The Only Living Boy in New York

Starring: Callum Turner, Jeff Bridges, Kate Beckinsale, Pierce Brosnan, Cynthia Nixon, Kiersey Clemons, Tate Donovan, Wallace Shaw, Bill Camp
Directed by: Marc Webb
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
2017

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A young man (Callum Turner) is stunned when he learns his father (Pierce Brosnan) is having an affair. As he reaches out to the woman (Kate Beckinsale), he also befriends a mysterious man (Jeff Bridges) living in his apartment building.

Review:

Tim: There were some legitimately good ideas in The Only Living Boy in New York, but the film never quite comes together as intended. There's this big issue- the characters here are all high class elites who we're supposed to care about. This is a movie about wealthy white people dealing with first world problems. I'm not opposed to movies like that, but you have to make us understand and sympathize with the characters. That doesn't happen here. Instead, we watch a bunch of whiny people deal with problems, mostly of their own making. Marc Webb's film never gets off the ground- it never delivers anything with real emotional resonance.

The inability of the film to connect with audiences is definitely due to the script and Webb's direction. However, it is also due to the inadequate performance of Callum Turner. I think I've seen him in small, forgettable supporting roles before and that's probably where he belongs. He showed no ability to make an emotional connection with the audience. He's a bit too smug in all his mannerisms, and I don't just mean his acting performance. I never cared about his character for a second. I was thoroughly bored with Turner's unmemorable performance. He might never be terrible, but he doesn't do anything especially interesting. The same could be said for Kiersey Clemons. Her performance just felt completely average.

The movie is immensely helped by strong supporting performances. Jeff Bridges is one of the better parts of the film, and this isn't even an especially strong performance from him. He doesn't seem fully focused on the role, and yet he still delivers a very strong turn. He at least understands how to make an emotional connection to the audience. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Kate Beckinsale's performance. I've often derided her for a lack of acting talent, but she works especially well here. She embraces the world weariness of her character while still hitting a range of emotions. She was quite effective. Pierce Brosnan added a decent supporting performance- has a few nice moments. I've never really liked Cynthia Nixon, but I didn't have any faults with her effort here. As a whole, the supporting cast is far better than the leads.

While the characters were disappointing and not nearly as interesting as they needed to be, there were some solid moments in the script. The story has a few unexpected twists and turns, and those at least held our attention. There are aspects of the story that are different and clever and I appreciated those, certainly.

I know that the cast here deserved a better film than they got and I think Marc Webb is a better director than this film would suggest. The Only Living Boy in New York isn't a bad movie, it's just a thoroughly average, forgettable one. I feel fairly ambivalent about it. I can't say I'm mad I watched it, even though it kind of feels like a waste of time.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



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