Joe Day
Another film from my public library's vault. First, I am giving this film a ten simply because it dares to have a moral: grow up and act responsibly. I am not surprised to see so few reviews of this film. I knew immediately that Millenials in particular would hate it.The story is a rather late-coming-of-age tale of a (pushing 30-ish?) guy who seems to have it okay. He has a cute girlfriend/fiancé, a nice job and is close to his folks. Except that none of those things is "perfect" for him and so the malaise we see so often today. He has a best friend, a devil-may-care dude who also seems to have all the answers but one could imagine running into someday in a rehab center after serving time for some internet scam.For no good reason really, our hero decides that life sucks and/or is passing him by and so he "decides" to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. His best bud will go with. Except there is a catch. They cannot get their vacation times to coincide with their work schedules. So our hero, knowing this to be a once in a lifetime chance to accomplish we still-don't-know what, quits his job to match the schedule of his pal who then reneges anyway and takes off for Hong Kong! Oh, and the girlfriend from whom he is estranged is pregnant! And his folks, who just love her and gave him grandma's ring as an heirloom (which he sold so he could climb the mountain!) cannot understand why he won't wake up and smell the coffee.As a consequence, in today's climate, the parents come off harsh and intolerant, especially the father, while the mother is more accommodating. I was struck by how this boy, really, whose parents had obviously put through college and cared a great deal for, could still make such bonehead decisions.But in the end, he does come around. Except by then, the film has left a rather sour taste in the mouth. Who's side is it on? We cannot remain children forever of our own volition and in doing so, claim the prerogative to continue to blame our parents (and other adults) for hovering. The paradox is that that is precisely what children do. Everyone is this film seems willing to bend over backward for this guy but alas, it is all about him and so he just doesn't see it. I mean, he DOES, but then he doesn't or doesn't want to. It is hard to tell.The moral: grow up. I think it is a good one.
Angstypoo
I've just finished watching this, and have yet to decide whether I like it or not.It was written elegantly, which is probably the only reason I can justify giving it seven. The ending, well, it just crushed me. If you are looking to watch a movie that evokes feelings of sympathy for a well-to-do, nice-guy protagonist that cannot seem to escape the overwhelming, clichéd manipulations of his family and friends-- A dysfunction that he perpetuates with his niceness and accommodating disposition-- only to find that he gives up on the one thing it seems he has found that might give him a true measure of himself, then the next hour and twenty minutes of your life will be a real treat! In all seriousness, It was so real it could only have been found in fiction. Who knows, maybe the story just felt all too familiar to me.
