The most brilliant screenplay since "Good Will Hunting" and "American Beauty". Lonergan exhibits tremendous wits, intelligence and refinement while creating characters that are so realistic. Not melodramatic, the film still manages to make us feel for the characters not by the magnitude of the situations presented, but because the characters and their reactions feel genuine. Every detail, every reaction hit me as something that I or someone I know would do. No overexaggeration, no oversimplification, just a perfect re-creation of human interaction. I especially applaud Lonergan for the authenticity of his eight-year-old character Rudy. I have a fairly good experience with kids and I was amazed by how everything the kid did or thought was right on the dot (It could not have been more true). Terry, the brother, was also a perfect mixture of intelligence and rebellious alternative lifestyle. He understood his shortcomings, but still felt he had something to offer to the world (regardless of what he told the priest). I could go on and on about how every scene had something to bring, something to show and that it was portrayed in a most truthful account of real life interactions, but I'd have to tell you the whole movie.
Talking about telling, the actors tell this story wonderfully. Laura Linney obviously steals the show because she goes through such emotional depth and plays the part even better than perfection. Mark Ruffalo gives such credibility and insight to his character and is able to make us laugh with one look. He is warm, friendly, but confused. He shows the candor of his character so nonchalantly and plays off very well opposite Laura and Rory. Rory Culkin was well cast and is able to show us the child's perspective mostly through his silence. His facial expressions subtly betraying what he might be thinking, but unable to articulate because he is just a kid in an adult's world. Even Ken Lonergan himself plays to high standards his brief but crucial appearance as the priest, trying to really help people and not stoically recite the implications of his religious creed. With characters this well developed and extraordinarily gifted individuals to portray them, you cannot do otherwise than wonder what will happen to them after the movie, because at that point you forgot it was a movie.
The director was efficient mostly in the good use of his resources. Lonergan made sure to get the most out of his potent actors. The editing gave a good pace to the movie and well cut scenes often made us laugh. All this only accentuated the underlying brilliant screenplay. It is an insightful exploration of family and human relations. It is funny, smart, and touching at the same time. It is definitely real and is not trying to be something that it is not. It does not judge, nor have painfully obvious moral implications. It does not end all neat and tidy, because what really does in everyday life? It is just a story, a very interesting one. You can make your own conclusion, you can learn from it... just like you do in life.
Talking about telling, the actors tell this story wonderfully. Laura Linney obviously steals the show because she goes through such emotional depth and plays the part even better than perfection. Mark Ruffalo gives such credibility and insight to his character and is able to make us laugh with one look. He is warm, friendly, but confused. He shows the candor of his character so nonchalantly and plays off very well opposite Laura and Rory. Rory Culkin was well cast and is able to show us the child's perspective mostly through his silence. His facial expressions subtly betraying what he might be thinking, but unable to articulate because he is just a kid in an adult's world. Even Ken Lonergan himself plays to high standards his brief but crucial appearance as the priest, trying to really help people and not stoically recite the implications of his religious creed. With characters this well developed and extraordinarily gifted individuals to portray them, you cannot do otherwise than wonder what will happen to them after the movie, because at that point you forgot it was a movie.
The director was efficient mostly in the good use of his resources. Lonergan made sure to get the most out of his potent actors. The editing gave a good pace to the movie and well cut scenes often made us laugh. All this only accentuated the underlying brilliant screenplay. It is an insightful exploration of family and human relations. It is funny, smart, and touching at the same time. It is definitely real and is not trying to be something that it is not. It does not judge, nor have painfully obvious moral implications. It does not end all neat and tidy, because what really does in everyday life? It is just a story, a very interesting one. You can make your own conclusion, you can learn from it... just like you do in life.