I had read a comment saying this movie is a good "Sunday afternoon movie". Well, I watched it on a Sunday afternoon, and was more than a little disappointed.
The story revolves around a young Doug Holt, a kid born on the "wrong side of the tracks", and his relationship with his brother Jacey. Now, early on in the movie the narrator (an older Doug) says that if the Abbotts had not existed, Jacey would have had to invent them. Yet, this is never illustrated, only repeated randomly throughout the story, which travels through unprovoked love, anger, and forgiveness.
The acting is definitely marvelous, especially considering that the characters are not well developed. People fall in and out of love, pretend they're in love, and cause serious problems because of love. But the audience does not follow: in many key situations, I felt betrayed by both the characters and the screenwriters. Why would a character do something no person alive would ever do, nor would any person in his situation?
If you're big on movies that revolve around aphorisms, this is the one for you. In retrospect, I shouldn't be so hard on it. Almost every scene with Jennifer Connelly is absolutely hysterical. And for that, I say, "Hi Doug".
The story revolves around a young Doug Holt, a kid born on the "wrong side of the tracks", and his relationship with his brother Jacey. Now, early on in the movie the narrator (an older Doug) says that if the Abbotts had not existed, Jacey would have had to invent them. Yet, this is never illustrated, only repeated randomly throughout the story, which travels through unprovoked love, anger, and forgiveness.
The acting is definitely marvelous, especially considering that the characters are not well developed. People fall in and out of love, pretend they're in love, and cause serious problems because of love. But the audience does not follow: in many key situations, I felt betrayed by both the characters and the screenwriters. Why would a character do something no person alive would ever do, nor would any person in his situation?
If you're big on movies that revolve around aphorisms, this is the one for you. In retrospect, I shouldn't be so hard on it. Almost every scene with Jennifer Connelly is absolutely hysterical. And for that, I say, "Hi Doug".