Beautiful Boy

First Hit: A very personal film about a parent’s deeply felt and dark journey through his son’s addiction.

Despite excellent acting, especially on Timothee Chalamet’s part as the son Nic, this isn’t a joyful film. For anyone who has experienced addiction or has been a parent of an addicted child, it is not an easy film to watch. Its title comes from a John Lennon song about his son Sean.

The story is from the perspective of David Sheff (Steve Carell), Nic’s dad. The film jumps time confusingly but it is clear when we are watching their relationship grow and Nic is a child. David is married to Karen (Maura Tierney) but she’s not Nic’s mother. David divorced his first wife Vicki (Amy Ryan) who ended up moving to Los Angeles. There are telephone conversations between Vicki and David that are realistic in that each parent is blaming the other for not doing enough for their son’s struggle.

Confusingly we dance forward and backward in time through instances of Nic’s addiction behaviors and fiascos. I’m not sure why it was done this way, but when I have to figure out what point in time the scene is referring to, I’m not engaged and dislike having to piece the story together. I get turned off.

However, on the up side of the film, Chalamet does a great job of being an addict. His arguments and persuading his family and others to do what he wants, including giving him money, is spot-on.

There are numerous scenes that expose everyone’s engagement and caring for Nic and this is commendable.

Carell is strong as the father that will do anything to help his son. When he learns to let go, I breathed a sigh of relief because, to survive he had to let go. Chalamet was excellent. His scenes of sliding back into wanting to use again were perfect. Ryan was fantastic as the mother who cared, yet knew nothing about what to do, or how to do it. Tierney was sublime. She showed empathy towards David, cared about Nic, and loved her children. The scene when she follows Nic and his girlfriend after robbing her home, was wonderfully developed and executed. Luke Davies and Felix Van Groeninger wrote a good, if at times, confusing script. Groeninger’s direction needed to be better given the times shifts that caused confusion.

Overall: Deeply personal film that will not be everyone’s cup of tea.

The Infiltrator

First Hit:  Tension begins early and stays through to the end of the film – well done.

The setting is the 1980’s. Columbian cocaine is pouring into the United States through Florida.

The US Government is doing what it can to stop the flow of drugs. Nancy Reagan’s “Just say no” campaign was in full bloom and most of the U.S. Customs department’s war on drugs was to follow the flow of the drugs.

One of Customs’ best agents Robert Mazur (Bryan Cranston) thinks that a better way to get to the top of the cartel was to “follow the money”. He and his partner Emir Abreu (John Leguizamo) set themselves up as a company with bank money laundering connections. Mazur takes the alias of Bob Musella. The way these two find their way to the right banking and cartel connections is filled with tense scenes made only better by the acting, especially by Cranston.

One thing that struck me was the complicated way things came together. There were a lot of characters and plot elements, however, I felt like it how a real life setup might unfold.

For instance, during a conversation with a cartel member in a strip club, Musella said he was engaged. He did this because he didn’t want to partake in a sexual encounter and he was fully committed to his wife Evelyn (Juliet Aubrey). Stating he was engaged required the U. S. Customs agency to set him up with a finance. His hard line boss Bonnie Tischler (Amy Ryan), selects a newly minted agent Kathy Ertz (Diane Kruger) which created its own level of tension and concern because she had no experience.

The film and scenes we’re not done in a highly slick manner, which worked for me because otherwise would have made the film appear too staged. Where Ertz and Musella worked best was during the scenes to develop a relationship with cartel member Roberto Alcaino (Benjamin Bratt) and his wife Gloria (Elena Anaya).

Cranston was really strong in this role based on a true story. His ability to create tension for his life and his family’s life was palpable. Leguizamo was perfect as his partner that seemed the on edge of being a really smart and partially unhinged. Ryan was perfect as the hard-line female Customs boss. Kruger was wonderful as the undercover fiancé. Bratt and Anaya were very strong as major components of the cartel. Ellen Sue Brown wrote a very strong script. Brad Furman did a wonderful job of making the film work by not making it too slick.

Overall:  This true story from the Eighties was well represented 30 years later.

Central Intelligence

First Hit:  Silly, irreverent, and definitely fun to watch.

Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, separately, have both shown their comedic skills in films. Together they are even better.

The physical size differences between them only adds to the dynamics of their dialogue. The story is rather silly and without a lot of merit, however it makes little difference because the film is enjoyable by their interaction and the palpable fun they had working together.

