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Breakable You
A near brilliant lead performance from an unexpected source was the primary pleasure of a 2017 drama called Breakable You with more than its share of problems, including a talky and pretentious screenplay and the fact that only about a third of the movie really works.
The film is a claustrophobic look at the Wellers, a sophisticated Manhattan family and the people and circumstances in their orbit. Adam Weller (Tony Shaloub) is a playwright who has a chance to save his failing career when the opportunity presents itself for him to present the last play written by a deceased professional rival as his own; his ex-wife Eleanor Weller (Oscar winner Holly Hunter) is a therapist who seems to hate her work and has recently begun an affair with her brother--in-law (Alfred Molina); their daughter Maud Weller (Cristin Milioti) is a know-it-all college professor who's in love with a former actor (Omar Metwally) who refuses to climb out of the hole he has been hiding in since the death of his daughter.
Director and co-screenwriter Andrew Wagner makes a bold attempt at a look at family dysfunction in the Big Apple, but the film comes off like Grade Z Woody Allen with all the dialogue having an "aren't we all so clever" air about it, not to mention that of the three primary stories being presented here, only one really held this reviewer's interest. I didn't care about Eleanor and the brother-in-law because Hunter and Molina had absolutely no chemistry and Maud and her boyfriend were pretty much fingernails on a chalkboard every time they hit the screen.
The only time this movie really came to life was when Emmy and Golden Globe winner Tony Shaloub moved in the middle of the proceedings. This character was warm, brilliant and most importantly, deliciously flawed. This was another movie character who spoke without filter, but not without consequence which legitimized the character and Shaloub inhabited this character completely, showing a depth and sensitivity I have never seen from the actor. He was better here than he was in Big Night. Shaloub delivers the kind of performance that ignites tear ducts, breaks hearts, and wins awards.
The film does have some other virtues. I mentioned Grade Z Woody Allen above and I have to say that Wagner's photographic representation of Manhattan is on the money. Haven't seen New York look this beautiful since Hannah and her Sisters and there are a pair of classy cameos from Caroline Aaron and Brooke Adams. But what we basically have here is a third of a really good movie. Unfortunately, there are two other thirds that make this film seem interminable, but the film is worth checking out for the dazzling performance from Tony Shaloub.
A near brilliant lead performance from an unexpected source was the primary pleasure of a 2017 drama called Breakable You with more than its share of problems, including a talky and pretentious screenplay and the fact that only about a third of the movie really works.
The film is a claustrophobic look at the Wellers, a sophisticated Manhattan family and the people and circumstances in their orbit. Adam Weller (Tony Shaloub) is a playwright who has a chance to save his failing career when the opportunity presents itself for him to present the last play written by a deceased professional rival as his own; his ex-wife Eleanor Weller (Oscar winner Holly Hunter) is a therapist who seems to hate her work and has recently begun an affair with her brother--in-law (Alfred Molina); their daughter Maud Weller (Cristin Milioti) is a know-it-all college professor who's in love with a former actor (Omar Metwally) who refuses to climb out of the hole he has been hiding in since the death of his daughter.
Director and co-screenwriter Andrew Wagner makes a bold attempt at a look at family dysfunction in the Big Apple, but the film comes off like Grade Z Woody Allen with all the dialogue having an "aren't we all so clever" air about it, not to mention that of the three primary stories being presented here, only one really held this reviewer's interest. I didn't care about Eleanor and the brother-in-law because Hunter and Molina had absolutely no chemistry and Maud and her boyfriend were pretty much fingernails on a chalkboard every time they hit the screen.
The only time this movie really came to life was when Emmy and Golden Globe winner Tony Shaloub moved in the middle of the proceedings. This character was warm, brilliant and most importantly, deliciously flawed. This was another movie character who spoke without filter, but not without consequence which legitimized the character and Shaloub inhabited this character completely, showing a depth and sensitivity I have never seen from the actor. He was better here than he was in Big Night. Shaloub delivers the kind of performance that ignites tear ducts, breaks hearts, and wins awards.
The film does have some other virtues. I mentioned Grade Z Woody Allen above and I have to say that Wagner's photographic representation of Manhattan is on the money. Haven't seen New York look this beautiful since Hannah and her Sisters and there are a pair of classy cameos from Caroline Aaron and Brooke Adams. But what we basically have here is a third of a really good movie. Unfortunately, there are two other thirds that make this film seem interminable, but the film is worth checking out for the dazzling performance from Tony Shaloub.