Wednesday 18 February 2015

Mini Reviews: Hello I Must be Going (2012), Thanks for Sharing (2012), Smashed (2012)

I appear to have recently found some hidden gems on Netflix recently instead of the usual ABC Family/Made for TV tripe that I usually succumb to.  Rather than a lengthy review for each, I decided to add these to the mini review series.

Hello I Must Be Going (2012)




Young divorcee Amy has to move back in with her parents and manage her heartbreak and depression, until a younger guy give her hope and passion for the future.  I always liked Melanie Lynskey in Two and a half men so I liked the idea of this from the get-go.  She was brilliant as expected, highlighting the pitfalls of being divorced and back at home with humour and sharp dialogue.  Blythe Tanner is great as the disapproving mother who is at her wits end with her daughter and is determined to make her move on.  

Brilliantly witty and a real insight into the 'horrors' of middle aged divorce and having to seek solace in your parents home.







Thanks for Sharing (2012)




Three stories of sex addicts weaved together to produce a movie that highlights the harsh reality of recovery from sex addiction.  Adam (Mark Ruffalo) is a 5 years 'sober' and hiding his past from his new girlfriend, his sponsor Mike (Tim Robbins) dealing with the aftermath 15 years from recovery and Neil (Josh Gad) who is in meetings because he has been court ordered to.  This has the opportunity to be really clever and approach the subject with a dark humour but instead it all seems to play out a a bit cheesy.  The acting is great throughout but I think there were much more that could have been done with this somewhat taboo topic than what was.

Entertaining enough but didn't have the depth that I was hoping for when I read the synopsis.







Smashed (2012)


A couple who's marriage is built on a love of alcohol and music start to crumble when Kate decides she needs to get sober.  This is quite a sad film to watch because Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Charlie (Aaron Paul) obviously love each other but tend to be a bad influence on each other.  Always harder to leave someone for reasons other than falling out of love, and harder to watch.  Winstead and Paul both put in great performances as the couple who don't seem to understand each other anymore and find it hard to be around each other in their respective states. I personally would have preferred a more solid ending but these decide for yourself endings seem to be all the rage at the minute!

Heartbreaking to watch but well written and another dent in my attempt to watch all of Aaron Paul's work.




10 comments:

  1. LOVED Hello I Must Be Going and thought Lynskey was remarkable. Liked Smashed, although it is a film I readily forgot about. I haven't seen Thanks for Sharing, but I heard that Pink was actually really good in that.

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    1. Wasn't Lynskey great, I had high hopes for her when I saw she was in it but she exceeded my expectations. I couldn't forget about Smashed, it was one of those films that stuck in my mind and wouldn't go away!! Yeah Pink was good but the film overall didn't sit right with me. - Jenna

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  2. I just watched Smashed a few weeks ago, mainly picked it up because of Aaron Paul. Both him and Mary Elizabeth Winstead were so, so good. Heartbreaking but I thought it was good (though somewhat forgettable)

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    1. I'm surprised everyone finds Smashed forgettable as it story really stayed with me after I saw it - maybe it was the fact that it was heartbreaking that stuck with me rather than the actual movie! - Jen

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  3. I never saw Thanks for Sharing (it's in my Instant queue) but I absolutely loved Hello I Must Be Going and Smashed. Those two were brilliant.

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    1. Give Thanks for Sharing a go but it's not as good as the other two, by a long shot. Let me know what you think :-)
      - Jenna

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  4. Haven't seen any of these. Smashed appears to be the most intriguing. I can see myself checking that one out sometime soon.

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    1. Do it!! Let me know what you think :-)
      - Jenna

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  5. Hello I Must Be Going was great, Blythe Danner stole the movie. Smashed was all kinds of wonderful, it was heartbreaking and the performances were fantastic.

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    1. Danner was pretty awesome, I was almost glad when she wasn't in a scene because it gave Lynskey a chance to shine,
      - Jenna

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