When you watch the preview for City by the Sea, everything gets spelled out for you and you know what you're getting, but if you just rent it sight unseen, it'll unfold with lots of twists and turns. Without spoiling too much-because if that's what I wanted to do, I'd just tell you to watch the preview-Robert De Niro and James Franco star as a father and son whose lives have gone down different paths. De Niro is a policeman who has faced down a stigma of his father's criminal past, and when he abandoned his own family, his ex-wife, Patti Lupone, and son were left without a positive role model. Each lead is in his prime during this movie: De Niro plays a tough guy who refuses to let his guard down even when he tries to soften up, and Franco plays a kid in trouble, seeking drugs as an escape, and gaining the audience's sympathy because he's so good-looking, we don't want to watch him throw his life away.
I'll admit it: I'm a total sap when men cry. I can probably count on my fingers how many times a male actor has teared up and left me cold. If most of this movie was just chase scenes, a troubled kid doing drugs, and mild suspense as to whether the real bad guy would get caught, I would have only recommended it to those who want to drool over a young, curly-haired James Franco. However, when Robert De Niro teared up during his ending monologue, he had me reaching for the Kleenex box. Even if you don't have a crush on James Franco, you can still enjoy this movie. If you focus on the father-son dynamic, you'll get a lot out of it.
A side-plot I found enjoyable was Robert De Niro's romance with his neighbor Frances McDormand. Their relationship is interesting because it's both intimate and distant. When he finally opens up to her, she needs time to process everything and decide whether or not she still wants to be a part of his life. Note to my fellow saps: even when you think you know him, you don't really. Want to find out what I'm talking about? You'll have to watch the movie.
I'll admit it: I'm a total sap when men cry. I can probably count on my fingers how many times a male actor has teared up and left me cold. If most of this movie was just chase scenes, a troubled kid doing drugs, and mild suspense as to whether the real bad guy would get caught, I would have only recommended it to those who want to drool over a young, curly-haired James Franco. However, when Robert De Niro teared up during his ending monologue, he had me reaching for the Kleenex box. Even if you don't have a crush on James Franco, you can still enjoy this movie. If you focus on the father-son dynamic, you'll get a lot out of it.
A side-plot I found enjoyable was Robert De Niro's romance with his neighbor Frances McDormand. Their relationship is interesting because it's both intimate and distant. When he finally opens up to her, she needs time to process everything and decide whether or not she still wants to be a part of his life. Note to my fellow saps: even when you think you know him, you don't really. Want to find out what I'm talking about? You'll have to watch the movie.