KnotMissPriceless Why so much hype?

Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

sharky_55 Kenneth Lonergan's debut film, above all things, attempts to reconcile with the fact that a brother and sister can grow up together but lead two completely different lives, and that there is ultimately little they can do to understand the other. The opening scene depicts their parents' death at a young age, and from there you can extrapolate how the rest of their childhood went; who sprung into action to take over as the stand-in adult, and who moped and drifted off into a winding trial of odd jobs and couches. Linney was born for this role. You could scarcely imagine her as a kid; she must have left the womb in a pencil skirt and wagging a stern finger. Her excitement for Terry's visit doubles as an extension of her pride in her own competence. It's her fault if she can't provide for him, never mind the fact that he is a full grown man. In their first reconciliation in the cafe, and in their subsequent spars which recall all the fights they had in the family home, Lonergan shows a knack for writing dialogue that ducks and weaves around the point, always concealing underhanded blows and accusations amongst the awkward pauses. Sammy's way of life is an affront to Terry's decisions, an unspoken condemnation in her every move. I've seen this film a dozen times before, we all have. Usually it's pitched at the romantic comedy level, where the rough, rogue drifter returns to town and slowly but surely wins the heart of the poor widow. Oh, there'll be tricks and misunderstandings, the classic one set up here where the drifter is set a simple task (such as picking up a kid from school) and everything that could go wrong does. You expect Linney to be given an opportunity to explode her, and god knows she's been looking for one. What we get instead is a quiet moment of bonding. Rudy Junior is nailing the planks on diagonally but Terry doesn't even scold him for it, just advises him on hammering technique. Elsewhere, you watch how their relationship evolves into one of co-dependency, Rudy finally finding the father figure he never had, and Terry spending time with someone that doesn't take one look at his second-rate clothes and scraggly beard and write him off. Watch the ease in which Lonergan slips exposition in the tentative initial moments, not as story dumping, but as one of the ways in which the pair try to figure out what they mean to one another. Sammy, on the other hand, begins to have her modest yet efficient life unravel. Linney's eyes do most of the work, widening in panic whenever out of the ordinary threatens the idyll of Scottsville, New York. She dates Bob, a man so plain and unremarkable that by the end of the film we still know nothing of his character (even his name is boring). Sammy indulges in her own little sins on the side, like a smoke every now and again, and a full blown affair with his uptight boss. Her confession of the latter to the local pastor speaks volumes of the way she perceives right and wrong; she'd rather be told that she's condemned to burning in hell than admit that every now and again people need a break, and that life can get a little messy. The reveal of Rudy Junior's red neck father is the final straw - all along we've been shifting uncomfortably at the Terry-sized intrusion into her life, but he's a saint in comparison to the man that Sammy fathered a child with and then promptly broke off. Lonergan himself plays the small town priest Ron, a decisive departure from many of the more conventional Catholic authority figures the screen has graced us with. He plays the role with not a single moment of emotional betrayal, a stony faced mask that functions as a disposal point for strangers to unload their woes and worries. In a monologue that encapsulates the film, he muses on his own personal philosophy of happiness and comfort (defined through the connectedness he finds by helping others find their happiness), and then offers a pointed question to Terry: do you think your life is important? Sammy is also sitting in attendance, and by the end of the film, both have scavenged their way to an answer, although their paths are vastly different. It's blunt, but effective. Few first time directors find that sort of impartiality, and Lonergan would smooth those rough edges (visually and didactically) more than a decade later.

Red_Identity I decided to give this a go because I recently watched the director's new film, Manchester by the Sea, and loved it. This was definitely a very strong directorial debut for him. He has such a great handle on the story and the performances, especially. Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo both give some of their best work of their career, and Rory Culkin also stands out in a very noteworthy performance. It's a gentle, very observant film that really takes its time to get to know and develop its characters. There is no flashiness here, but the film is all the better for it. Lonergan has a skill for taking the mundane and changing it to become something of simplistic beauty. Even though I wasn't a huge fan of Margaret, it was evident in that film too. Really strong debut.

davemichaels0781 The film was fair with skilled acting and a fairly entertaining story (except for Linney's acting which is mediocre). However, I felt the film sent bad messages. I won't be a spoiler, but suffices to say that Linney's character's actions are tantamount to blackmail and sexual extortion. The film demonstrates that it is OK to have sex with a coworker, then use the threat of a lawsuit to advance and sluff off your responsibilities on the job. In the film Linney plays a loan officer , a basically unskilled job of questionable value to society, especially when viewed through the eyes of those victimized by the financial crises. On the other hand, her brother's character is a carpenter, a skilled hardworking position of which our society has a shortage. Yet he is portrayed as sad , pathetic, and an addicted looser. He is also apparently undeserving, as Linney's character takes much of what is rightfully his for herself, and he seems to inexplicably agree. Linney's character wants to leave work early to pick up her son, yet they never show the worker left behind who picks up the slack, or are we suppose to assume the bank closes early for her too?The film seems to imply it is OK to use kids as a human shield against criticism if they are used as the reason for shirking one's responsibilities and taking from others; a message of which I do not personally agree. I would advise the writers, next time you need a home repair or remodel, call a loan officer.

George Wright This movie is a heart-warming depiction of a group of people in a small town whose lives come together and change. Mark Ruffalo and Laura Linney are excellent in this story that starts with a very sad meeting between the two siblings but rebounds with the twists of fate that make for a complicated family adventure. Through it all, there is humor and dialogue that enliven this film, set in a small town in New York state where the two grew up and lost both parents. At one point Linney tries to navigate the waves created by her boss, brother, boyfriend, ex-husband and child. Both she and her brother are flawed human beings but they make the effort to live up to their family commitments. Matthew Broderick plays a rather unusual role among a cast of unusual characters. The other actors, Rory Culkin as the son and Jon Tenney as Bob, the boyfriend, round out the main cast. The film does not bring a complete resolution to the problems but we feel that a hopeful chapter in their lives has been told.