BEFORE: Robin Williams carries over from "The Butler", and I'm presented with the same old conundrum, how complete should a tribute be? These films were initially much further down on my list, I think in hopes that I could add the latest "Night at the Museum" film, but the shake-up two months ago when I created the new linking thread moved them much closer to the top of the list.
I don't have access to every one of his films that I haven't seen, so should I go online and watch "The Survivors"? "Moscow on the Hudson"? Adding too many films at this point will slow me down, and could prevent me from finishing on time? But at the same time, I got one film to line up with Mother's Day, and I'm a little short if I want a different film to line up thematically with Memorial Day. OK, so a compromise - I checked the DVR for any other upcoming films starring Robin Williams that I haven't seen, and there were two of them. So my 7-film tribute has turned into a 9-film tribute, that only slows me down by 2 days, and I can still be on point for Memorial Day and Comic-Con. (Sorry, Flag Day and 4th of July...)
AFTER: If you watch this film and you're unfamiliar with New Yorkers, you might draw the conclusion that we all have these lists of people and things we hate, like the main character in this film. Well, of course, that's true. A few of mine: loud cell phone talkers, slow sidewalk walkers, people with double-wide baby carriages, people who pound out the rhythms of their songs on the subway poles, people who lean up against the subway poles with their asses, people who cough or sneeze on their hands and then touch the subway poles, generally anyone who touches my food with or without gloves, waiters who refuse to write anything down, janitors who insist on cleaning the men's room while I'm in it (Jeez, man, can't you give me 5 more freakin' minutes?), telemarketers (duh), customer service reps, Time Warner FRICKIN' cable, plumbers who don't show up ontime, people who use bad grammar, people who take offense when I point out their bad grammar, people who jump the line at the post office, postmen who bend my mail when it's marked "DO NOT BEND", lost mail, lost luggage, people who take too many carry-on bags with them on the plane, airline personnel who don't enforce the rules about carry-on bags, hipsters, people who ride those enormous old-timey bicycles or who have handlebar mustaches, people who try to up-sell me at the movie theater, people who pay for a $3 bagel with a debit card.
I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of people, but let's stop there and I'll jump back in and add more later if the mood strikes me. My point is, someone involved with this film really understands New Yorkers. To a point, that is, because there are some very fundamental mistakes here, ones that happen to advance the plot because of confusion or miscommunication, but have no bearing in reality. Like how nobody can reach each other on their cell phones when they absolutely need to, because as soon as they connect, they can find each other, and once they find each other, then the searching is over and the resolution needs to happen, and soon the film will be over. So it's too bad that the film that set out to explore anger issues and family strife turned into a big chase scene across Brooklyn - I think that's an easy trap to fall into that could have been avoided, but admittedly it would have been a much shorter film.
In the same vein, there are contradictions that stem from characters saying what they can't do, or shouldn't do, and then doing exactly that. Like "Well, I shouldn't break doctor-patient confidentially, but let me now explain that person's entire medical history." This is even worse when the thing in question is physically impossible, like "We can't possibly get all the way across the borough of Brooklyn in 30 minutes.", followed by "Hey, we did it in 17 minutes flat!" Umm, how, exactly did you just do that impossible thing, and during rush hour no less? I'm sure if you break down any quest-based film, from "The Hangover" to "The Hobbit", you're going to find little continuity hiccups, but it's not like the Tolkien characters set themselves up for failure by saying, "We can't possibly outrun all of these trolls in time!" to be followed by, "Whew, that was a close one, wasn't it?"
So there are lots of NITPICK POINTS to go around here. Why would a doctor tell someone he has just 90 minutes to live? Why would he then leave the office, instead of checking himself into a hospital? Why wouldn't said doctor make sure to admit him, rather than let him leave? The short answer is, "because if they didn't, we wouldn't have this film, we'd have this other film", but still - don't look for this one to make sense, and maybe take it as a metaphor.
Interestingly, a number of themes carry over from "The Butler", not the main plotline of course, but the themes of a parent trying to reconcile with a son, things about growing older and having regrets, and trying to make the most of what time one has left in the world. (NOTE: There are more coincidences, but I'm not mentioning them for fear of possible spoilers.)
Unfortunately this film was given an entirely different meaning, given Robin Williams' own exit from the world at a time of his own choosing. It's a shame that the actor played a character who ultimately learns that time is precious, and that there's no better time than now to reconcile with your family, and it seems like maybe that message got lost on him. I'm no expert on acting, and I understand there needs to be a separation between actors and their characters, but still, you hope that maybe when there's a positive message, some form of osmosis will carry on through.
Also starring Mila Kunis (last seen in "Ted"), Peter Dinklage (last seen in "X-Men: Days of Future Past"), Melissa Leo (last seen in "Flight"), Hamish Linklater (last seen in "Battleship"), Sutton Foster, Richard Kind (last seen in "Argo"), with cameos from Jerry Adler, James Earl Jones (last heard in "Judge Dredd"), Louis C.K.
RATING: 4 out of 10 brown bag lunches
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