'Four good days' is nothing if not a vehicle for Mila Kunis and Glenn Close. Whatever the size or tone of the parts, both are incredible actors and have demonstrated their skills time and again. This is easily the least glamorous role Kunis has ever taken on, and Close has likewise had few roles that seemed so down to earth. Both wield strong nuance and depth in their performances, realizing Molly and Deb with every ounce of emotion and range they possess. It's a joy to watch them here, and gratifyingly, they dominate the screen at almost all times. To that point, commendations as well to the makeup, hair, and wardrobe departments for their fine work in actualizing these characters.
I wish I could give further additional praise, but I find myself a bit at odds. I'm very much a fan of both stars. Yet there's a point to be made that the movie is maybe too melodramatic and awash in sentimentality for its own good. To no small extent, 'Four good days' feels like Oscar bait, a feature designed from the bottom up to tug at the heartstrings and score accolades for its stars, or some element of its craftsmanship. Plenty of other movies have told similar stories, just as if not more harrowing, but with a more plainspoken, understated thrust that makes them more genuine, heartfelt, and impactful, and helps them stand out all the more. The pointedly dramatic flair laid heavily upon this screenplay makes it feel all too familiar to countless other movies, to its detriment.
This is all the more unfortunate because the screenplay is based on actual events, and it's a tale that plays out time and again around the world. Passing shots of a surrounding nondescript cityscape accentuate that universality, and how despite all the grandeur of civilization we still allow it to transpire without advancing the tools or methods we use in the face of it. There are critical themes and ideas buried somewhere within this feature, but they are subsumed by the camera's true focus. There was no need to dress up the production around a narrative that speaks volumes by itself. For as unquestionably powerful as Kunis and Close are, the movie becomes not the story of Deb and her daughter, not the story of the opioid epidemic, but the story of two world-class actors dramatizing that reality for us. There's a distinct difference, and I've never felt it so clearly in a film as I do here.
This isn't bad - it is, in fact, enjoyable, if purposefully uncomfortable. It's a pleasure to watch its leads exercise their craft, and that's good, because the movie didn't pour substantial energy or resources into much of anything else. Honestly, I wanted to like 'Four good days' more than I do; would that this film were less about Mila Kunis and Glenn Close, and more about the characters and their struggles.
I wish I could give further additional praise, but I find myself a bit at odds. I'm very much a fan of both stars. Yet there's a point to be made that the movie is maybe too melodramatic and awash in sentimentality for its own good. To no small extent, 'Four good days' feels like Oscar bait, a feature designed from the bottom up to tug at the heartstrings and score accolades for its stars, or some element of its craftsmanship. Plenty of other movies have told similar stories, just as if not more harrowing, but with a more plainspoken, understated thrust that makes them more genuine, heartfelt, and impactful, and helps them stand out all the more. The pointedly dramatic flair laid heavily upon this screenplay makes it feel all too familiar to countless other movies, to its detriment.
This is all the more unfortunate because the screenplay is based on actual events, and it's a tale that plays out time and again around the world. Passing shots of a surrounding nondescript cityscape accentuate that universality, and how despite all the grandeur of civilization we still allow it to transpire without advancing the tools or methods we use in the face of it. There are critical themes and ideas buried somewhere within this feature, but they are subsumed by the camera's true focus. There was no need to dress up the production around a narrative that speaks volumes by itself. For as unquestionably powerful as Kunis and Close are, the movie becomes not the story of Deb and her daughter, not the story of the opioid epidemic, but the story of two world-class actors dramatizing that reality for us. There's a distinct difference, and I've never felt it so clearly in a film as I do here.
This isn't bad - it is, in fact, enjoyable, if purposefully uncomfortable. It's a pleasure to watch its leads exercise their craft, and that's good, because the movie didn't pour substantial energy or resources into much of anything else. Honestly, I wanted to like 'Four good days' more than I do; would that this film were less about Mila Kunis and Glenn Close, and more about the characters and their struggles.