Unlimitedia Sick Product of a Sick System

Micitype Pretty Good

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

albertsmith-32785 This is a great film about a man who tries to reconnect with his daughters and sort things out after his wife is critically injured in a boating accident. Alexander Payne has surely become a voice to be reckoned with, and each new film of his brings about a new layer of complexity to his work. George Clooney manages to show us that he indeed a good actor when in his element and both Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller are exceptional as his daughters. The setting is gorgeous Hawaii and although this isn't a "visual" film per se there is a symphony of sorts between the emotions of the main characters and the seas and plains of Hawaii. This is one unmissable film.

dexton-84908 The film is like delicately distant thunder. The rumbles are delicately contained in the wonderful performances and perfect dialogue.Hawaii setting adds its own mystique and helps deliver an incredible film which has both mournful hilarity and comedic tragedy.Performances from all are of the highest order. George and Shailene Woodley though just blow their performances away. Incredible. But I also really love the skillful comedy Nick Krause brings in his character Sid. Touches like Sid in the film keep this from being weighed down by the subject matter.For me, this film could be shown in schools to show the intricacies and idiocies of life.Aloha to a perfect 10 out of 10 for me. Films get no better

fubared1 I watched this because of all the hype, and, as usual, I was sorely disappointed. In fact, there is absolutely nothing good I can say about it. Basically, it's a 2 hour soap opera, and I've even seen better soap opera. The writing is dull, witless, and totally pedantic. The direction is formulaic at best and totally unimaginative. I've seen better TV shows. But the prize goes to the actors...some of the worst acting I've seen in years in a feature (but then I don't watch many new films). The best I can say of Clooney is that he has a funny run in sandals, but then I haven't liked anything he's done since ER. The rest of the cast is just plain bad. Bottom line? Don't waste a second on this garbage.

Zev I really liked Payne's previous movies and this one came very close to being another great, male-character-study, drama and light comedy. It's about a man who finds himself faced with a handful of life-changing crises all at once, all of them connected. His estranged wife is in a coma and may die, he suddenly finds himself forced to develop a relationship with his two difficult daughters, he discovers there has been an affair, and the paradise land he has been entrusted with has to be sold off to commercial interests.I liked most of it a lot, except for how the plot threads are tied up, most of them fading away or ending on very weak notes. Which means that this movie screams potential and is enjoyable for most of the time, then ends with a whimper.*big spoilers warning*His relationship with his daughters is the best thing in the movie, serving also the comedy and heart of the movie, with a quiet and satisfying ending.But the main plot thread about Matt is highly confused and petty. The reason for not selling the land is obviously not about saving it from commercial development like he pretends, but about getting revenge against the guy for sleeping with his wife so that he won't get the commissions. He makes a big deal about an ideal of keeping the land untainted, which never bothered him before until he found out the commissions would go to this guy. So he screws over a few dozen people just to get revenge on one. Turns out he is both petty and hypocritical. Somehow everyone seems to have missed this.His roller-coaster emotions about his wife and her affair are good for a while, but end very hollow with an unrealistically loving and forgiving speech after all that he found out about her, especially given his estrangement until then.Oh, and I found the Hawaiian elevator-music soundtrack annoying.And the secondary plot threads? Sid is an incredibly insensitive mildly amusing jerk at first, then suddenly stops being a jerk and tells a sob story. Hardly good character development there. Elizabeth's father blames everyone except his daughter and is horrible to everyone, except he cries for his daughter so we are supposed to feel sorry for him. Speer's wife has a good role with a complex ending when she comes to the hospital and her grand gesture turns into a rant. So her character does well. But, like I said, the main plot threads of the land and Matt's search to find the man who turned him into a cuckold both end on a really petty note. What a waste of a good movie.