Lovely and Amazing
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Movie Reviews of Lovely and Amazing
Movie Review: A credible portrait of women and their everyday struggles
Summary: 5 Stars
"Lovely and Amazing" is precisely that - an amazing drama about the struggles of ordinary women trying to feel better about themselves in a world that is too often harsh and cruel. Though the movie itself centers on a mother and her three daughters, their struggles are universal and can apply to men as well. The fantastic ensemble cast makes this a fine drama which had me cringing, laughing, and crying.
Brenda Blethyn plays middle-aged Jane Marks who is mother to two adult daughters, i.e. Michelle (Catherine Keener), and Elizabeth (Emily Mortimer), and adoptive mother of eight-year-old Annie (Raven Goodwin). Jane appears sensible and has plenty of suggestions and advice for her two adult daughters, yet she herself suffers from insecurities about her body image and decides to have a liposuction. Michelle is a thirty-something artist who can't seem to get anyone interested in purchasing her art and flounders in her marriage. Then there is pretty Elizabeth who struggles to find acting parts whilst feeling insecure about her body (not helped by an unsympathetic boyfriend). Eight-year-old Annie finds herself trying to fit in with this adoptive family, made even more difficult by the fact that she is African-American and her adoptive family is white.
There are many real moments in this movie which are compellingly portrayed. Michelle's sense of insecurity about her marriage manifests itself by outbursts of anger and getting involved in an inappropriate relationship. Elizabeth's doubts about her talent and body image manifests itself in her penchant for bringing home stray dogs and caring for them. As for Annie, Raven Goodwin delivers a compelling performance (amazing given how young she is) as a conflicted and confused young girl who struggles to adapt and assimilate, and there's one scene involving a hair makeover that really saddened me.
The actors deliver credible performances - this is truly a movie where the female actors dominate, yet I felt the male actors though acting in secondary roles, managed to carry their own. Dermot Mulroney shines as the actor/playboy, Clark Gregg as Bill, Michelle's husband, and especially Jake Gyllenhaal as Jordan, the high school student who manages a photo processing store! The movie benefits from good direction and I would highly recommend this to fans of movies that explore everyday people coping with life's struggles.
Movie Review: Lovely and Amazing is truely Lovely and Amazing
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a movie of long dialogue scenes, don't expect action, it may seem slow for some people, but in fact it's a heart-warming drama.To understand this film, keep focusing on the dialogue, it will take you deeper inside the character, which will take you even much deeper inside the story, by that time you won't feel the minutes passing by, and you'll beg if it was much longer than that.
The performance is amazing, the script is very well-written, there were no gaps, very logic, the twists and turns break the heart.
Emily Mortimer plays the role of an actress with very weak self-confidence, or weak character, she excelled in this role, her face was so innocent.
Catherine Keener is the eldest sister, a loser unemployed married woman, desperately tries to sell the things she makes.
Things always go against her well.
Brenda Blethyn is the mother who's trying to live her past despite being old.
Despite being simple, this film is one of my favourites.
I really recommend it.
Movie Review: One of the Best...
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie completely bowled me over with it's honesty, clever writing, and wonderful performances. It is one of the BEST films EVER that speaks of the challenges of the human condition involving FAMILY Dynamics. It really illustrates (almost subconsciously) how important our families are to our own self-worth, regardless of how we may feel about ourselves. After reading a few of the reviews here, I need to explain that I am a "guy" & YES I loved it. I dont think it is a WOMAN's picture at all. It's more of a slice-of-life film about how we all have our limits and struggles no matter what our place is in our family units, and how much they rely on us. Raven Goodwin is an amazing (very) young actress who steals every scene she's in, but the entire cast is phenomenal. Some people think the ending is a bit flat, but it ultimately rings true, and lingers much longer than a "traditional happy ending." GET THIS FILM TODAY!Movie Review: Insightful
Summary: 5 Stars
Lovely & Amazing surprised me at the sheer content of sociological examination. Nearly every scene exposes a glimpse at unspoken, or rather rarely-spoken, idiosyncracies in everyday interaction.For example, the adopted girl, Annie, shows white viewers that even at her young age she must confront such topics as: straightening her hair, being told her "mother" (older black woman who is a mentor) must wear a swimming cap in the pool while the white swimmers do not; being told she doesn't need sunscreen because her "skin is already brown"; understanding why her adopted mother needs liposuction to look better (Annie must wonder if she needs to look better also).
These are but a breach in the bundle of issues this movie examines. Each character raises a multitude of motifs that could serve as meaningful topics for lengthy essays. If I were a sociology professor, this movie would be required viewing in my classes.
Movie Review: Another wonderful film by Nicole Holofcener !!!
Summary: 5 Stars
When I watched her film Walking and Talking, at the Angelika Film Center in New York, almost 10 years ago, I was totally impressed with the simplicity of the story and the perfect tone. Nicole Holofcener is definitively one of my favourite directors. I am a film producer, and I would love to produce a film directed by her. As simple as that. Here, with Lovely & Amazing, she did it again. It's just perfect. The film has a wonderful balance, a subtle pace, a connection with reality that is quite unusual and difficult to find. Her characters don't talk all the time, but they listen, and so do we, the audience. Lovely & Amazing is a film that totally meets its name: it is absolutely lovely and amazing to watch.