Review of Colossal (2017) by Patrick L — 15 Jun 2017

"Affecting, dramatically sharp and funny all the way through, "Colossal" is one of the more complex movies about addiction I've seen in a while.".

Movie Review: Colossal.

Date Viewed: April 26 2017.

Written and Directed By Nacho Vigalondo (Extraterrestrial, Timecrimes and Open Windows).

Starring: Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudeikis, Dan Stevens, Austin Stowell and Tim Blake Nelson.

"Colossal" is a clever sci-fi/indie-drama/comedy that works in terms of balancing its themes and tones. I know everybody is sick and tired of Anne Hathaway being in movies but she gives a terrific performance as a functioning alcoholic who's out of work and gets kicked out of her apartment by her ex-boyfriend (Dan Stevens). You may think that "Colossal" is just about Anne Hathaway trying to be sober and get back in the game but that's not what this movie is about. Written and directed by Spanish filmmaker Nacho Vigalondo (Extraterrestrial, Timecrimes and Open Windows), "Colossal" must've been a creative challenge for him but he pulls it off. Does it get heavy-handed at times? Yes, but the movie still works as a fascinating character study.

Hathaway plays Gloria, an out-of-work writer who gets kicked out of her New York City apartment by her ex-boyfriend, Tim (Stevens) for partying and drinking too much. Gloria is then forced to move back into her unnamed Middle American small town and while there she meets up with her childhood friend, Oscar (Jason Sudeikis). He now runs his late father's bar and he offers Gloria a job at his pub. This new job does not help Gloria's alcohol addiction so she has another hangover night and she sleeps it off in a playground bench but when she wakes up the next day, she turns on the news and is shocked to discover a giant reptilian monster rampaging all over Seoul, South Korea.

What's even more shocking is that Gloria realizes when she walks through the playground, she makes the exact same moves the monster does. Believing that there is a connection between herself and the monster, Gloria tells Oscar and his buddies, Joel (Austin Stowell) and Garth (Tim Blake Nelson) about it and they are just as shocked as she is. Suddenly, Oscar does the same thing and Gloria's monster situation just got more difficult when a giant robot appears in Seoul as well.

The green kaiju monster causes Gloria to make amends by letting the monster write an apology to the South Koreans and they are delighted and Gloria begins to avoid any contact with alcohol and the playground. However, the robot is still present in the city which means that Oscar is still hanging out in the playground. Believing that Oscar is using his monster counterpart to taunt the South Koreans, Gloria wants him to leave the playground and not cause a commotion with the South Korean people.

Oscar then turns into a complete douche by drunkenly insult his friends and have Gloria obeying him to have a drink by saying he will return to the playground and cause major destruction to South Korea if she does not. This situation creates a tense conflict between Gloria and Oscar and it sets up a big monster fight between the giant green kaiju and the giant robot.

"Colossal" may have a puzzling description of a story but it works thanks to Nacho Vigalondo's vastly original screenplay and two compelling lead performances from Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis. We've seen Sudeikis do comedy in serious stuff before but when we get to the second act, his character takes a dark and pathological turn which I found very fascinating. Hathaway is great here and she doesn't go all gooey and sentimental with her character, Gloria is an emotionally-damaged woman who just wants real change to happen in her misbegotten life.

Affecting, dramatically sharp and funny all the way through, "Colossal" is one of the more complex movies about addiction I've seen in a while.