Collateral Beauty

Starring: Will Smith, Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, Michael Pena, Helen Mirren, Naomie Harris, Keira Knightley, Jacob Latimore, Ann Dowd
Directed by: David Frankel
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Three colleagues (Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, Michael Pena) come up with a desperate ploy to rekindle their business partner, a grieving father (Will Smith).

Review:

Tim: I probably shouldn't have liked Collateral Beauty as much as I did. The film is a serious melodrama, and there's so many corny moments that make you roll your eyes and say "Come on!" The film was certainly not worried about being sappy or overly emotional. And yet, despite all that, there's real feeling here. It's a sweet movie. It's way too Hollywood to ever be a great film, but it's not a bad movie.

The film centers around Will Smith's character, who is still grieving in an unhealthy way after the death of his child. I can't even fathom the unspeakable pain that something like that causes, but it's obvious his withdrawal from the world isn't healthy. He writes letters to Love, Time, and Death. Three of his coworkers hire three actors to portray Love, Time, and Death in an effort to snap him out of his deep melancholy. Pause right there. That quick synopsis would have produced a great movie in the 1940s. It's somewhat reminiscent of It's a Wonderful Life. The problem is that it's 2016 and movies and people have adapted and evolved. Maybe there's a place for films like this, but the best movies I've seen haven't been so on-the-nose with everything. There's no subtlety in this film. The premise is cute, but it's also absurd. A story like this couldn't happen in 2016 and the whole movie feels out of place, like it is stuck in the wrong time period. This doesn't come across as a nostalgia thing, rather as a displaced feeling. That doesn't help the film at all.

What does help the film is that the movie boasts an incredible cast. I'm not entirely sure why Will Smith chose this film. It feels like he was tapping into his Pursuit of Happyness days (and that movie was better than this one). He's good in the lead role, though, and it gave him a chance to showcase his talent. I liked Edward Norton here. I think he has a place in movies like this- as a supporting character. He doesn't get to flex his considerable talent, but he still turns in a solid performance. Same can be said for Kate Winslet- her talent far exceeds the demands of the role, but she still did really well. Michael Pena is a national treasure- I love the guy so much and he actually shined in his supporting role. I really, really enjoyed him. Helen Mirren and Keira Knightley both worked well, although again, they didn't have huge roles here. Naomie Harris was good, too. Really, the whole cast is quite strong- there's so much talent in this movie. The strange thing is that so many of them took on roles that used only a fraction of their talent. It's weird to see great actors like Norton, Winslet, and Mirren playing these small roles. Still, their presence greatly helped the film.

There are some legitimately emotional moments throughout the film. I appreciated this unflinching look at the bottomless pit of despair that can open up after losing a child. This movie tackles a dark subject matter, but the story is so light that it does provide some balance. I didn't love this movie, but I enjoyed watching it and would consider it a solid film. I have to say that I didn't really care for the very end of the film (it was one of those "Come on!" eye roll moments). Still, as a whole, Collateral Beauty offers enough to offset its biggest flaws. This is an imperfect movie, but it's still a very worthwhile one.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Pursuit of Happyness, Seven Pounds