Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011)

This is getting pretty crappy reviews from Yahoo users. Based on the trailer, I was prepared to feel the same way. I emphatically did NOT want to see this film! But mom and I were on a roll. Six movies in six days - this was day 6 and this was our assigned film. It was the only Academy nominee still in the theaters we needed to see (other than Foreign, a category that cannot be seen in its entirety before the awards).

So we went - more to keep our streak going than anything else. And I've said it before, but it bears repeating: low expectations are sometimes wonderful.

This movie was far less and far more than I thought it would be. First of all, I was expecting a tearjerker from the get go. Not the case. The quick story - Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock are a happily married couple with a son - very precocious, possibly with Asperger's, but the tests were inconclusive. Tom dies in one of the 9/11 towers, and the family is broken. Kid finds a key in dad's closet and is sure it is a message from his dad, goes on a city-wide search for the lock that fits the key. (BTW - same premise in Hugo with the automaton. There was a needed key there as well, and dad died in a fire.)

This kid, as played by Thomas Horn, is not that likeable. Interesting? Yes. Made me cry? No. The story was a bit out there, the dialog was not sympathetic; in general I did not feel this movie was going for the Steven Spielberg non-stop cry. That's cool with me.

But I wasn't that interested in the film initially. I was not engaged. Then, about half way through I got interested. I was shocked at this. And the movie got better. I really liked the ending. And the great part? Stephen Daldry did not tie up every story line with a pretty little bow. You have to think in this film, pay attention, put some pieces together for yourself, and not expect to know all the answers. I like that.

So, if you only have time to see a couple movies before the awards, watch The Artist and The Descendants, maybe the Help on DVD (I detested it, but it's up for a lot of awards and will win some). You'll get the most bang for your buck there. Catch this one on video. I don't think it will win anything, but it's definitely watchable.