Rating: ★★★★★ (5.0/5)
I spend a lot of time being super hyped for big tent-pole summer movies. The blockbusters. The ones full of superheroes, larger than life characters, and plots where the world is at stake. Which is funny to me because some of my favorite movies that I’ve ever seen, my treasures, are quiet stories about normal people. This movie is no exception.
This story is so incredibly human and real, and it’s played out by some absolute gems of actors. I think Lewis Pullman has become one of my favorite actors of his generation. He’s incredibly talented and has such an amazing range. This movie itself really showcases his talent in telling stories with his face, and he’s paired next to the GOAT, Sally Field. She is doing some incredible work in this movie as a widowed and lonely woman who generally just wants to be left alone.
I love how Sally Field is such a tough cookie. She has this amazing capacity for sweetness, but she also has very high standards and expectations of those around her. She has a group of friends that she effectively tolerates but really doesn’t get a lot of joy from. It’s amazing to me how much is delivered through visual cues and attitudes and no words at all. I can tell she only hangs out with her friends because she feels like she’s supposed to.
At the center of this movie is an octopus. I was sold this movie about a lady who really loves this octopus and I had no interest in it. It sounded lame. What I didn’t realize is that the octopus is important but not entirely central to the story. However, after the movie started and I found that Alfred Molina was the voice of this creature, I was captivated. Points go to anyone who thinks Alfred Molina playing an octopus is really funny.
This movie made me laugh and sob. The real person story playing out is something that was very familiar. Everyone here is looking for something and is so close to finding it. When we finally hit the climax of this movie, I gasped, cried, and laughed all at the same time. It was one of those where you’re crying because of the relief that you can see in these people as they get to the end of a journey. It’s a “power of love” thing and that always gets me.
I highly recommend this movie to people that enjoy stories about regular people. I love Forrest Gump, Cinderella Man, and other movies that just follow people on journeys and I feel like this is in the same vein.
Do yourself a favor and go watch it.