Review of Goodbye to All That (2014) by Matt B — 30 Dec 2014

Paul Schneider wonderfully plays the role of a guy who lives life without really investing in it, happily - innocently - not expecting much, but not giving much. When his divorce takes away his life's context, he reaches out for physical connections, but while he's invigorated by lots of new-found attention from women, still doesn't actually invest much of himself in them - or in himself.

The attention he receives eventually bring him to giving himself some more attention, and give him a certain confidence, a voice, that he begins to use - first to his ex-wife, and then to a long lost childhood love.

Confronted by a choice between chucking reality - which would, maybe ironically, only continue his lack of investment in life - for an escape to Costa Rica with his summer camp girlfriend of 20 years ago, and finding his life as it is, where it is, he gathers himself in the closing scene to investing in his daughter, and for the first time in the movie, looks directly and deeply at her as they play together in the backyard garden he has built for her.

Truly enjoyed this film; the arc of Otto's "transformation" is low and slow, just like it is in most of our lives, and its resolution comes gently/sweetly in only the final scene, leaving the rest of the story up to Otto.

See this/rent this/enjoy this!