| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Russell Crowe | ... | ||
| Amanda Seyfried | ... | ||
| Aaron Paul | ... | ||
| Diane Kruger | ... |
Elizabeth
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| Quvenzhané Wallis | ... | ||
| Bruce Greenwood | ... |
William
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| Janet McTeer | ... | ||
| Kylie Rogers | ... | ||
| Jane Fonda | ... | ||
| Octavia Spencer | ... | ||
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Jenny Vos | ... |
Tricia
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| Brendan Griffin | ... | ||
| Ryan Eggold | ... | ||
| Chris Douglass | ... | ||
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Jake Scheib | ... |
Andrew
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A Pulitzer-winning writer grapples with being a widower and father after a mental breakdown, while, 27 years later, his grown daughter struggles to forge connections of her own.
If you come away praising only one thing from this movie, I'd be willing to bet that it would be Kylie Rogers' performance as Russell Crowe's young daughter. She gives a genuinely affecting performance for a girl her age and although Crowe himself needs no help here as he puts in a brilliant showing of his own, he's all the better for her presence. They played off each other so well and the film was much more enjoyable whenever they shared the screen. Amanda Seyfried was her dependable self but this kind of role is easily within her wheelhouse so don't expect to be blown away by her.
The film itself has a nice flow to it when considering the run time and although it dips into the cliché pot a couple of times, I found the screenplay just fresh enough that I would say I enjoyed it overall. Although the directing wasn't anything to write home about I do believe that he showed a delicate and subtle handling of the subject matter which is to be commended. The score is also quite wonderful.
Overall, a solid 7/10. The performances are the reason to see this one.