by Josh Sewell
Come Play
(Rated PG-13 for terror, frightening images and some language.)
It wouldn’t be Halloween without a new horror movie and this year – despite a drastically reduced number of theatrical options – is no exception. Come Play, a creepy, somewhat family-friendly thriller from Amblin, is a solid choice for older kids looking for holiday-appropriate scares that won’t completely traumatize them.
The intriguing story centers on Oliver (Azhy Robertson), a kid on the autism spectrum who feels like an outsider at school. He also doesn’t get much solace at home because of his parents’ (Gillian Jacobs and John Gallagher Jr.) rocky marriage.
Desperate for a friend, he seeks solace in his cell phone and tablet, which he uses to communicate because of his speech delays. That loneliness presents an opportunity for a mysterious creature, who calls himself Larry, to use Oliver’s devices as a gateway to cross over from his world into ours. Although initially unconvinced, Oliver’s parents soon discover that their son is in real danger and they must do all they can to protect him.
Come Play won’t affect hardcore horror fans – I scare pretty easily, yet I don’t think I jumped once. However, it’ll probably work well for the younger audience it’s aimed at. The upside is that, aside from a couple of draggy scenes in the middle, I was never bored thanks to the strong performances and compelling family drama at the heart of the story.
In many horror flicks, audiences have to sit through a bunch of lame scenes where nothing happens until they get to the big scares. Surprisingly, the opposite take place here: I was drawn into the everyday joys and obstacles within a special needs family, only to realize I was disappointed when we had to pause the drama for a few jump scares. Perhaps it’s a backhanded compliment, but I would’ve much rather watched a non-supernatural version of this family’s story.
That’s a credit to writer-director Jacob Chase (who turned his 2017 short “Larry” into this feature), who thankfully avoids most cinematic stereotypes about children with autism. Oliver doesn’t have borderline-magical detective skills, he doesn’t display cartoonishly exaggerated tics, and there’s no fairy tale breakthrough by the end of the film. He’s just an autistic kid, with all the daily frustrations and hard-won victories that he experiences.
Although I would’ve preferred to see a child actor who’s actually on the spectrum play Oliver, Robertson is terrific in the role. His scenes with Jacobs (fantastic, as always) are particularly great, as the actors establish a poignant mother-son bond, especially when Oliver must deal with bullying from other kids that he used to consider friends.
Unfortunately, the film stumbles in the area a horror movie should be strongest: the monster. Larry is intriguing at first, especially the character design, but he’s ultimately a metaphor (does it count as a metaphor when the film literally states the creature’s motive with dialogue?) for an obvious social problem. Yes, horror flicks have a tradition of monsters representing cultural change, but the best ones don’t have to explicitly spell it out because they trust the audience.
I was also disappointed that a phenomenal actor like Gallagher was relegated to playing a clichéd dopey dad for most of the running time. Fortunately, the character recovers by the end (elaborating further would require getting into spoiler territory), but by then it’s almost “too little, too late.”
All told, Come Play is compelling enough that it’s worth a watch. However, there’s a risk that an interesting story and great acting will end up getting squandered in a no man’s land: not scary enough for horror fans, yet too intense for viewers drawn to the family drama.
Grade: B-
Now Available: Back to the Future: The Ultimate Trilogy
(All films rated PG.)
Just in time for the upcoming holiday season, one of the most beloved trilogies in cinema history (whose first installment is my all-time favorite film) is now available in 4K Ultra HD for the first time. To commemorate the 35th anniversary – yes, you read that correctly – of Robert Zemeckis’ classic Back to the Future, all three films are being re-released in some cool editions with an hour of new bonus content.
The most interesting aspect, aside from the upgrade in visual and sound quality, is the inclusion of audition footage from well-known actors like Ben Stiller, Kyra Sedgwick, Jon Cryer, Billy Zane, Peter DeLuise and C. Thomas Howell. Die-hard fans looking to upgrade their collections should pay special attention to what Best Buy is offering as an exclusive: a newly designed steelbook case for each installment of the trilogy. The set is a little more expensive than the standard version ($65 instead of $50), but it looks terrific.
Special features: “An Alternate Future: Lost Audition Tapes”; “The Hollywood Museum Goes Back to the Future”; “Back to the Future: The Musical – Behind the Scenes”; “Can You Survive the Movies? Back to the Future”; plus hours of features from the previous 2015 Blu-ray release.
E-mail: joshsewell81@gmail.com
Twitter: @IAmJoshSewell
Website: flixchat.blogspot.com
 |
| Courtesy of Focus Features |
(Rated PG-13 for terror, frightening images and some language.)
