Review of The Florida Project (2017) by Michael J — 15 Dec 2017

The reviews made this film sound like an emotionally engaging, possibly heartwarming movie about struggling families and their charming children who were able to escape the harsh reality experienced by their parents.

It sounded like you might come out of the movie hopeful about the children and their future. Instead, the movie featured two dimensional down on their luck characters living in a motel with the stern but heart of gold manager.

Bobby (Willem Dafoe) was probably the best developed character but I couldn't tell you anything about him other than he was nice to children and kept an eagle eye on the motel. Halley, one of the mothers, is particularly unlikeable and has no redeeming qualities other than her concern for her daughter.

Halley lives by scamming and prostitution and seems to have no higher ambitions. Her daughter, Moonee, is cute at times, but once you realize she is a Halley in training, her charms lose their luster and seem to portend what she will use to fuel her scamming and prostituting as an adult.

I kept waiting for the movie to become the one in the reviews and I avoided the temptation to walk out. Thankfully the movie ended, but the ending had the same quality as the movie - attempting to be artful and poignant but failing badly.