Movie Review: C'mon C'mon

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A+

One of the best movies of the year. 

This is by far the sweetest and most powerful film that you can see in theaters right now. This movie tells a simple story, yet one that is completely captivating. A reporter (Joaquin Phoenix) who interviews kids about the future, finds himself having to look after her sister's (Gaby Hoffmann) son (Woody Norman) when she needs to take care of sick husband. The two grow into a relationship that will forever change who they are as people. While this may sound like a traditional storyline, it is told in anything but a traditional way. First of all, a lot of time is dedicated to the interviews the reporter does with these kids. These scenes are downright brilliant. This allows the film to explore deeper themes in a way that never feels pretentious or preachy. That is because we feel as we listen to this that we are simply listening to what some kids think rather than a specific point of view of the filmmakers. This is especially shown in how some of the kids' opinions differ from each other. For instance, when asked about what happens after death, one believes in a heaven, while others do not. This is also because hearing the words come out of kids' mouths, makes the answers sound like they come from average people rather than academics. Despite this what the kids say is often really intelligent and somewhat thought provoking Yet what is most effective is how much these scenes will get you into thinking deeply about how you feel about all these questions and the answers you receive. Another this differs from traditional storytelling, is that the film frames the story as many little incidents that happen over the course of the time that the uncle and the kid spend together. Many of these moments are very touching and instantly relatable both to those who spend a lot of time around kids and those who don't. because they are so universal in their humanity. Underneath all the thought-provoking moments and experimentations in storytelling, there is much sentimentality to this movie. This sentimentality sneaks up on you and is extremely effective. I certainly found myself very moved watching this film. Much of this is due to the pure chemistry between Joaquin Phoenix and Woody Norman. When these two share the screen, the movie truly lights up. You completely believe that you are watching an uncle and nephew, who deeply care about each other. 

This is a must-see movie.