The Lovely Bones (2010)

I love this movie so much

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

People are voting emotionally.

Admirable film.

The Lovely Bones is a hard movie to watch, especially for parents. Peter Jackson does a great job of creating suspense and stressful situations, and Stanley Tucci is amazingly creepy. While the visuals were stunning, I felt that the filmmakers spent too much time showcasing how cool they could make things look. This movie was longer than it needed to be. Also, I wasn't satisfied with the conclusion of the film.

The Lovely Bones is a decent film with a reasonably well developed plot and a good cast. The highlight of the film, for me, is without a doubt Stanley Tucci, who is immensely transformed and powerfully disturbing as George Harvey, his performance was absolutely riveting, it is just a shame it could not have been for a film that deserved him. The movie tries too hard, it is throwing messages, metaphors and imagery at us left, right and center that it forgets that characters and realism captures an audience far more that impressive visual effects. There is so much going on at once that a lot of it becomes muffled. Several members of the cast misses the mark, speaking of, Mark Wahlberg is unconvincing in this film, it is not a part that was right for him, I never truly believed he missed his daughter and wanted redemption for her. Susan Sarandon plays Susan Sarandon so much that it took me out of the movie completely, she didn't fit the film's aesthetic and her character was brought in to the plot in such a forced manner that I could not help but feel a little cringe. Forgettable. While it had good intentions, The Lovely Bones pales in many areas and is certainly Peter Jackson's weakest movie, give this one a miss. A recently deceased young girl watches over her family as they grieve. Best Performance: Stanley Tucci / Worst Performance: Susan Sarandon

One would think a film written/directed AND produced by the man behind LOTR and Hobbit films peter Jackson would knock this out of the ballpark. No so with the indignity of watching a relatively good story falter under preposterous CGI and fantasy realms of the INBETWEEN.The film gives a indirect look into a murdered 14 yr old's transition from life through death into heaven. It gives a nurturing, peaceful look to how she watches her family and killer, but can't make the leap yet. Mark Wahlberg does an ok, mediocre job as the father Jack Salmon, Rachel Weisz is barely adequate as the grieving mother Abigail. Throw in a alcoholic mother played by Susan Sarandon and the film is but a stiff reminder of child's death. Stanley Tucci comes across creepy, but simple as this killer who has taken many lives. Having the story told in a narrative fashion was definitely a misfire in my opinion. I did like the story which is based on the novel and give it a 6 for that reason.

There are only mild "spoilers" in this review, so if you haven't seen it yet, you can read this without it ruining the movie for you. This film will always be remembered as the breakout role for the incredible Saoirse Ronan. It will also be remembered as one of the most controversial films ever made. People tend to break off into two camps: Team Salmon or Team Harvey.It starts off innocently enough: a boy-crazy teenage girl in the 1970s is crushing on a man at school. It seems that he is interested in Susie too and despite the disparity in age, she falls for his charms, mostly due to his exchange student allure and suave accent. As the film progresses, it becomes clear that another gentleman is also interested in the nubile teen. His name is Mr. Harvey and he lives in Susie's neighborhood. Unlike the man from school, Mr. Harvey puts in a tremendous amount of effort in an attempt to win the love of Susie Salmon. He builds her an amazing underground clubhouse, complete with all the stuff young people from that era loved. He had beverages such as Coca Cola that he selflessly shared with Susie as they hung out. It became clear that Mr. Harvey, while having great taste in females, was a bit awkward around them. His nervousness around Susie Salmon was evident and she picked up on that. Girls prefer a man with confidence. I also feel that maybe she was turned off because the Coke that Mr. Harvey gave her was warm. I didn't see an ice-filled cooler in the clubhouse anywhere. So I think these factors all led to Susie Salmon losing her patience, which erupted in an unfortunate display of rudeness. Mr. Harvey only had one rule in the clubhouse: Be polite. Susie Salmon broke that rule and the series of events that followed spiraled into one great, big, depressing chain reaction.There are no bad people in The Lovely Bones. True, Susie Salmon came off as being a little narcissistic and immature but she was only 14 years old. Mr. Harvey was socially awkward and made some questionable choices in life but he had a deep desire to be loved and respected. Despite his talents and generosity, it seemed nobody opened up their heart to him.