The Greatest (2009)
Teenagers Rose and Bennett were in love, and then a car crash claimed Bennett's life. He left behind a grieving mother, father and younger brother, and Rose was left all alone. She has no family to turn to for support, so when she finds out she's pregnant, she winds up at the Brewer's door. She needs their help, and although they can't quite admit it, they each need her so they can begin to heal.
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Just perfect...
A lot of fun.
This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.
Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.
This is not the sort of film I like. I started watching it, realised my mistake but kept watching to the end.There was way too much misery in this film for me. Being brought to tears is not my idea of entertainment. I wasn't, but that did seem to be the aim of this film. There were happy moments, of course, but these were outweighed by misery and anger.
Grace (Susan Sarandon) and Allen Brewer (Pierce Brosnan) are devastated when their son Bennett (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is killed. He had stopped in the middle of the road to romance Rose (Carey Mulligan) when they get hit by Jordan Walker (Michael Shannon). Grace is obsessed with her son's last minutes with the criminal Jordan waiting for him to wake up from his coma. When a pregnant Rose shows up at their door, Grace is furious and disbelieving. Allen is more supportive of the homeless Rose. Bennett's black sheep younger brother Ryan (Johnny Simmons) struggles to deal with his family and he finds Ashley (Zoë Kravitz) in his support group.The greatest part is the actors. There are some aspects that feels awkward. Grace's obsession is very obsessive. Her relationship with Rose is strange. It speaks to a dysfunction before Bennett's death. Carey Mulligan is enchanting and Pierce Brosnan is terrific. Aaron Taylor-Johnson doesn't fit the school star role. He's more of a geek. This is a sudsy soap that has plenty of family melodrama that is elevated by the first class cast.
I cried more than once during this movie. I recalled the ones I cared. It doesn't have to be a person what you lost. Something you cared about. I'm a 32 year old guy looking tough with enough physical and mental proof. I thought that I'm really messed up while watching the movie and crying at the very same time. I don't know how I would have felt if I never had lost anything big in my life. But I did and this movie gave me a great relief like someone I don't know understood what I've been through and said "Hey, I have the same thing. I got you. Everything will be alright". It might give you the same relief it gave me. I can't talk in the name of you. But you should give this movie a chance. Maybe it will say something for you no one ever did before.
Except for the baby ,the movie will remind Italian cinema buffs of "La Stanza DeL Figlio" and the part of Ryan is close to Conrad the young brother of "ordinary people" ;like in the contemporary "rabbit hole" each of the parents desperately searches for solace:the mother tries to talk to the other injured driver to know the last words of her son (whereas Nicole Kidman,fascinated by a comic ,wants to believe that in parallel universes ,her son is happy);the father tries to live again,goes to the movie theater with the pregnant girlfriend,attends the echography whereas his wife quickly leaves the room "if you lose your dog,we're not given a puppy!" The cast is excellent ,particularly Pierce Brosnan,cast against type :he and his younger son seem to have overcome the pain,but when they finally break down,their despair and their tears are deeply moving.The flashbacks are short and effective ,particularly the last one which is also the end of the movie and which is not a goodbye but a hello.