Why do I end up on the outside of these things? Apparently this might be the most divisive movie of the year.
I think I can understand why there’s such an uproar. This is an incredibly realistic film when it comes to what it feels like to be a little boy struggling with emotions that easily overwhelm, emotions that can’t be expressed rationally. That’s why we break shit, from toys to girls’ hearts. It’s all we know to do to express ourselves.
Is a young child going to learn any lesson from this? No. Will they mimic it and try to kill the family dog with a fork? Maybe, but if they do it’s because you’re a failure of a parent. Was I moved? No. Does the film meander? Yes. Is the plot razor thin? Yes. Will this film improve with time? Probably. Is Dave Eggers an overrated writer? You better believe it. Is Spike an underrated director? For sure. He’s gonna blow us away in the future. I know that doesn’t seem possible with three substantial films already under his belt but he’s only getting better at fashioning emotional resonant works that threaten to strike us at our core.
So why didn’t this win me over? I think it’s because I identified with Max but I didn’t get on his side. And the ending, it felt like a cop-out. I think there might have been a better ending out there and they could have worked harder to find it but instead the film just stopped. Maybe that ending will show up on the DVD. Maybe Warners was scared of that ending. Only time will tell.
All that said, should you see this movie?
Absolutely.
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