Monday Movie Mania - A Big Bold Beautiful Journey

This is the last of the late summer/early fall movies DH and I saw at the theater. We haven't started our holiday viewing yet, though I will try to drag him to the cinema before the weekend is out to see a particular Oz-related flick.


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SPOILERS


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PROS
1) This isn't the typical Hollywood romance film. There's no grand gestures. No wild escapades. It's a bittersweet acknowledgement of the baggage we each bring into a new new relationship, and how, if we let the baggage weigh us down, it can destroy the possibility of love and happiness with the right person.

2) This is the first film of Colin Farell's I've watched that showed a softer side of his masculinity. His everyman David's desire to have a family is transposed with the magical doors showing his parents and his own failed relationships.

3) Margot Robbie's Sarah was the perfect romantic foil for David. Her desire to avoid love in order to avoid pain is also shown through the trips through the magical doors to her own past.

4) Jodie Turner-Smith was pitch-perfect as the GPS trying to get David and Sarah to see their possibilities instead of their past pain.

5) The pacing is leisurely, but appropriate, for this type of a story since it's as much about the characters working through their traumas as it is about them revealing themselves to the viewers.


CONS
1) This is one of those movies you need to be in a certain frame of mind to watch. Otherwise, your lack of attention span will drive you insane.

2) Kevin Kline and Phoebe Waller-Bridges roles as the comedic relief just didn't work. Both people have excellent comedic timing, but their scenes seemed forced. I have to presume the writing, directing, or editing didn't show their real chops.


Overall, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is a poignant look at how our pasts affect our future. I give it 9 stars out of 10.