A Million Little Pieces

Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Odessa Young, Giovanni Ribisi, Juliette Lewis, Charlie Hunnam, Dash Mihok, Charles Parnell, Ryan Hurst, David Dastmalchian
Directed by: Sam Taylor-Johnson
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
2019

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An addict (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) struggles with the fight to get clean, as he contemplates returning to his previous, self-destructive life.

Review:

Tim: I don't want to spend much time on James Frey's controversial film, or his lies about the novel, or any of that. I'm treating this movie as a fictional film about fictional characters. Surprisingly, I enjoyed A Million Little Pieces. It certainly seems like this was a labor of love for director Sam Taylor-Johnson and star Aaron Taylor-Johnson. I know people didn't like the movie, but I have to believe that's more in response to the troubling "memoir" than the movie itself. Looking at this as a "regular" movie, it's pretty good.

Films about rehab are always a little tricky, but can be successes if you get the tone right. This film is dark, but it never stays overly dark. It pops back into the light and gives us multiple moments of levity. The movie is never quite self-pitying, but instead focuses on the upward climb of one man in rehab. I enjoyed this movie. It certainly gives us a worthwhile underdog story. We learn about James and see the extent of his immense addictions. He's flawed, but likeable. We get to know the inhabitants of the rehab center and watch as they go through the ups and downs of that process.

Sam Taylor-Johnson keeps the movie moving- the pace was quite good. That ensures the 1 hour, 53 minute movie feels like the appropriate length. The pacing is so important because so much of the film happens in one location. Taylor-Johnson uses this effectively- she plays up the claustrophobic, isolation moments when needed, but is also able to leverage the outdoors to give the characters and audience some breathing room.

Obviously, the characters in a film like this are essential. I've always liked Aaron Taylor-Johnson and he's so good in this role. He manages to play a deeply flawed character, but he's someone we care about and root for- we want to see him get clean and turn his life around. Taylor-Johnson is so believable in this challenging role. He makes the movie worthwhile. I also have to give tons of credit to Billy Bob Thornton. Thornton always surprises me with how good he can be in supporting roles. He's not always effective as a lead, but he can be fantastic in small doses, as he is here. I laughed multiple times at his line deliveries. He's hands-down one of the best parts of the entire film. I'm a big fan of Giovanni Ribisi. He was decent here, but he didn't get to contribute as much as I would have liked. He's almost an afterthought. Juliette Lewis added a nice supporting turn, and Charlie Hunnam was decent, although severely limited in what he could do.

I did want to spend a minute talking about Odessa Young. I didn't love her performance and I'm not quite sure why. She puts the effort in and had a few strong moments, but she wasn't able to build the same connection with the audience as Taylor-Johnson. I never really cared about her character. I didn't see the relationship between her character and James as something plausible. That hurts the movie, as it's a crucial relationship that influences the latter part of the movie. Young isn't great in the role- I wish a stronger actress took this part.

This movie does a fairly good job of showing us what life is like in a rehab facility (in a fictional way, of course). Drugs are a terrible, terrible thing and they ruin and end lives- I was glad that was on display here. The movie is at turns agonizing, hilarious, and more often than not, entertaining. The central relationship between Taylor-Johnson and Young doesn't work, so that hurts the heart of the movie a bit. There are better rehab movies out there. This one skims along the surface, never fully committing one way or another. It's not going to be a fully brutal look at rehabilitation of addicts, but it's not going to take the comedic approach either. This isn't a bad thing, but it limits the movie a bit.

I know critics weren't a fan of this film, but I thought it was a good movie. It doesn't pack enough punch to be more than that, but it was fairly entertaining. I'd consider A Million Little Pieces a solid effort from all involved.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Basketball Diaries, Clean and Sober, Permanent Midnight