What is 'collateral beauty'? Not many will know about this term, which director David Frankel is using this term as his theme for his latest feature film.
Howard (Will Smith) is a successful entrepreneur who runs a media agency together with his three best friends: Whit (Edward Norton), Claire (Kate Winslet) and Simon (Michael Pena). After losing his daughter to a rare brain tumor, he drowns himself in sorrow and isolates himself at work and personal life. An encounter with Amy (Keira Knightley) leads Whit, Claire and Simon came across with a struggling theatrical group which was co-run bu Bridgette (Helen Mirren) and Raffi (Jacob Latimore). Howard's friend intercepted three letters written by him, which the recipient turns out to be: Death, Love and Time. To assist Howard coming out from grief and sorrow, his friends engage the help of Bridgette, Amy and Raffi to play the role of death, love and time respectively. Meanwhile, an encounter with Madeleine (Naomie Harris), the founder of a self-help group for parents who have lost their children to death makes Howard decided to start life all over again. When the trio (Bridgette, Amy and Raffi appear in the form of death, love and time) appears in Howard's life, it makes him question the meaning of life and the importance of overcoming the grief.
The term 'collateral beauty' can be simply defined as parents unable to see the damage of their child's death in full picture, but the love and beauty that comes after the death helps to bring people closer to one another. Frankel explores the definition in the film through the connections between the people around Howard. Here, we have seen how Howard has isolated himself from the outside world, which worries his loved ones and his friends (damage). Through the intervention of Bridgette's trio, it helps Howard to pick up the courage to restart his life, while at the same time seeking the possibility of connecting with Madeleine and give himself a second chance in life.
Looking at the bigger picture, Frankel also touches on the life of the people surrounding Howard: Whit is patching up his broken relationship with his ex-wife's daughter, Allison, to redeem his infidelity; Claire is seeking a sperm donor to conceive a child due to her age after spending most of her time establishing the career for Howard; Simon fears his family will be unable to support themselves financially after a relapse of cancer he has recovered. The subplot supports the story to move on, which it only helps the audience to understand the term, but also shifts the focus on Howard's grief to avoid boredom. While these subplots seems to be valid and reflects the actual life an individual will encounter, it may be heavy for some who are seeking to entertain than to reflect on their life. Towards the end of the story, audience can feel that emotional toils takes the center stage of the story, though it is not much of an emotional roller-coaster ride.
Smith carries the same usual self from his previous films in the similar genre, such as The Pursuit of Happiness, Seven Pounds and Concussion. Though he is the main focus of the story, he has unfortunately unable to engage the audience in the emotional toil he has been through. Not much explanation was given on Smith's Howard wallowing in sorrow, which audience may not be convinced on what has happened, which leads to the undesired behavior he displays when his friend is helping him. Instead, the focus has shifted to Helen Mirren's Bridgette, which she came in as a form of enlightenment to Howard. Besides applying her theatrical knowledge to the role she was given to, her age and appearance have also help the role to look more convincing without too much giveaway. At duration of 97 minutes, there isn't much room for Norton, Winslet, Pena, Knightley, Latimore and Harris to explore their respective roles. The casting is strong to draw the crowds, but it seems to be a waste since not much chance was given to explore the role.
There aren't many films like Collateral Beauty which helps an individual to understand social terms in a layman's term. While the star-studded casting makes the movie look promising, there are many areas left unexplained, which makes the movie feel under-whelmed.
Howard (Will Smith) is a successful entrepreneur who runs a media agency together with his three best friends: Whit (Edward Norton), Claire (Kate Winslet) and Simon (Michael Pena). After losing his daughter to a rare brain tumor, he drowns himself in sorrow and isolates himself at work and personal life. An encounter with Amy (Keira Knightley) leads Whit, Claire and Simon came across with a struggling theatrical group which was co-run bu Bridgette (Helen Mirren) and Raffi (Jacob Latimore). Howard's friend intercepted three letters written by him, which the recipient turns out to be: Death, Love and Time. To assist Howard coming out from grief and sorrow, his friends engage the help of Bridgette, Amy and Raffi to play the role of death, love and time respectively. Meanwhile, an encounter with Madeleine (Naomie Harris), the founder of a self-help group for parents who have lost their children to death makes Howard decided to start life all over again. When the trio (Bridgette, Amy and Raffi appear in the form of death, love and time) appears in Howard's life, it makes him question the meaning of life and the importance of overcoming the grief.
The term 'collateral beauty' can be simply defined as parents unable to see the damage of their child's death in full picture, but the love and beauty that comes after the death helps to bring people closer to one another. Frankel explores the definition in the film through the connections between the people around Howard. Here, we have seen how Howard has isolated himself from the outside world, which worries his loved ones and his friends (damage). Through the intervention of Bridgette's trio, it helps Howard to pick up the courage to restart his life, while at the same time seeking the possibility of connecting with Madeleine and give himself a second chance in life.
Looking at the bigger picture, Frankel also touches on the life of the people surrounding Howard: Whit is patching up his broken relationship with his ex-wife's daughter, Allison, to redeem his infidelity; Claire is seeking a sperm donor to conceive a child due to her age after spending most of her time establishing the career for Howard; Simon fears his family will be unable to support themselves financially after a relapse of cancer he has recovered. The subplot supports the story to move on, which it only helps the audience to understand the term, but also shifts the focus on Howard's grief to avoid boredom. While these subplots seems to be valid and reflects the actual life an individual will encounter, it may be heavy for some who are seeking to entertain than to reflect on their life. Towards the end of the story, audience can feel that emotional toils takes the center stage of the story, though it is not much of an emotional roller-coaster ride.
Smith carries the same usual self from his previous films in the similar genre, such as The Pursuit of Happiness, Seven Pounds and Concussion. Though he is the main focus of the story, he has unfortunately unable to engage the audience in the emotional toil he has been through. Not much explanation was given on Smith's Howard wallowing in sorrow, which audience may not be convinced on what has happened, which leads to the undesired behavior he displays when his friend is helping him. Instead, the focus has shifted to Helen Mirren's Bridgette, which she came in as a form of enlightenment to Howard. Besides applying her theatrical knowledge to the role she was given to, her age and appearance have also help the role to look more convincing without too much giveaway. At duration of 97 minutes, there isn't much room for Norton, Winslet, Pena, Knightley, Latimore and Harris to explore their respective roles. The casting is strong to draw the crowds, but it seems to be a waste since not much chance was given to explore the role.
There aren't many films like Collateral Beauty which helps an individual to understand social terms in a layman's term. While the star-studded casting makes the movie look promising, there are many areas left unexplained, which makes the movie feel under-whelmed.