With a more focused script and better editing, I think there's a very good film in there. As it is, it's alright.
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