Reviews

"I'm 29 today. I won't see 30."

This is how James starts off the film. Right away it strikes a chord in me because that is my age at this moment. How would it feel, to have to say that? "I'm 29 today. I won't see 30." Suddenly I want to berate myself for panicking about turning 30. It's lovely to reach 30. Not everyone gets the chance.

James goes on to introduce the other important characters in his life, who have all come together to celebrate his birthday - his last one. His three life long best friends Davey, Bill and Miles. His sister Chloe, who is taking it pretty badly but tries to hide it. His parents, who keep a brave face but... no one should outlive their children. Then he utters the next line that tugs at my heart.

"The sickness may be mine but the tragedy is theirs."

Barely five minutes into the film and I am already in tears. Great. Just great.

The rest of the film is about a trip to James's favorite place on earth, Barafundle Bay. His best friends give him this wish... and all of his wishes, as it turns out, in the end. The trip is no easy one, no simple road trip. They actually had to hike up these mountains while pushing their things, and sometimes James, in a makeshift cart. At some points they lose some of their possessions, including the cart, so they have to carry James. As I watched them doing all these things for their friend, tears slid down my cheek in appreciation of their love for him.

I came undone at the scene with the fireworks. His friends had the idea that since James liked looking at the stars and "dancing in the cosmos" that they would put on a fireworks display for him. So they do just that and as the sky lights up, so does James, in that way that people do when they are in genuine awe of something beautiful and spectacular. I just knew what he was thinking then - "My God it's beautiful. I'm glad I get to experience it one last time." It was a true testament to Benedict Cumberbatch's acting skill that he was able to convey this much with merely his facial expressions. I cried for him. And I cried for his friends, who did this for him.

While there's a lot of laughter among them, there are also tension-filled moments, some even ending up in fisticuffs. James tells off his friends, telling them that he is angry at them for living a life that is watered down. "It's not about the cards that life deals you, it's about the hand that you feel safe playing," he tells Davey. James get his own reprimands, though, from Miles, who reminds him that he only started writing his novel when it became too painful to stand up. "You never finish anything."

Despite all setbacks, they eventually do manage to reach Barafundle Bay.

And they're all happy as they enjoy a romp in the water until that night, when James springs something on them. "Tomorrow I'm going to swim out into the middle of the bay and I'm not coming back. I know the enormity of this and I am asking you to let me swim," he says quietly. "No!" is their instant indignant reply. He tries to reason with them, saying, "Gradually I'll slip further and further into thinking solely about pain, and that's not worth living for." Davey recounts with, "Everytime I saw your family, I would know that we could have had you for another day, to say goodbye properly." James tries to dissuade him by saying, "That's just it, there won't be a better goodbye than the one we just had. I have never been so alive and now I want to end it. I want to finally finish something."

This does not convince them. His screams of pain later on in the night does the trick, though. And the movie ends with a really really really really really heartbreaking last shot of the four friends on the beach, James dead.

No wait, that wasn't the last shot. The last shot was of the sky dotted with stars, and a voice-over of James saying his final heartbreaking piece:

So I raise a morphine toast to you all. And, if you should happen to remember it's the anniversary of my birth, remember that you were loved by me and that you made my life a happy one. And there's no tragedy in that.

I couldn't seem to stop crying after that. The movie made me think a lot. I keep flashing back to that moment when James breaks down and confesses:

"I don't want to die. I want more time. I want more time. Take any of your pointless, consumer f***ing lives. I was going to do so much. I was going to be special."

I'm 29 today. I won't see 30.

If that were true, would I be happy with my life right now?

I had absolutely no clue what the movie was going to be about, didn't even see any trailers of it. The title gave me the impression that it was another one of those mosaic movies ala Love Actually, but it's not. The movie revolves around just two guys - Cal and Jacob. Mostly Cal, though.

I enjoyed it immensely, most especially the twists and the hilarious scenes. There was also a moment when a tear trickled down my cheek. I also couldn't believe that I did not recognize Josh Groban in the film. As I was watching it I was thinking, that guy is so familiar. Which film is he from? Turns out he's not from a film, because this is his first one (Though he has done some spots on TV, like Ally McBeal and Glee. Had no trouble recognizing him in those.) I didn't recognize him without his huge curly mane. I therefore conclude that hair has a huge impact on a person's appearance.

And now that we got that out of the way, on to the spoilers.

The story goes: Cal is out on a date with his wife of 25 years when she blurts out that she wants a divorce at the exact same time that he says he wants creme brulee. When she admits that she slept with another guy, he begs for her to stop talking and jumps out of their moving car when she rambles on.

He moves out of their house and frequents a bar, blurting his miserable story out to anyone and everyone who would listen. Jacob, an expert ladies man, sees him and pities him, offering to help Cal find the manhood that he lost and vowing that his ex wife will rue the day that she gave up on him. He gives Cal a total makeover from his shoes down to his wallet (which had an annoying velcro opening that made a ripping noise every time he opened it). He then brings Cal along on all his bar conquests that end up with him bringing ladies home to bed. In time, Cal is ready and manages such a personality overhaul that he mirrors Jacob's success, enough to bed nine different women, when so far he had slept with only one woman in his entire life; his wife had been his teenage sweetheart.

He sees his wife again during their son's parent-teacher conference and this is also when the first major twist happens - turns out their son's teacher was the first girl he hooked up with. And there goes his chance to get back together with his "soul mate."

Meanwhile, Jacob is in bar moving in on another conquest when a rain-drenched Hannah who had previously rejected his advances swoops in and kisses him. Hannah had just come from a celebration where she thought her boyfriend (who is Josh Groban whom I didn't recognize as I mentioned earlier) was going to propose to her but it turns out he was just going to offer her a job in his law firm. Her anger with him had propelled her to do something crazy. She lets Jacob take her to his place so that she could "bang" the hot guy who hit on her at the bar. She nervously asks him to take off his top and when she sets eyes on his abs, she goes, "F***! It's like you're photoshopped!" When he asks her to take her own clothes off, she asks if they could dim the lights. They finally make it to the bedroom but as he is kissing her, she starts asking funny questions and they end up talking and laughing the entire night instead. This is the first time Jacob makes a personal connection with a girl, so he falls for her, and asks Cal's advice on what to do.

Cal is still in love with his wife and secretly tidies up her garden at night so she wouldn't have to ask her other guy to do it for her. While he is in one of these sessions, he catches sight of her through the window as she walks into the living room to call someone... which turns out to be him. She says that she's in the basement and needs him to guide her through something. He knows that she is lying because he could see her, but he plays along. And that's when he realizes that she also still loved him, as she was just making up excuses just so she could talk to him. This was the moment when I was so touched that a tear rolled down my cheek.

So Cal decides to follow his son's advice and fight for his soul mate, hatching a surprise for her. While he is in the middle of doing this, though, all hell breaks loose. His eldest daughter arrives with her new boyfriend who is none other than... Jacob. Both men are shocked at the revelation that Hannah is Cal's daughter. Then a friend of Cal's storms into the house looking for him because he had just seen his 17-year old daughter's naked pictures in an envelope addressed to "Cal." Cal had no clue that his kids' babysitter had been secretly in love with him while his 13-year old son was in love with her. Then the guy that Cal's wife cheated on him with shows up as well, and all the men end up trying to beat each other up. This was a laugh out loud scene.

Everything works out well in the end, though. Love for the win! :)