I am glad that I had the opportunity to go to an advanced screening of this film. It was a good show overall.
Some folks have complained about overacting, but people coping with trauma/post trauma in real life overact. They do not not behave like society expects in that little box that is deemed 'normal.' It also allowed for the movie to not have a tidy Hollywood ending where everyone lives happily ever after. I felt that the characters were much more believable that way.
Samuel L. Jackson's performance was particularly strong when his character arrived late to thanksgiving dinner with his guests. Victoria Rowell was a solid counterbalance to his character throughout the entire piece as well. It would have been nice to see the roles by 50 Cent and Brian Presley switched as it would have gone against typecasting.
The biggest weakness I felt the film had was such a strong reliance on flashbacks, but they make sense for the way that the story is structured.
I also found it humorous that a Judith Krantz or was it a Susan Brown book is in a doctor's office where medical reference books should be. This appears later in the movie.
This film does not try to tackle whether the Iraqi war is right or wrong. It only asks the question as it shows viewers the aftermath of its impact on an individual level.
Some folks have complained about overacting, but people coping with trauma/post trauma in real life overact. They do not not behave like society expects in that little box that is deemed 'normal.' It also allowed for the movie to not have a tidy Hollywood ending where everyone lives happily ever after. I felt that the characters were much more believable that way.
Samuel L. Jackson's performance was particularly strong when his character arrived late to thanksgiving dinner with his guests. Victoria Rowell was a solid counterbalance to his character throughout the entire piece as well. It would have been nice to see the roles by 50 Cent and Brian Presley switched as it would have gone against typecasting.
The biggest weakness I felt the film had was such a strong reliance on flashbacks, but they make sense for the way that the story is structured.
I also found it humorous that a Judith Krantz or was it a Susan Brown book is in a doctor's office where medical reference books should be. This appears later in the movie.
This film does not try to tackle whether the Iraqi war is right or wrong. It only asks the question as it shows viewers the aftermath of its impact on an individual level.