C'mon C'mon reviews

[Sabin]

In this plus column, it's gorgeous. We've been treated to quite a few black and white films over the last few years, which I would consider one of the few blessings of recent years. This one might be the best looking. Credit amazing DP Robbie Ryan. Moment after moment is just lovely to look at. But that's... about it. Dramatically, it's just lifeless.

I once had a writing teacher who made us really think about the amount of backstory we inject into our story and whether or not it helps or hampers the ride of the story. C'mon C'mon fails that test pretty handily. The basic premise is that Joaquin Phoenix and Gabby Hoffman are estranged siblings (1), who haven't spoken since their mother passed away and have some grievance about who she loved more (2), and Hoffman asks Phoenix to look after her son because she needs to go spend time with her estranged husband who is having a bipolar episode and he agrees (3). We learn all of this over the course of ten to fifteen minutes, which requires a ton of flashbacks to even make this information clear. It ultimately doesn't matter because (1) Phoenix and Hoffman never feel like estranged siblings, (2) this issue of grievance against a dead parent goes nowhere but is genuinely fascinating in a way that the film doesn't know what to do with (and honestly, makes me wonder if the film would be better if Hoffman and her son just came to stay with Phoenix in a flip You Can Count on Me), and (3) this arrangement between Phoenix and Hoffman to look after her son is far too polite and devoid of conflict. It's a movie far too devoid of conflict. Nobody really has any issues with each other to work out. So, all those first act complications are really for naught. It feels like a first act in search of the rest of a movie. I could summarize the rest of the movie but it's not worth the time. Mike Mills' background as a advertising guy really comes through here. There isn't a minute of this film that couldn't conclude with "Brought to you by Mastercard" plus the logo.

The worst thing about this film is that I want films like this to exist. I want a movie to exist entirely on the basis of "Guy deals with a kid." I just rewatched every MCU film over the last week or so from Iron Man and Endgame. I don't need anymore drama than "Guys deals with a kid." But, y'know, there has to be something to fucking deal with. It's that verb part that Mike Mills screws up.

A real come down for Mike Mills, who is no doubt a wonderful human being. Every minute of this film, I was convinced I was watching the work of a truly kind soul who needed a producer to hand him back his script and tell him "Look..."

I would support a cinematography nomination.

[Big Magilla]

Surprised no one has commented on this one. Caught it on pay-per-view.

It starts out excruciatingly slow. Joaquin Phoenix mumbles his way through it. Although he has several scenes with Gaby Hoffman as his sister, most of their conversations are on the phone. Woody Norman seems real enough as his 9-year-old nephew. His relationship with Phoenix builds, especially in the second hour which is better paced than the first one.

An Oscar nomination for Original Screenplay is possible, but anything else would be a longshot. The only previous Best Picture nominee it even slightly compares to is A Thousand Clowns from 56 years ago.

[Sabin]

New Mike Mills film. Modest reviews.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie ... 235005241/
https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/c ... 235054348/
https://www.indiewire.com/2021/09/cmon- ... 234661731/