Basically, Calvin Joyner (Hart) was the high school star and most likely to succeed. Marrying his high school sweetheart Maggie (Danielle Nicolet), he settled into a life of being an accountant. He’s disappointed in that he failed to succeed the way he had envisioned.

Bob Stone (Johnson) was the fat kid whom everyone picked on in high school and when he’s embarrassed by kids at a school function, it is Calvin that has his back. Many years later Bob has lost the weight and has become, well, The Rock (Johnson’s WWE wrestling name). He also works for the CIA and enrolls Calvin to help him solve a case. They are hilarious together.

Johnson is fabulously funny. He’s got a great persona and knows how to leverage his size, personality, and the wink to make it all work incredibly well. Hart is his maniac hyper active self, spewing out comedic twists of dialogue. He’s fun to watch and its better when he’s paired up like this. Nicolet was good as Calvin’s strong supportive wife. Amy Ryan was very good as the CIA boss who was after Stone and Joyner. Ike Barinholtz, David Stassen, and Rawson Marshall Thurber wrote a strong comedic script. Thurber did a wonderful job directing these two dynamic characters.

Overall:  If you want to sit back and enjoy some irreverent humor, then see this film.

Jack Goes Boating

First Hit: At times it was well acted and engaging but overall the unevenness took away from its impact.

This is a sweet story of Jack (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman) who lives his life in a quiet desperation. He would like a relationship and yet keeps his life in control and on a very short leash.

He’s a limousine driver, listens to the same cassette tape over and over again, has scruffy natural dreadlocks from not combing his hair and barely looks comfortable in any situation. His best friend Clyde (played by John Ortiz) is also a limo driver, is married to an edgy girl named Lucy (played by Daphne Rubin-Vega), and they both want Jack to be happy and settled in a good relationship unlike theirs.

Lucy and Clyde introduce Jack to Connie (played by Amy Ryan) who is a bit afraid of the world, is smart but hesitant, and has the vibration of having given up trying to have a relationship. The beauty of this film is in the moments when Jack and Connie are together and some of the best moments are when there is no dialogue.

The silences of both of them processing information and dealing with their own thoughts and insecurities are wonderful. Their dialogue is in tune with their experience of life and direct with a beautiful honesty.

They have a first date in early winter and plan a second date for the summer to go boating. You have to love that. However, they do figure out they can actually have dates in-between.

The downside of this it the film felt uneven in its execution. At times it had the pacing of a slower character study French film and at other times the pace was a bit too quick.

Hoffman both directed and starred. From an acting point of view he is solid as Jack and the deep smoldering anger that shows up in one particular moment is very defining and clearly in character. As a director the unevenness is directly related to an unsure way of how to direct this story in addition to plot difficulties that needed refinement. Ryan was exquisite and she also carried much of her role within and let it show evenly and with clarity. Ortiz’s character was difficult to understand and I don’t know if it was the role, him or the direction. Rubin-Vega was angry most of the film and it was within the character. But I wanted to know more as to why she felt so angry. Because of this her character felt constrained but key to the major dramatic moments.

Overall: A good film, some strong acting, and a story about people we might not see because they are hiding within most of the time.

Gone Baby Gone

First Hit: This film is very well done. From story to the direction to the acting it was elegantly executed.

Ben Affleck has found a place to stride his talent.

His directing in this film is tense and taut which kept me fully engaged throughout. There are more than 2 possible endings in this film and none of them were telegraphed but slightly hinted at as the film progressed.

The film holds together very well and really holds true to the Boston roots from which it came. The neighborhood where this film begins is aptly represented and treated with honest reverence by showing the the people who are born and die there and the accents true to the area.

Casey Affleck has his first major starring role and he doesn’t disappoint. He is fully believable as the private detective who is hired to find the little girl by using his lifelong connections with the neighborhood to make this happen.

Overall, the other actors including Amy Ryan as the mother, Ed Harris as a lead detective and Morgan Freeman as the police chief are very strong and help to develop this story to its final conclusion.

The story is about a little girl that is kidnapped and the lies that surround it. Most of the characters use their mistruths to point the unfolding drama in a particular light and direction.

Casey’s job is to discover the truth and take action that is in accordance with his truth of how things need to be resolved. That his girlfriend is in concert and in conflict with him accurately develops their relationship and path together.

Overall: This is a very well done film and one of the best overall executed films of the year.