In his
follow-up to the Oscar winning The
Fighter, David O. Russell gives us a heart-warming romantic comedy about a
dysfunctional family trying to work things out. For a romantic comedy it has a
very unique feel to it and much more human drama then your average romantic
comedy.
David O.
Russell has written an amazing script, which perfectly balances drama, comedy
and romance, while also fleshing out all characters pretty well. The wide cast
of characters all seem to have some problems with their life, either mental,
economical or a dysfunctional family or marriage, so there is a lot to grasp
at, but I feel the script balances it all very well. I can´t remember last time
I saw a film, where I felt every supporting character was as interesting as the
main characters almost and they all felt like unique yet believable characters.
Yet
again Russell shows us that he is a man who knows how to direct actors. Bradley
Cooper a performance that is both touching and comedic as he struggles with
mental problems. It was very well done in the scenes where he has breakdowns as
they managed to uncomfortable in way, yet they would make you laugh, and it
takes a very good actor and director to accomplish that. Robert De Niro and
Jackie Weaver also do wonders as his parents. Robert De Niro actually surprised
me a lot in the film as his character seemed a little odd at first, but as his
character unfolded throughout the movie, I really grew to love his performance.
The big star of the film however is Jennifer Lawrence, as the dysfunctional
Tiffany who forms a bond with Patrick. Lawrence gives a great, unpredictable
performance and her character is so well written and Lawrence is perfect in the
role.
Now
while I think Russell does a great job with the actors and in balancing the
comedy with the drama, I do have some problems with how he chooses to film. It
is easy to see his style carry over from The
Fighter, but I do feel that sometimes there is too much movement in the
camera. I am a fan of having a constantly moving camera, but at times it felt
like he had the cameraman running around all over the place and it became
distracting to a certain degree. I also noticed that during the first act I
felt there were way too many close-ups, but he started mixing it up after a
while. Another issue with the fast moving camera is that at times when
switching shots between a shot moving one way to a shot moving differently, I
could tell the shot begin as the editor kept half a second too much in the
beginning of the scene so that we could see the movement start, something that
took me out of the film a couple of times.
My
issues with camera work aside, I really enjoyed this film. Russell directs very
well for the most part and he has written a masterful script. The actors
utilize the wonderful script they have been given to give both funny and
touching performances. The film is one of the best romantic comedies in the
last few years and a great time at the theatre.
4/5
No comments:
Post a Comment