Review of C'mon C'mon (2021) by Everett — 04 Mar 2022

Joaquin Phoenix is one of our best actors, and I was really looking forward to this film, especially since it deals with parenting. So I regret to say that it disappoints. First, it's slow. Second, the child is so over-indulged that it's painful to watch the poor kid being taken so seriously.

I kept wanting the adults to be adults and give this precocious child some structure, or at least a sibling. The overindulgence can't be good for him, I wanted to point out; what parent (or parental figure) sits by a bathtub with a 9 YEAR OLD in it? There were way too many scenes like that, with parents on the floor playing silly games that are supposed to show how great their relationship with their kid is.

My favorite line is Johnny's. The thought "this kid is a spoiled brat" had just entered my mind when Johnny wonders the same thing. I wish the writer had explored this. It might have been helpful instead of self-aggrandizing.

The kids being interviewed was a nice touch, perhaps justifying the choice of black & white, which otherwise seemed pretentious. I wondered if it was a period piece, till the phones came out. I am not happy being so negative; I realize that someone even wanting to make this kind of film in the first place is admirable.

Alas, it's a missed opportunity. Ego ruins so much in the arts ....