American Pastoral reviewed by Mark Kermode
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- čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
- Mark Kermode reviews American Pastoral. A hardworking and respected man in 1960s America sees his life fall apart as his daughter’s radical political affiliations threaten to bring down his family.
Please tell us what you think of the film -- or Mark’s review of the film - below. We love to include your views on the show every Friday.
www.bbc.co.uk/5...
Fridays at 2pm on BBC 5 live.
I liked it. Haven't read the book and knew nothing about it (no trailer etc.). Thought there were great moments of tension, liked the period backdrop and it kept me interested. Solid.
the critics are snobs. this was a great movie with powerful performances from each of the characters.
I did enjoy this movie overall, especially the first 30 minutes and the last 30 minutes. There is definitely a lull in the middle, but this is a common issue that even some films better than this one struggle with. One of the greatest strengths in the story for me is how the daughter's obsession with what's morally right stems from something unchanging within her that was already there at childhood. That really touched me.
Ewan McGregor struggling with that accent!
and struggling to act
while i am struggling to contain my man crush on him
This mооoоvie is nоw аvаilаblе tо wаtсh hеeееrе => twitter.com/29a83b371b01fa067/status/791862306057564160 Аmеriсаn РРРаstооооral rеviеwеd bу Мark Кеrmоdее
I noticed that too. He’s usually very good with American accents. I’m Southern and thought he did a great job in Big Fish and I Love You Phillip Morris.
Why does a film playing at this level make some of the mistakes it does? (This post is intended for those who have already seen the movie...SPOILERS)
We see a montage toward the end of The Swede's age progression leading up to his death...yet at the funeral, his wife looks the same age she was when we last saw her, which was several and possibly many years before The Swede died. They didn't even bother to put some gray in her hair, a few lines on her face?
Then when Dakota Fanning shows up, we don't get a great look at her - but it certainly seemed as though she hadn't aged much, either, though many years had passed since we last saw her. Why?
Also, The Swede's brother's aging makeover seen in the beginning and ending, is utterly unconvincing. He clearly looks like a young man playing an old man. And the movie doesn't even bother to explain whether The Swede and his wife were still together when he died, or divorced - after she had verbally abused him, and been revealed to be cheating on him when we last see her, several years prior.
Why does The Swede continue to go to the abandoned building where his daughter is living in squalor - just to stand there, without trying to see her and keep reaching out to her? Seeing her living in squalor, and seeing her in a state of severe mental illness, physical deterioration and delusion and mind control - he takes no action to force her into psychiatric care? We're supposed to believe that 20 or more years pass from when he last sees her, to his death - and not only has she not died due to her horrible life, but she hasn't ended up in a mental hospital, or arrested, and somehow stays up to date on the news enough to somehow hear that her dad died...and suddenly cares enough to pay her respects? Her mom doesn't rush to her, having not seen her in many years - or even walk her to the coffin?
Yes I would like to have seen the mother daughter relationship explored. The mom perhaps covertly toxic, cold, aloof, passive aggressive and an ice Queen family fracturing, parental alienation soul destroying toxic feminine. My mom was a beauty Queen , a covert charming narcissist ,!who married rich , but was bored. Her sadistic pleasure was to destroy kind hearted, hard working, empathetic husband, my fathers relationships , isolated him, even with his children. The tragedy the damage and how the dad loved his daughter. Sometimes incompatible marriage that have children create horrific relationships and abuse and pathology 💔
There are all psychological and plot explanations to most of your questions. My take is she doesn’t age much because of more enhancements to keep her looking beautiful and she wanted to forget her daughter due to the trauma from her reaction - drove her from her husband (yet he stayed fairly firm!).
I read the book and thought it would be great for Ang Lee or Atom Egoyan to make a movie of.
Very good film,excellent directed from Ewan McGregor.Even better than the book.Superb acting from everyone.I ve seen it yesterday and I was deeply mooved.
But when Charlie Kaufman aims high...he never seems to be quite as forgiving! It seems to me that out of all the big mainstream movie critics, he is the one that celebrates movies that are safe and generic the most! Not saying he doesn't like unique films but he certainly tends to give the box ticker, generic types of films more favourable reviews in comparison to other renowned critics!
watched it yesterday. great acting. got very weird and dark at the end, though.
Yes I would like to have seen the mother daughter relationship explored. The mom perhaps covertly toxic, cold, aloof, passive aggressive and an ice Queen family fracturing, parental alienation soul destroying toxic feminine. My mom was a beauty Queen , a covert charming narcissist ,!who married rich , but was bored. Her sadistic pleasure was to destroy kind hearted, hard working, empathetic husband, my fathers relationships , isolated him, even with his children. The tragedy the damage and how the dad loved his daughter. Sometimes incompatible marriage that have children create horrific relationships and abuse and pathology 💔
I’m sorry you went through that. I see why you may crave the mother-daughter relationship... but it would have taken us away from the Swede’s perspective.
