by Josh Sewell
The Father
(Rated PG-13 for some strong language and thematic material. Opens in select theaters March 12 and available On Demand March 26.)
The Father won’t be mistaken for the year’s most feel-good movie, but Florian Zeller’s directorial debut (which he also adapted from his own Tony-winning play) is still a must-see because of its powerful, quietly devastating depiction of an elderly man losing his grip on reality. In a highly competitive Best Actor race, it might earn Anthony Hopkins back-to-back Oscar nominations, following last year’s Best Supporting Actor nod for The Two Popes. (It would be his sixth overall.)
Hopkins plays Anthony, a mischievous 80-year-old living alone despite battling dementia, but his pride is too strong to accept the caretakers that his daughter, Anne (Olivia Colman), hires to help him. However, Anthony’s condition is getting too severe for her to handle alone, which leads to some tough decisions.
While the basic premise is far from original, the manner in which The Father depicts Anthony’s dementia certainly is. By making each scene confusing or disorienting in its own way, Zeller forces viewers to experience what it must be like for the character to be completely lost in once-familiar surroundings. Even worse, his pride forces him to pretend he’s maintaining a rapport with people he views as strangers, despite their insistence that they’re family.
Hopkins is simply astonishing, reminding viewers why he’s considered one of our most revered actors. I still can’t believe Hopkins has only won a single Oscar, and that was nearly 30 years ago (for his legendary performance in The Silence of the Lambs). His character isn’t a saint, and he doesn’t shy from the aspects of Anthony’s illness that make him downright hateful to his loved ones. But that makes the film’s final act all the more heartbreaking.
Colman’s wrenching performance as Anthony’s distraught but exhausted daughter is phenomenal as well. She’s on target to nab a second Oscar nod, following her shocking win for 2019’s The Favourite. (Who can forget her delightful, slightly tipsy acceptance speech?)
The supporting cast – including Mark Gatiss, Olivia Williams, Imogen Poots and Rufus Sewell – is terrific across the board, although getting into the specifics of their roles would lead into spoiler territory. In addition, Peter Francis’ production design is gorgeous, taking advantage of the fact that the film, evoking its stage roots, only takes place in a handful of locations.
Admittedly, the bleak subject matter makes The Father a tough sit, especially for viewers that have recently experienced a comparable situation with someone in their own family. But those who can endure the stark tone will find an ocean of sympathy beneath its seemingly cold surface.
(Rated PG-13 for some strong language and thematic material. Opens in select theaters March 12 and available On Demand March 26.)
The Father won’t be mistaken for the year’s most feel-good movie, but Florian Zeller’s directorial debut (which he also adapted from his own Tony-winning play) is still a must-see because of its powerful, quietly devastating depiction of an elderly man losing his grip on reality. In a highly competitive Best Actor race, it might earn Anthony Hopkins back-to-back Oscar nominations, following last year’s Best Supporting Actor nod for The Two Popes. (It would be his sixth overall.)
Hopkins plays Anthony, a mischievous 80-year-old living alone despite battling dementia, but his pride is too strong to accept the caretakers that his daughter, Anne (Olivia Colman), hires to help him. However, Anthony’s condition is getting too severe for her to handle alone, which leads to some tough decisions.
While the basic premise is far from original, the manner in which The Father depicts Anthony’s dementia certainly is. By making each scene confusing or disorienting in its own way, Zeller forces viewers to experience what it must be like for the character to be completely lost in once-familiar surroundings. Even worse, his pride forces him to pretend he’s maintaining a rapport with people he views as strangers, despite their insistence that they’re family.
Hopkins is simply astonishing, reminding viewers why he’s considered one of our most revered actors. I still can’t believe Hopkins has only won a single Oscar, and that was nearly 30 years ago (for his legendary performance in The Silence of the Lambs). His character isn’t a saint, and he doesn’t shy from the aspects of Anthony’s illness that make him downright hateful to his loved ones. But that makes the film’s final act all the more heartbreaking.
Colman’s wrenching performance as Anthony’s distraught but exhausted daughter is phenomenal as well. She’s on target to nab a second Oscar nod, following her shocking win for 2019’s The Favourite. (Who can forget her delightful, slightly tipsy acceptance speech?)
The supporting cast – including Mark Gatiss, Olivia Williams, Imogen Poots and Rufus Sewell – is terrific across the board, although getting into the specifics of their roles would lead into spoiler territory. In addition, Peter Francis’ production design is gorgeous, taking advantage of the fact that the film, evoking its stage roots, only takes place in a handful of locations.
Admittedly, the bleak subject matter makes The Father a tough sit, especially for viewers that have recently experienced a comparable situation with someone in their own family. But those who can endure the stark tone will find an ocean of sympathy beneath its seemingly cold surface.
Grade: B+
Yes Day
(Rated PG for some rude and suggestive material, and brief language. Available on Netflix starting March 12.)
I love serious awards contenders as much as the next film critic (see the review above), but I’m also a sucker for ridiculous family comedies. Maybe middle age is making me soft, or – more likely – maybe it’s because I’ll take any excuse to spend time with my daughters who are growing up too fast, but I enjoy zoning out and hearing my kids laugh at silly jokes.
