Lullaby (2014) Reviews

• The Critics Are Very Wrong

  cary-862014-06-19

  This is a truly beautiful and deeply moving film. While it may sound a bit depressing, it's anything but. It's funny fresh and completely life affirming. The performances are flawless and Garrett Hedlund and Richard Jenkins are magnificent. Jessica Brown Findlay, Anne Archer and Jessica Barden are also wonderful. Jennifer Hudson has never been better. The music and feel of the film is fresh and really satisfying. It made me want to call everyone I hold close and tell them exactly how much I appreciate them and love them. Life is short. See it!!

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• Wonderful drama

  scarycatreviews2014-08-19

  This is a wonderful spectacular and emotional film. It grabs at the heartstrings. It makes you think. It makes you fall in love with a wonderful cast of dynamic characters, which are flawlessly performed on screen by an all-star ensemble of a cast. I think this was directed wonderfully. I believe the story-line came together in a believable fashion. I think the viewer becomes a part of the overall story. You can relate to the characters. You seem to meld into the mindset and the actions and the emotional reality of the story. The story-line is something we all can become a part of and relate to and feel like we have gone through it or know someone that has gone through it. It shocks me that this movie has got such bad ratings. The critics are absolutely wrong on this one. This is a touching story. A wake up call so you can say what needs to be said and done before it's too late. Like I say this is a film that is a true drama that needs to be seen. It's almost as if coming to a point in your life when you realize what needs to be done, has to be done now, there's a deadline and it makes you experience that reality. It's great and funny at times. Nice originality and a relatable cast, relatable story and a flow of the direction, we all can become a part of. The film is very fresh. It seems like it's a moment of everyday life that you come in-sync with at what's taking place. At times you laugh, you're moved through an emotional journey of life and death and choices. You can finish my review here: http://www.abucketofcorn.com/2014/07/lullaby-2014.html

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• Rather tedious

  Gordon-112014-09-04

  This film tells the story of a dysfunctional family, who is reunited by the terminally ill father's decision to pull himself off life support. "Lullaby" is named quite the opposite of what it really is. It is a dark film with a lot of arguments and dysfunctional interactions. It is not easy to watch. The pacing is very slow, and I think the film can be a lot shorter, especially by cutting out the music scenes that are unnecessarily long. Jennifer Hudson is memorable as a nurse with attitude, I am quite unsure if nurses in the States really act like that! The ending speech by the daughter is very touching, but it is still not enough to save "Lullaby" as a tedious film.

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• Wallows in Its Own Melancholy

  larrys32014-07-30

  I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree with reviewers on this site, as I found this film one of the most depressing I've seen in quite awhile. I imagine the writer and director, Andrew Levitas, wanted to bring forth the messages of enjoy life while you can and be open with family and friends, and while there is some poignancy near the end of the movie, I just found the road to get there a slow and torturous one. The characters and dialog came across to me as wooden and stilted, like they were just saying their lines but I never got a sense of really knowing them. Additionally, it seemed like the cast occasionally would come out with an ad-lib or "inside joke" where they all laughed, but when I spot this in a film it really annoys me. The story, often told in flashbacks, revolves around the rich patriarch of the family, Robert Weinstein (Richard Jenkins) wanting to have his doctor (Terrence Howard) help him in an assisted suicide. Robert has managed to stay alive 12 years , after getting an initial prognosis that he would be dead in 6 months. However, now he's tired of all the debilitating procedures that he has endured and wants to end it all. So his estranged son Jonathan (Garrett Hedlund) is returning to New York, although still filled with anger and resentment, to join his mother Rachel (Anne Archer) and sister Karen (Jessica Brown Findlay) at the hospital. Thus, the bulk of the movie centers on the family dynamics playing out in a 24 hour period, which to me, as mentioned were filled with morose, depressive, and melodramatic scenes. There's a side story here, where Jonathan befriends 17-year-old Meredith at the hospital, who is terminally ill with bone cancer. Levitas makes sure we know that all the kids in the cancer ward will never enjoy the life of those who aren't ill. Amy Adams is advertised as a star of the film, but her screen time is limited. She always "lights up the screen" with her charisma, but her character here is half-baked and underdeveloped. I thought it was an affront to the viewer to list her as one of the main attractions here. I don't mean to sound curmudgeonly or mean-spirited here, but unless a viewer is undergoing similar personal themes in their lives and can relate that way, I would not regard this movie as entertainment, but more of an exercise in melancholia, the way it is presented.

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• Really poor quality

  anpa_272016-12-06

  Don't let the present 6.2 rating here fool you. This movies is below the average. And please do not watch it because you like Amy Adams. She barely appears in the movie. The whole plot looks forced, specially Adams' character, which was there probably to fool viewers into watching this. The story does not lead anywhere and tries too hard to be a lesson in life. Pretentious, without any new ideas, and pointless are the best adjectives to describe it. It's the first work of this director, who clearly intended to make a emotionally loaded movie with a message, but ended with a broken piece.

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