The Greatest

Here's a typical line: "That roast needs a little more pepper, let me get up and get some from the kitchen and aaaah, my son died! It huuurts! IT HUUUURTS SOOOO MUCH! HOW WILL I EVER BE ABLE TO LOVE ANYTHING AGAIN!? This is actually ground white pepper, do we have fresh black pepper? Think i saw some over by the fridge and oooooh, WHY GOD? WHY MY SON, WHY NOT SOMEONE ELSES SON?! I FEEL SO EMPTY, NOW THAT HE'S GONE!!!! found it! Knew it was still around! UNLIKE MY SOOOOOON..."

I really detested how the director put the camera on the people in the hearse and then just left it there for what seemed like an eternity. But, Carey Mulligan made the movie worth watching. Horrible music. Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon performed well but it was still hard to sit through that painful material. Probably a good movie for people who have lost a loved one, but do we all have to suffer through such stories when we are just looking for a little entertainment? Sheesh!

Another emotional drama with decent enough performances from various British actors, which starts out with an interesting premise before becoming quite boring before the end. Not enough emotional connection, not enough character depth or quirkiness to make us care about them. A bit of a flop in the end.

This movie shows you how to do a simple plot and make it meaningful. Both Susan Sarandon and Pierce Bronsan are great in the roles of grieving parents. Both of there performances make this movie worth watching.

Mulligan with her tomboyish and at the same time sweet and fragile looks quickly rises as a true screen starlet. This is her first big acting credit, and she is great as a pregnant teen. The film itself is a family melodrama, dealing with loss of family member and grief that follows after. Director/writer Shana Feste might be new to the movie world, but she did a decent job. After all, the topic itself isn't ambitious, and I have seen it made into something far too worse in the past.

"For a film devoted to investigating the complex repercussions of a sudden family death, The Greatest may be far too transparent in its bids for audience emotion." - Andrew Schenker

One of the saddest movies I have ever seen, and in being that, I have to say it is very well made. Be prepared for extreme melodrama.