Rating of
3/4
More Than Just Cute
Franz Patrick - wrote on 10/24/08
It seems I automatically movies that has something to do with the characters’ love for the cinema. This is not as intense as “The Dreamers” nor is it as adult-inclusive as “Be Kind Rewind” but it has its own witty charm. I was really impressed with the two leads, Bill Milner and Will Poulter, because they were able to deliver a whole spectrum of emotions not common in a lot of child actors today. I completely believed Milner as a lonely boy who barely has any friends partly because of his religious background and Poulter as the bully who happens to have a family that doesn’t care for each other. The first half is a bit goofy but nonetheless funny, but the second half surprised me because it’s much more dramatic and there’s a lot at stake. I’m glad that this is the kind of movie that switches genre somewhere near the middle because the first part got a bit too cute for my liking. By pulling the rug under my feet, I was able to keep my interest. This movie has a lot of layer to it partly because of the undertones. I was interested in the Plymouth Brethren (a religion I’ve never heard of until this picture which somewhat reminds me of the Amish because the members are not alloved to watch television, movies, have cellphones, listen to music and the like), Poulter’s one-sider relationship with his brother (played by Ed Westwick also known as the infamous Chuck Bass of “Gossip Girl”), dealing with a death of a loved one, the meaning of friendship, and of course the love for the cinema. All of these elements were handled so deftly; all of them worked together instead of slowing the story down. The way the disparate storylines were sewn in and out of each other felt organic because the director and writer, Garth Jennings, was able to pace the script. This would have been a four-star film if the first part isn’t as sweet as cotton candy, but otherwise it’s a solid and respectable film.