It was odd that Dawn blamed her misery on the Swede, saying he pursued her aggressively, yet she was the one who forcefully impressed her will to marry him onto his father. Hard to imagine her doing that if she were being dragged along in the relationship.
I haven't seen it yet, but it's good to hear a good review of it, that not everybody disliked it.
I thought it is an exellent film very well done even though i don' t particularly like the director,maybe it didn't do well because it is a difficult subject and not easy to watch.
'a sold bash.' that's the death knell.
Wha does that even mean?
My goodness that is spot on!!!! Exactly what I thought about the film. Wow!
Heheh, been watching Jeremy Jahns and Angry Joe reviews? This is what a real film critic sounds like.
Hated most of it. The acting was generally good, but the story was way too unrealistically over-the-top for a historical fiction, and the weird daughter-father incest subtext and that unsettling hotel seduction scene with the character and a women _younger than his daughter_ made me nearly walk out. I honestly don't know if it's the source material or the execution, but the story's rotten to me.
There's only one serviceable adaptation of a Philip Roth novel and that's Indignation.
I bet he didn't even read the book, just said he's not a fan of Philip Roth because he's lazy. Also after having read the book, having Levov played by someone with the last name Mcgregor seems like a joke
His job is to review the film on its own terms.
Very average movie with a very silly story with the overused ideas that violence in politics is dangerous and that psychoanalysis is the response to everything. What I mainly got out of it is that Dakota Fanning is a much better actress than her sister Elle!
spaceboy2095 Those were the messages that you received from the film? Those were not the messages of the movie at all...and in the case of the second one, hard to understand how you could even infer that message, since the film doesn't actually infer that at all. Not only does it not infer that, it actually portrays her psychiatrist as acting unprofessionally, unethically, harmfully, and illegally. Maybe you should watch it again, because you misinterpreted the meaning.
Greg Winston What I meant was that everything can be explained by psychoanalysis because it is a traumatic event in her young age that triggered her whole attitude towards life and that is clearly something Freud would think. Now that 1 give psychoanalyst in it doesn't change the global meaning of the movie. And the way it describes politics is as something dangerous in which, when you commit to it, you are lured into violence and ruining your life... If you don't agree with me well then prove me wrong and tell me precisely what you saw in the movie...
Great book... decent film... worth watching as, despite the film's faults, you won't fine these themes in many other movies....
However, i disagree with kermode, the film's director should have been even more ambitious!
One of the most disturbing movies I watched in a long time.
The film’s very well directed for A directorial debut, however the film’s poorly acted, poorly written, cheap & is A predictable disappointment. (28%) (1.5/5 stars) (negative)
Jesus. McGregor is awful in that clip.
A truly terrible film
Why does a film playing at this level make some of the mistakes it does? (This post is intended for those who have already seen the movie...SPOILERS) We see a montage toward the end of The Swede's age progression leading up to his death...yet at the funeral, his wife looks the same age she was when we last saw her, which was several years before The Swede died. They didn't even bother to put some gray in her hair, a few lines on her face? Then when Dakota Fanning shows up, we don't get a great look at her - but it certainly seemed as though she hadn't aged, either, though many years had passed since we last saw her. Why? Also, The Swede's brother's aging makeover seen in the beginning and ending, is utterly unconvincing. He clearly looks like a young man playing an old man. And the movie doesn't even bother to explain whether The Swede and his wife were still together when he died, or divorced - after she has verbally abused him, and been revealed to be cheating on him when we last see her. Why does The Swede continue to go to the abandoned building where his daughter is living in squalor - just to stand there, without trying to see her and keep reaching out to her? Seeing her living in squalor, and seeing her in a state of severe mental illness, physical deterioration and delusion and mind control - he takes no action to force her into psychiatric care? We're supposed to believe that 25 to 30 years pass from when he last sees her, to his death - and not only has she not died due to her horrible life, but she hasn't ended up in a mental hospital, or arrested, and stays up to date on the news enough to somehow hear that her dad died...and suddenly care enough to pay her respects? Her mom doesn't rush to her, or even walk her to the coffin?
your comment was typed a long time ago... But you take some things too literally. Don't be picky about the details and try to find a deeper sense to it.
What Luka Todua said. It seems you are stuck on rather boring technicalities and took no deeper message from the film. It also looks like you are searching for certain movie cliches and story cues which I think were left out on purpose.