My Movie Journal is Better Than Yours

Other Movies Seen By This Director (5)
- The Descendants
- Downsizing
- Election
- Nebraska
- Sideways

Notes History

Date Viewed	Venue	Note
12.30.23	Internet	Another Oscar movie getting checked off the list. The trailer for this had a very 70s throwback vibe but mostly it looked like a vehicle for Paul Giamatti to act. The trailer turned out to be very apt because this movie adopts every artifice of an early 70s movie that it can. I'd say it tries too hard to be a 70s movie actually, trying to fit into Hal Ashby's oeuvre. The result is kind of weird in that I guess it does work as a 70s movie but it's also kind of beholden to that formula. The performances are all great so the movie's not boring (really I liked it pretty good in case I'm sounding too negative here), but it's also staid and a little familiar, especially the last act. The snowy scenery is nice though so it's like a comforting movie to watch except you know a somewhat bummer 70s ending is coming and it's more than two hours long for some reason. Giamatti is good though. His eye work is great. And the kid is good. His mouth work is great. And the lady from Only Murders in the Building is pretty good except her accent is a little shaky. It does fit in nicely with stuff like Nebraska and About Schmidt and Sideways though. None of that Downsizing bullshit. So yeah, I liked it even though seeing a retro version of a Miramax logo is really bizarre.