As someone who saw the trailers for this but only just got around to seeing it, I'm really glad no one spoiled it for me. The trailers made it seem like one thing was happening, but then the first act flips that assumption on its head and you do start guessing whether or not they are genuinely what they say they are.
As for the "twisted" nature of what Howard's (Smith) friends do, let's not forget it came from a sound idea that was working for Norton's character's relationship with his mother. If it worked for her, why would it not work for Howard? And it did actually help him in the long run.
As for the ending, I only caught on when he arrived on the doorstep, so I only saw it coming about two minutes before the twist was revealed.
A great cast, all providing great performances, but it's one of those films that doesn't quite add up to the sum of its parts for some reason and it's not easy to pin down exactly what. At least, that's how it felt to me. Definitely worth a watch, anyway, especially if you're a fan of one or more of the actors involved.
Review by VelvetThunderVIP 7BlockedParent2017-08-07T01:17:09Z
As someone who saw the trailers for this but only just got around to seeing it, I'm really glad no one spoiled it for me. The trailers made it seem like one thing was happening, but then the first act flips that assumption on its head and you do start guessing whether or not they are genuinely what they say they are.
As for the "twisted" nature of what Howard's (Smith) friends do, let's not forget it came from a sound idea that was working for Norton's character's relationship with his mother. If it worked for her, why would it not work for Howard? And it did actually help him in the long run.
As for the ending, I only caught on when he arrived on the doorstep, so I only saw it coming about two minutes before the twist was revealed.
A great cast, all providing great performances, but it's one of those films that doesn't quite add up to the sum of its parts for some reason and it's not easy to pin down exactly what. At least, that's how it felt to me. Definitely worth a watch, anyway, especially if you're a fan of one or more of the actors involved.