The Hollars

Starring: John Krasinski, Margo Martindale, Richard Jenkins, Sharlto Copley, Anna Kendrick, Charlie Day, Randall Park, Josh Groban, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Mary Kay Place
Directed by: John Krasinski
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A man (John Krasinski) reluctantly returns home after learning his mother (Margo Martindale) is ill.

Review:

Tim: I've been a huge John Krasinski fan since his days on "The Office", so I was very excited to see his second directorial effort. I was a little nervous, because I wanted to like it. Luckily, I had no issues easily embracing this heartfelt, funny, memorable movie. I can't remember the last time I watched a movie that felt so authentic and emotional while just being entertaining from start to finish. The script is warm and funny and it sets up these wonderful characters. Krasinski does a masterful job behind the camera, giving us ample opportunity to get to know (and eventually love) these characters. This is a movie that felt like it captured something true about families and relationships.

The story itself isn't anything new- a man comes home to his dysfunctional family due to an illness. We've seen this dozens of times before, but somehow here, none of those other times matter. We're here on this journey with this family and these individuals and we immediately get swept up into their crazy, interesting family. The dynamics between all the family members- the two brothers with each other, each of them with their mother and their father, the dynamics between the mother and father- each relationship feels lived in and authentic and different in many ways. The whole thing hinted at the complex relationships we develop with people over decades. It was a fascinating look at family dynamics while also being wildly entertaining.

I didn't expect the movie to be as funny as it was. I laughed out loud continually throughout the film. Lots of movies give us "interesting" and "quirky" characters, but that doesn't always translate into genuine laughs. The combination of the excellent script plus Krasinski's directing resulted in a truly funny film from start to finish. There was so much here that was relatable that you couldn't help but smiling.

The cast was so good. Krasinski has perfected that everyman quality that makes the audience identify with him. I really liked him here. It was brilliant to cast Margo Martindale as his mother. Martindale is one of the most underrated actresses of all time and she turns in another spectacular performance here. She's so authentic and so believable. You could say the same thing for Richard Jenkins, a guy who continually shows up and delivers strong performances. Sharlto Copley was the weakest member of the main cast. He did have some truly funny moments, but he also has a tendency to overact and he did so quite frequently here. I loved the casting of Anna Kendrick, but was bummed she had almost nothing to do. I was also excited to see Mary Elizabeth Winstead, but she gets one scene and that's not nearly enough. Charlie Day was somewhat restrained here, and therefore, was quite funny. Really, the cast as a whole was very strong.

The Hollars is just about everything you want from a comedy drama like this. It introduced memorable characters that you learn to care about and through their story, reflects many of the ups and downs we've experienced in our families at various points. The movie might not quite reach greatness, but there's so much here that I do believe Krasinski can be a great director. I hope he continues to push, because this was a thoroughly enjoyable film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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