Review of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011) by Jason D — 12 Oct 2012

If only they had recast the main character. Then this movie would've been perfect. Harsh but true. Here are some of the reasons why this movie can still achieve greatness, even with a weak lead: Sandra Bullock, Viola Davies, Max von Syndow and Jeffrey Wright. These actors and actresses are all just brilliant, not to say that Tom Hanks wasn't good because he was, but his most effective scenes are when he is off screen. Some will say that this movie uses a tragic event to pull at the heart strings, and although this movie does in some respects, how else would the movie have handled the event of 9/11? This movie does have some truly heartbreaking moments, especially with Sandra Bullock and Viola Davies who completely ruled the movie, with the most memorable scenes. Although the main problem I found was with Thomas Horn, who, although had some good scenes, had a few extremely awkward moments, and didn't really suit the role in the film, and came off as annoying, which was a major problem for the film.

Back to the performances once again, this movie succeeds most of all in it's performances, except for one who has already been mentioned. He wasn't awful, but he just didn't add that extra punch needed, like in the director's early work like Billy Elliot. Sandra Bullock has some upsetting scenes as the tragic events of 9/11 unfold, ando other scenes showing the distance between the Mother and Son. Some scenes will nearly have you in tears, simply down to a few lines said. Also, Viola Davies is brilliant, as she always is, and Jeffrey Wright gives a very subtle and moving performance. Then there is Max von Syndow, who obviously gives a quiet performance, as he virtually plays a mute, but shows every pain and woe he is experiencing, and as things start to unravel, the depth of the character just increases, and he is just wonderful to watch on screen.

The story is another success in the film, and I liked the fact that 9/11 wasn't such a huge part of it, and that they wanted to keep to an interesting story, and have these tragic events of something that effects the chraatcers etc. This idea of stillness and vulnerability, and how everyone just stopped in the world. The way they handled it in the flashbacks was just beautiful, and it didn't make it feel too 'Hollywood-ized'. The revelation at the end is also satisfying and some of the reveals are sometimes heartbreaking. There are also some shocking and upsetting scenes where we hear Tom Hanks through voicemails and phone calls which really brought the sense of reality to these events, and there is one point that will nearly have you in tears, as memories start to flash back.

The directing can feel a little pretentious at times, where he makes it seem like there is more too a shot, but he has just done it because it looks nice on the screen, but it can be a little polarising at times. There are other moments of greatness, but another flaw with the movie is that, at times, it can slow down slightly, and I did find myself checking the tme, and seeing how long I had left etc, but for the most part the pacing is pretty well orchestrated.

The movie as a whole is definitely worth watching, although you may have a problem with the lead child actor. Some scenes may seem pretentious, but the movie is worth seeing simply for some of the performances, that are just simply mesmerizing in some cases. This is a heartbreaking.

Movies at times, which has a few problems here and there, but is a pretty good movie overall.