The Grand Seduction (2014) Movie Review

Original casting for Tom Hanks and Wilson

I love movies that are about small towns. Probably because I never lived in a town small enough to know everyone by name, to be honest. There's something so warm and inviting about the idea. And I just love the general notion of people from Newfoundland. Those Newfies just feel like a bunch of kind-hearted-not-sure-if-they're-Irish-people. It's probably what caused me to like The Grand Seduction as much as I did, despite the fact that it has some issues at times.

Murray French (Brendan Gleeson) has been a resident of the town of Tickle Head his entire life. He remembers the good old days of the men of the town being fishermen, going out, providing for their families, then coming home and living happy lives. However, that time is now gone, and because of fishing bans, the residents of Tickle Head live paycheck to paycheck, in hopes that their town can get a factory into their town to create jobs. However, they don't have a town doctor, and without a town doctor, none of that can be improved. That's where Dr. Paul Lewis (Taylor Kitsch), a young doctor needing a break from city life, comes in. Paul is coming to Tickle Head for one month, and the residents are adament to make him fall in love with the town and stay.

The strength of the film really lies in the performances of the actors involved, specifically Gleeson and Kitsch. There's something about Brendan Gleeson's acting style that just lends him perfectly to any role he chooses, and this is no exception as he plays Murray with an instant lovable nature. He's just a guy who loves his home and will do anything to make sure it continues to carry on. Kitsch is equally as good, playing a departure from the characters he's known for, instead playing a naive kind doctor looking to make a change and find where he fits in. It's nice seeing him do this kind of movie, instead of the big budget stuff that seems to follow him post Friday Night Lights.

The supporting cast is all decent, none of them particularly standing out, though I felt, for a movie trying to make you root for its residents and invite you into their lives, I never really knew a whole lot about anyone besides Murray and Paul. That along with some pacing issues as well as musical choices for scenes left me wondering why such a delightfully written and directed film could lose steam in certain scenes as fast as they did. However, they do make the town look like everything you'd expect from a small fishing town of less than 150 people, so kudos for that.

Ultimately, The Grand Seduction probably won't stick with you long after you've seen it. It's a nice, light film with strong performances from the always reliable Brendan Gleeson, and Tim Riggins himself Taylor Kitsch. It's got fun dialogue and clearly a labour of love to make, but falters in scenes where it should be cementing itself. Not quite a seduction, but still pretty damn enchanting.

Grade: B-

The Normal Heart (2014) Movie Review

How would you react to seeing your friends, the people you loved, and anyone you really identified with, dying without any end in sight? That is the focus at the center of The Normal Heart, the new HBO film by Ryan Murphy. Set in the early 1980's at a time when gay men finally felt comfortable with their sexuality, and love. However it is not long before they start to get sick, unable to do anything to stop the AIDS virus from spreading. At the heart of this problem is Ned Weeks, an openly gay screenwriter who is fighting anyone and everyone who stands in his way to find a cure. Except the government seems to be absent when it comes to funding, despite overwhelming research conducted by Dr. Emma Brookner (Julia Roberts). So the war wages on while an epidemic threatens to wipe out an entire generation.

Originally performed as a stage play written by Larry Kramer, The Normal Heart definitely feels like a play. It's full of monologues, features a tight ensemble and is over two hours long. But, like a play, the performances shine through in it. Mark Ruffalo has never been better as Ned, pouring his heart and soul into every fit of rage, powerful monologue and emotional breakdown. Julia Roberts is equally good, bringing the sense of frustration and loss over not being able to do anything to treat these dying men, but never losing hope. Alfred Molina does strong work in a handful of scenes as Ben, Ned's brother, who wants to help but still isn't sure about this whole gay community yet. Jonathan Groff is also strong in a few scenes as Craig, Ned's close friend.

However, the performances from Taylor Kitsch, Jim Parsons and, particularly, Matt Bomer are what surprised me. Kitsch, known for Friday Night Lights and John Carter, is fantastic as Bruce Niles. He brings an honesty to the character, one who is still in the closet because he is in the army, yet doesn't know how to take in everything happening around him. His scenes with Ruffalo were always good. Parsons was a massive surprise for me. As someone who doesn't care much for The Big Bang Theory, he shows a lot of range as Tommy. While his natural cadence mirrors Sheldon Cooper a tad much, the underlying sadness and loneliness his character felt, along with a particularly moving funeral scene, won me over. 

But it was Matt Bomer who I think deserves some serious looks for Emmy voters. Known primarily for the show White Collar, as well as Magic Mike, Bomer gives a gut-wrenching performance as Felix Turner, Ned's lover. He plays into the fact that he's very handsome, but throws you off with a vulnerability, and later, a sense of looming fear and death that gave me a lump in my throat. That, along with the grueling transformation he went through, showed me an actor looking to get his hands on more substantial work.

Make no mistake though, this film isn't for everyone. If homosexuality makes you uncomfortable in the least, you will not like this movie. There are sex scenes, plenty of kissing, and nudity to go along, and the movie does a good job of normalizing it for the viewer, instead of making a big deal of it. Also, a dude with a giant dong walks by in the first five minutes, so if you can't hang through that, you'll be okay.

While the film mainly suffers from pacing problems, and a needlessly long running time (the first half of the film feels long), it is still something that should be watched. Showing the destruction the AIDS virus caused, even at the beginning, and the lives it tore apart put a lot of things into perspective. It is a reminder that the war against it is not over, and needs to keep being fought.

Grade: B