Collateral Beauty - (d)David Frankel ( 2016)

 Last night, I was planning on watching Fences, but the copy I had, didn't help; and I had to go for an alternative. This was just below that DVD, and I thought, well, Will did a brilliant job with "In the pursuit of Happyness", so why not ? Well, here's why not.

 

The Bad: It's a superficial, crude plot. The manipulation and the contrivances is apparent. And I will not even touch on the political correctness that some of the reviewers have gone on about, for, in real life when much is at stake, that does take a step back. One reviewer has called it a Seasonal weepie, and all for a good reason. A modern day " Christmas Carol", which is saved by the cast to some degree. The scene, when Howard regains control and  talks to his three friends, and how he knows the battles that each of them have been battling, was possibly the most artificial part of the movie to me. It possibly is  the icing in the pudding, which expected a lot of continuous naivety, from its viewers.

The good:  The Cast -  Will Smith really impresses, as does, Helen Mirren, in particular.  Edward Norton, Michael Peña and Kate Winslet does too.

For all the credulity that one is keen to distance from, one cannot deny that the movie has pieces of dialogue that can have its effect.

Rafi to Claire:

"There was this dust dealer up on
187th who gave me Brave New World.
That book turned hours into seconds.
He was my father.
And there was this homeless woman
who lived under
the University Heights bridge.
Her name was Flora.
She was batshit crazy,
but she told me the greatest stories.
She was my mother.
See, Claire,
your children don't have to come from you.
They go through you.
So, I wouldn't consider
the battle with time over just yet."

This one made the most impact on me.

And of the scenes ?  the little phantasmagorical scene where the old woman appears to be "death" (Brigitte) , who had spoken to Madeline at the hospital, had its impression on me.

Given that the movie sold well, despite the negative reviews the movie got from day one, suggests that the world actually is less cynical that most of the reviewers appear to be. 

My Rating - **1/2