Review of Manchester by the Sea (2016) by Wmvincent — 05 Jan 2017

Very disappointed with this film--mostly because of Casey Affleck's acting, despite my being a major fan (I think he has yet to surpass his role as Bob Ford in that masterpiece, "The Assassination of Jesse James").

I see that many have expressed dislike of the film but have nonetheless praised Affleck's acting. Can't agree. I myself don't think the film is Oscar-worthy. Frankly, it bored me. Affleck's acting struck me as one-dimensional; he seemed removed.

And the fact that he didn't have an accent was a complete turn-off. After all, Casey's a Massachusetts native & his character was raised in Manchester. The fact that his character lacked a regional accent seriously detracted form this film's realism.

(In a very funny recent SNL skit he played a Dunkin' Donuts fanatic from Boston & his accent was Just So.) I thought Michelle Williams was good in her role, but the real standout in this film was Lucas Hedges.

I liked the ending.