Throw in Jennifer Garner, whose endearing presence automatically makes any movie better (well, maybe not Elektra, but that wasn’t her fault) and it’s like Yes Day was designed specifically for my family to watch on the couch with a giant bowl of popcorn. Is it “technically” good? Probably not. But I smiled for 90 minutes straight and my 10-year-old forgot to act like a sullen teenager for a while, so I’m counting that as a win.
Yes Day revolves around the Torres family, headed by Allison (Garner) and Carlos (Edgar Ramirez). While they were once fun and adventurous, a decade of parenthood has made them feel like buzzkills whose favorite word is “no.” In an effort to get closer with their three children, Katie (Jenna Ortega), Nando (Julian Lerner) and Ellie (Everly Carganilla), they decide to celebrate “yes day,” a 24-hour period when the grown-ups can’t say no to any of the kids’ suggestions. After establishing some sensible ground rules – nothing dangerous or illegal, nothing that would lead to bankruptcy, etc. – the Torreses embark on an outlandish journey around Los Angeles.
Director Miguel Arteta, who also helmed Garner’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, brings that underrated flick’s breezy tone to Yes Day, along with an emphasis on the need for family to tackle problems as a cohesive unit. That’s an important message in a world where everyone’s faces are glued to individual screens (he writes, gazing into a laptop).
The movie is slightly high-concept in order to rope in kids with nonexistent attention spans, yet its premise is easy to explain. Plus, in an era when even family entertainment involves life-altering conflicts, the stakes in Justin Malen’s screenplay are refreshingly low.
It helps that the cast fully commits to the premise, unafraid to look ridiculous when scarfing down a mountain of ice cream or getting into a brawl over a giant teddy bear. Garner uses her knack for physicality that she perfected on Alias to solid comedic effect here, while Ramirez also demonstrates a gift for sight gags. It was also a blast to see talented character actors Nat Faxon and Fortune Feimster pop up along the way.
Yes Day probably isn’t destined to become a family classic, but it’s light, disposable cinematic junk food that’s perfectly designed for Netflix. Because it evaporates from your brain almost immediately, the replay value is high; yet that shouldn’t drive parents totally crazy since it’s fun rather than insipid. (Looking at you, weird YouTube families who make annoying videos that my five-year-old won’t stop watching.)
Grade: B-
(Rated PG for some rude and suggestive material, and brief language. Available on Netflix starting March 12.)
I love serious awards contenders as much as the next film critic (see the review above), but I’m also a sucker for ridiculous family comedies. Maybe middle age is making me soft, or – more likely – maybe it’s because I’ll take any excuse to spend time with my daughters who are growing up too fast, but I enjoy zoning out and hearing my kids laugh at silly jokes.
Throw in Jennifer Garner, whose endearing presence automatically makes any movie better (well, maybe not Elektra, but that wasn’t her fault) and it’s like Yes Day was designed specifically for my family to watch on the couch with a giant bowl of popcorn. Is it “technically” good? Probably not. But I smiled for 90 minutes straight and my 10-year-old forgot to act like a sullen teenager for a while, so I’m counting that as a win.
Yes Day revolves around the Torres family, headed by Allison (Garner) and Carlos (Edgar Ramirez). While they were once fun and adventurous, a decade of parenthood has made them feel like buzzkills whose favorite word is “no.” In an effort to get closer with their three children, Katie (Jenna Ortega), Nando (Julian Lerner) and Ellie (Everly Carganilla), they decide to celebrate “yes day,” a 24-hour period when the grown-ups can’t say no to any of the kids’ suggestions. After establishing some sensible ground rules – nothing dangerous or illegal, nothing that would lead to bankruptcy, etc. – the Torreses embark on an outlandish journey around Los Angeles.
Director Miguel Arteta, who also helmed Garner’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, brings that underrated flick’s breezy tone to Yes Day, along with an emphasis on the need for family to tackle problems as a cohesive unit. That’s an important message in a world where everyone’s faces are glued to individual screens (he writes, gazing into a laptop).
The movie is slightly high-concept in order to rope in kids with nonexistent attention spans, yet its premise is easy to explain. Plus, in an era when even family entertainment involves life-altering conflicts, the stakes in Justin Malen’s screenplay are refreshingly low.
It helps that the cast fully commits to the premise, unafraid to look ridiculous when scarfing down a mountain of ice cream or getting into a brawl over a giant teddy bear. Garner uses her knack for physicality that she perfected on Alias to solid comedic effect here, while Ramirez also demonstrates a gift for sight gags. It was also a blast to see talented character actors Nat Faxon and Fortune Feimster pop up along the way.
Yes Day probably isn’t destined to become a family classic, but it’s light, disposable cinematic junk food that’s perfectly designed for Netflix. Because it evaporates from your brain almost immediately, the replay value is high; yet that shouldn’t drive parents totally crazy since it’s fun rather than insipid. (Looking at you, weird YouTube families who make annoying videos that my five-year-old won’t stop watching.)
Grade: B-
Reach out to Josh Sewell on Twitter @IAmJoshSewell
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