Grade: C+ (2.5/5 stars)
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” is a relatively well acted film that, unfortunately, tries too hard to make its audience cry. And the majority of moviegoers just might do that. Several did at the screening I attended. From the trailer, we know this film will be a post-9/11 tale of how a kid responds to his father’s untimely death. Even though this information is already gathered, there are times where the film veers on the edge of exploitation.
In the opening scene, we see the funeral of Thomas Schell (Tom Hanks) taking place. The story of a troubled child named Oskar (Thomas Horn) and his father being together, doing father/son-like things, is told in flashbacks, while Oskar narrates these moments and the current story. His narration becomes a bit distracting, as most voice-overs are. If it had just been slight, my opinion of it might be different.
Oskar finds an envelope with the word “Black” on it. The envelope contains a mysterious key. Oskar tracks down every person in New York with the last name of Black (all 400 of them) and tries to see if he or she has the answer to his burning question. The film doesn’t show Oskar meeting all 400 of these people. The majority of them are in a montage, and the only one who gets more than a minute of screen time is the recently divorced Abby Black (a great Viola Davis).
As Oskar roams the streets of New York, seeking his answer, we wonder how he is able to do this without parental supervision, and without scenes of the mom worrying. There’s an explanation at the end from his grief-stricken mother, Linda (Sandra Bullock), but it seems so far-fetched for a film about loss and redemption.
Oskar does get assistance from a man only known as The Renter (a terrific Max von Sydow). He doesn’t speak a word. When he does have to say something, he writes it on a notepad. If he has to respond to a Yes or No question, he either raises his right hand or his left. It’s incredible how grand a performance Sydow gives without having to say anything. Just his expressions are cheerful or sometimes heartbreaking.
As Oskar, Horn shows great range, but there are times where it feels like he might be overplaying the part just a little. His character has Asperger’s. There are certain parts where he’s cute and we’re happy to be on this journey with him, and there are certain parts where the journey becomes tedious and his character becomes obnoxious. It’s a very difficult role for someone who has zero acting experience prior to this film.
Most of this could be blamed on the director, Stephen Daldry (“The Reader,” “The Hours”). His extreme close-ups of Oskar screaming and heavy-handed montage sequences bog the film down. Daldry spends most of the film just pushing for us to feel sorry for Oskar, to laugh at certain moments, and to cry at certain moments, all on cue. And if you didn’t do so when it happened the first go-around, he tries again and again. I’m still confused as to how this scored a Best Picture nomination at this year’s Oscars.
I have nothing against post-9/11 films or films about 9/11. It’s never too soon to make a film about that horrific day. It was a tragic day, yes, and the scars won’t fully heal, but the same can be said for many other events (WWII, The Holocaust, Pearl Harbor, etc.) Just as long as the aspect of 9/11 isn’t pulled out at the very last minute (“Remember Me”), or used as an obvious way to tug at hearts, I’m OK with it.
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” is a good story, and it’s one that needs to be told -- just not the way Daldry does it.
Now playing at Cinemark 14 in Chico.
David also writes as the Chico Events Examiner, National Boardwalk Empire Examiner and for We Got This Covered.
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