I loved this story of a practical joking father trying to reconnect with his workaholic daughter despite its excessive length (2:42). Jack liked the second half a lot, though we both agree it could have been much shorter. Director/writer Maren Ade (MAR-in AH-day) apparently said she thought cutting it would hurt its pace and, frankly, its languidness didn't bother me as much as it did Jack.
Ade also said she doesn't really consider it a comedy (I agree) though it has lots of hilarious moments and some pretty funny, intensely awkward scenes. Sandra Hüller and Peter Simonischek (both new to me) are quite wonderful as the leads and the supporting cast works well.
Nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar (it's a German production, with dialogue in German, Romanian, and English) and much lauded at Cannes a year ago, its American remake is already in motion with Jack Nicholson and Kristen Wiig to star and Ade to produce along with Wiig, Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, and more (those could change, but they would be great). I predict that the remake will be more the speed of us short-attention-spanned Americans.
Speaking of the Oscars--this Sunday!--here's the running list of nominees, sorted alphabetically.
If you suffer from Motion Picture Motion Sickness (here's my complete MPMS list), sit in the back because the camera does swing wildly from time to time.
No composer is credited, though a Gabriel Grote is listed for additional music. There's nothing posted online.
Rated R for nudity and sex, this is not for kids but is much beloved by Rotten Tomatoes' critics, averaging 93% to its audiences 80. I recommend it for those with patience. You will be rewarded.
No comments:
Post a Comment