There's two movies going on in here. The movie hooks you with its efficiency vs effectivity debate as personified by the characters played by Clooney en Kendrick. Clooney's character is really well defined and interesting, while Kendrick's a little more one-note and annoying, so that doesn't make for the most compelling drama. As the movie goes along, this plot falls by the wayside and it sets up an arc about Clooney's character needing to settle down in life. The way that that's presented to the viewer feels a little backwards, watching it now it feels like Clooney's take on relationships has become more accepted by society, but the movie insists that it's immature and a character flaw. Eventually it turns Clooney's views on relationships against himself, which leads to some interesting drama but you don't entirely buy he'd care this much about his life being empty. The resolution with Anna Kendrick's character is even less satisfying, it feels like it hits the reset button on a lot of the progress that was made before that and it goes with an ending that doesn't say much about anything. It's just not a great story, however there's definitely stuff to like here. The snappy editing, solid cinematography and witty dialogue make this an easy watch, it's a major directorial improvement compared to Juno. Clooney, who could play this type of role in his sleep, is great. Vera Farmiga has a great screen presence. These elements are just not enough for me to elevate it to something I'd recommend.
Review by JordyVIP 8BlockedParent2024-04-26T09:30:36Z
There's two movies going on in here. The movie hooks you with its efficiency vs effectivity debate as personified by the characters played by Clooney en Kendrick. Clooney's character is really well defined and interesting, while Kendrick's a little more one-note and annoying, so that doesn't make for the most compelling drama. As the movie goes along, this plot falls by the wayside and it sets up an arc about Clooney's character needing to settle down in life. The way that that's presented to the viewer feels a little backwards, watching it now it feels like Clooney's take on relationships has become more accepted by society, but the movie insists that it's immature and a character flaw. Eventually it turns Clooney's views on relationships against himself, which leads to some interesting drama but you don't entirely buy he'd care this much about his life being empty. The resolution with Anna Kendrick's character is even less satisfying, it feels like it hits the reset button on a lot of the progress that was made before that and it goes with an ending that doesn't say much about anything. It's just not a great story, however there's definitely stuff to like here. The snappy editing, solid cinematography and witty dialogue make this an easy watch, it's a major directorial improvement compared to Juno. Clooney, who could play this type of role in his sleep, is great. Vera Farmiga has a great screen presence. These elements are just not enough for me to elevate it to something I'd recommend.
4.5/10