It wouldn’t be Halloween without a new horror movie and this year – despite a drastically reduced number of theatrical options – is no exception. Come Play, a creepy, somewhat family-friendly thriller from Amblin, is a solid choice for older kids looking for holiday-appropriate scares that won’t completely traumatize them.
The intriguing story centers on Oliver (Azhy Robertson), a kid on the autism spectrum who feels like an outsider at school. He also doesn’t get much solace at home because of his parents’ (Gillian Jacobs and John Gallagher Jr.) rocky marriage.
Desperate for a friend, he seeks solace in his cell phone and tablet, which he uses to communicate because of his speech delays. That loneliness presents an opportunity for a mysterious creature, who calls himself Larry, to use Oliver’s devices as a gateway to cross over from his world into ours. Although initially unconvinced, Oliver’s parents soon discover that their son is in real danger and they must do all they can to protect him.
Come Play won’t affect hardcore horror fans – I scare pretty easily, yet I don’t think I jumped once. However, it’ll probably work well for the younger audience it’s aimed at. The upside is that, aside from a couple of draggy scenes in the middle, I was never bored thanks to the strong performances and compelling family drama at the heart of the story.
In many horror flicks, audiences have to sit through a bunch of lame scenes where nothing happens until they get to the big scares. Surprisingly, the opposite take place here: I was drawn into the everyday joys and obstacles within a special needs family, only to realize I was disappointed when we had to pause the drama for a few jump scares. Perhaps it’s a backhanded compliment, but I would’ve much rather watched a non-supernatural version of this family’s story.
That’s a credit to writer-director Jacob Chase (who turned his 2017 short “Larry” into this feature), who thankfully avoids most cinematic stereotypes about children with autism. Oliver doesn’t have borderline-magical detective skills, he doesn’t display cartoonishly exaggerated tics, and there’s no fairy tale breakthrough by the end of the film. He’s just an autistic kid, with all the daily frustrations and hard-won victories that he experiences.
Although I would’ve preferred to see a child actor who’s actually on the spectrum play Oliver, Robertson is terrific in the role. His scenes with Jacobs (fantastic, as always) are particularly great, as the actors establish a poignant mother-son bond, especially when Oliver must deal with bullying from other kids that he used to consider friends.
Unfortunately, the film stumbles in the area a horror movie should be strongest: the monster. Larry is intriguing at first, especially the character design, but he’s ultimately a metaphor (does it count as a metaphor when the film literally states the creature’s motive with dialogue?) for an obvious social problem. Yes, horror flicks have a tradition of monsters representing cultural change, but the best ones don’t have to explicitly spell it out because they trust the audience.
I was also disappointed that a phenomenal actor like Gallagher was relegated to playing a clichéd dopey dad for most of the running time. Fortunately, the character recovers by the end (elaborating further would require getting into spoiler territory), but by then it’s almost “too little, too late.”
All told, Come Play is compelling enough that it’s worth a watch. However, there’s a risk that an interesting story and great acting will end up getting squandered in a no man’s land: not scary enough for horror fans, yet too intense for viewers drawn to the family drama.
Grade: B-
Now Available: Back to the Future: The Ultimate Trilogy
 |
| Courtesy of Universal |
(All films rated PG.)
Just in time for the upcoming holiday season, one of the most beloved trilogies in cinema history (whose first installment is my all-time favorite film) is now available in 4K Ultra HD for the first time. To commemorate the 35th anniversary – yes, you read that correctly – of Robert Zemeckis’ classic Back to the Future, all three films are being re-released in some cool editions with an hour of new bonus content.
The most interesting aspect, aside from the upgrade in visual and sound quality, is the inclusion of audition footage from well-known actors like Ben Stiller, Kyra Sedgwick, Jon Cryer, Billy Zane, Peter DeLuise and C. Thomas Howell. Die-hard fans looking to upgrade their collections should pay special attention to what Best Buy is offering as an exclusive: a newly designed steelbook case for each installment of the trilogy. The set is a little more expensive than the standard version ($65 instead of $50), but it looks terrific.
Special features: “An Alternate Future: Lost Audition Tapes”; “The Hollywood Museum Goes Back to the Future”; “Back to the Future: The Musical – Behind the Scenes”; “Can You Survive the Movies? Back to the Future”; plus hours of features from the previous 2015 Blu-ray release.
E-mail: joshsewell81@gmail.com
Twitter: @IAmJoshSewell
Website: flixchat.blogspot.com
Great review! I was wondering whether to watch Come Play online but I think I'll go to the movies
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