Running Time: 2 hours, 9 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Director: Stephen Daldry
Quick Impressions:
Given the way they set up the announcement, I’d say that the Academy (or at least the Academy Awards organizers) wanted this movie to be a surprise nominee for Best Picture, and a lot of people were very vocally and unpleasantly surprised. (I always find it weird that when predicting Oscar nominations, amateurs and experts alike confidently declare what’s a lock and what won’t make the cut. How can they possibly know that since the ultimate lineup is decided entirely by the votes of Academy members?)
I’ll admit feeling similarly puzzled when Stephen Daldry’s last film, The Reader, was nominated for best picture instead of a slew of other obviously more deserving movies. But that was back when there were only five nominees. Under the crazy new rules this year, most people expected no more than eight nominees. That’s quite a few. What difference does it really make if there’s a ninth one thrown in at random? I’m not sure why some people are getting so upset.
Personally, despite a huge crop of surprisingly watchable summer blockbusters, I think this is an extremely lacking and incredibly mediocre year for prestige pictures. But I’ll discuss that later when I write a review of all the major nominees once I’ve seen Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Albert Nobbs.
That said, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close actually has much to recommend it. Would I have nominated it for best picture? Probably not. The problem is, this movie is so unusual that without some sort of nomination recommending it, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close would probably have extreme difficulty finding an audience, which is a shame because it does have an unusual and meaningful story to tell.
The Good:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close tells a familiar story from an unfamiliar point of view. I actually think the film could have done a better job of showing us the world from Oskar’s point of view, but the choice of Oskar as the protagonist was inspired.
At one point in the movie, Oskar tells Viola Davis’s character, Abby Black, that people usually think he’s odd, and that he was once tested for Asperger’s, but, “The results were inconclusive.” Oskar probably does have some kind of autism spectrum disorder. He definitely has something, as his phobias, social difficulties, love of patterns, and overall intelligence make clear.
His father (played by Tom Hanks) does a commendable job of helping Oskar learn to adapt to his environment by sending him out on “reconnaissance expeditions” that allow him to use his strengths yet force him to act outside his comfort zone.
The boy thrives on order and control, and is, consequently, terrified by situations he cannot control. The immediacy of the real world frightens him because even under the best of circumstances, New York City is full of noise and people who operate under their own volition and cannot be controlled or depended upon to behave logically.
Juxtaposing this sort of character with the chaos of 9/11 is brilliant and didn’t feel as exploitative in the film as I would have expected from the preview. When the Twin Towers fell, everybody felt the same kind of confusion and fear in the face of meaningless chaos that Oskar feels every time he enters a crowded city street. So when Oskar is forced to come face to face with the horrors of 9/11, of course, his reaction is dramatic.
His mother (played by Sandra Bullock) is left with a formidable challenge. Raising a child with special needs takes patience and skill under the best of circumstances. Helping any child to cope with grief after the loss of a parent in the World Trade Center is a Herculean task. So when these two challenges are combined in the person of Oskar, the degree of difficulty reaches a cinematic level.
The premise, then, is interesting, although some of the promise, I think, is lost in the execution. Ultimately the answer Oskar finds isn’t the answer he was expecting, but I think this helps him more than anything. If he had set up a construct, and then it had shown itself perfectly in line with his expectations, I think the boy would have been overwhelmed and may possibly have felt responsible in some way for his father’s death. The solution he finds isn’t really to the problem he structures, but that’s okay. And that’s what he needs to learn.
Best Surprise:
Oskar’s final scene with his mother is arguably the best part of the entire movie. To me and to my husband, this scene made the entire film seem worthwhile, and much of what was revealed came as a genuine surprise to both of us.
Best Scene:
The flashback when Oskar tells his dark secret to Jeffrey Wright’s character in the end is quite powerful. As someone who sometimes lapses into ritualistic thinking and has a number of irrational phobias that can be paralyzing, this scene really hit home.
Most Oscar Worthy Moment (Max von Sydow):
Max von Sydow is a great actor, so, of course, he’s good playing the Renter, the mysterious man who has moved in with Oskar’s grandmother and keeps to himself, largely because he does not speak. I’ve heard lots of people say that von Sydow is the only nominee who could win the Oscar instead of Christopher Plummer, which makes sense. In terms of strength of performance, I like Plummer’s work in Beginners slightly better. My husband hasn’t seen Beginners, but praising von Sydow’s performance pointed out accurately, “He has incredible presence on the screen even though he’s not speaking.” I replied, “That’s because he’s Max von Sydow, and he’s acting opposite a little kid.”
The thing I found so compelling about his silent performance was that he always seemed just about to start talking. His gestures were those of someone who does speak and might speak at any time, which made the whole performance deliciously suspenseful. Perhaps he would speak after all.
Max von Sydow’s presence makes the movie much more exciting. I think the Renter’s best moment comes on the bridge, the way he coaxes Oskar to walk across.
The Other Performances:
Sandra Bullock is pretty incredible in this movie. She’s much better here than she was in The Blind Side, even though she has much, much less to do. She makes the most of every moment in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.
Tom Hanks plays a reasonably likeable character, but he’s not in the movie that much.
Zoe Caldwell does an excellent job as Oskar’s grandmother, mostly because she plays the role in such an unassuming, understated way.
Neither John Goodman as the doorman, nor Stephen Henderson as the locksmith has much to do, but it was nice to see them.
Viola Davis is marvelous as Abby Black, but why couldn’t she have had a bit more screen time? Jeffry Wright is good, too, but it was harder for me to connect with his character emotionally. I felt much more sympathy for his ex-wife, possibly because I’m a woman.
Finally, young Thomas Horn as Oskar carries the movie (though it’s a better movie when Max von Sydow is at his side). Oskar isn’t an easy character to play, and Horn does a commendable job, handling the scenes of high emotion particularly well.
The Negatives:
The pacing of the movie is strange. The film is also likely not to meet many viewers’ expectations. (I can’t pretend to know what they’re expecting, but unless they’ve read the book, I can’t imagine they’re expecting what the movie delivers.) To me, this feels like a film that’s reaching for greatness but doesn’t quite get there.
Normally I try to avoid criticizing movies for what they didn’t do but could have done, but I do think this movie might have been better had we seen things more from Oskar’s point of view.
One point the movie makes is that life doesn’t always make sense. Reality doesn’t have the elegance or simplicity of a mathematical equation. The problem is, sometimes a less realistic and more contrived plot makes a more satisfying movie.
I also think that by virtue of being the most interesting character in the story, The Renter should have gotten more attention and more development.
Overall:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is not a perfect movie, but I did enjoy it and didn’t think it was exploiting 9/11 more than any fictional story about a famous historical event exploits that event. Thomas Horn works hard and produces an incredible, emotionally powerful performance. Max von Sydow elevates the film as the intriguing Renter, and Sandra Bullock delivers some fine work especially given her limited screen time. It’s worth seeing for sure.