BEFORE: The Bradley Cooper chain rolls on. This is one of those films that simply everyone was talking about last year, and I admit sometimes the more I hear about a film, the more likely I am to add it to the list. However, that sometimes is a double-edge sword, because if I hear too MUCH about a film, then when it finally makes it to the top of the list, I know so many details that watching it almost becomes an afterthought. This is what happened with "Gravity", for example.
THE PLOT: After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.
AFTER: Yeah, I'm kind of torn on this one, and I'm not sure I can adequately say why. Clearly this struck a chord with audiences because of its portrayal of mental health issues (my theory is that everyone's a little bit crazy) or maybe because it showcases an underdog character who's trying to deal with a failed marriage. God knows a lot of people have been through that, myself included.
It seems inspirational in that we all encounter times in our life when things don't go so well, either on the job front or in relationships, and it's important for people to remember that hope springs eternal. There can always be a new job or a new relationship on the horizon, if we just set out to look for it. (Funny thing about the horizon, though, it's always far off - if you carry the metaphor to the extreme, you will never actually reach the horizon...)
It also comes down to whether you're the sort of person who sees the proverbial glass as "half full" or "half empty".. Me, I tend to see a glass that's twice as big as it needs to be. Plus I want to know who the heck's been drinking from my glass?
I don't have much experience with bipolar people - but I know what it feels like to manufacture cause and effect relationships in life. If I search for a new job, I will find one - but only if I wear my lucky tie to the interview, or something like that. I don't have the kind of OCD that makes me turn light switches on and off multiple times, but I've got the kind that makes me want to alphabetize and organize things the way I like them. Fortunately, this can be overcome with plain, old-fashioned laziness. Sure, I want to have my comic books in order, the compulsion is always there, but damn, that involves a lot of lifting of very heavy boxes. Maybe tomorrow...or the day after that, and so on.
The main character here gets it in his head that if he can perform well at the dance competition, he can get his wife back. But dude, why would you WANT her back? This is the strange mindset of someone who got cheated on - the conflict comes when he wants his old life back, he wants things to be the way they used to be, and at the same time, he's blind to the fact that maybe things were never that good to begin with. But he's got to realize this on his own terms before he can move on.
There's an obvious connection made to the lunacy of sports fans here, who believe that if they wear their lucky shirt, or watch the game in the exact same chair or with the exact same people they were with the last time, their team will win again. I think every sports fan HAS to know, deep down, that their actions or attitudes have no bearing on the results of the game - yet somehow watching a football game in the U.S. has become an activity, instead of what it really is, which is a "passivity". Or a non-activity, whichever term you prefer. Why do so many people shout at the TV during sporting events? They know the team can't hear them, right?
So we have this sort of mass hysteria, and it's not just in this country, I'm including soccer fans into the mix too - it's this weird competition where people need to prove they are bigger fans of THEIR team than other people are of another team. People, the competition is on the field, not in the parking lot or your living room.
To me this is putting the cart before the horse - a team needs to accomplish something first before I will pay attention, otherwise I'm wasting my time and just setting myself up for the heartbreak of failure. Red Sox, Mets, Patriots - I'm not watching any games until they make the playoffs. It's just a time-saver. People who attend every game, follow all the stats, play in fantasy leagues - need to have their heads examined.
Also starring Jennifer Lawrence (last seen in "X-Men: Days of Future Past"), Robert De Niro (last seen in "New Year's Eve"), Jacki Weaver (last seen in "The Five-Year Engagement"), Chris Tucker, John Ortiz, Julia Stiles (last seen in "O"), Dash Mihok (last seen in "The Thin Red Line").
RATING: 5 out of 10 crabby snacks
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