New Film Review: Stronger

STRONGER
Directed David Gordon Green
Screenplay by John Pollono
Based on the book by Jeff Bauman and Bret Witter
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal; Tatiana Maslany; and Miranda Richardson




Gyllenhal plays Baumann, a reluctant hero in Boston after the Boston Marathon bombing.
We follow his recovery as he learns to deal with his loss of legs and his mental struggles.


Finally after a long drought I have three pretty good movies coming, stating with this one!!!
It has been a bad year for films that is for sure..........things are changing!!!


Stronger does a lot of things right:
The Story:
It is an interesting story from many angles.
Bauman...who is held up as a hero. He has no interest in it. It kind of confuses him. Still he is a hero, with many faults. He is unreliable, before and after the bombing, in his relationship with his girlfriend Erin Hurley. He also has a bit of a drinking problem which is exasperated by his family.
Bauman's family..... led by Patty his mother. They relish in his fame, and like to party too much.
Erin Hurley.....Bauman's on and off again girlfriend. She has a lot of guilt, because she is the reason he is at the marathon. Hurley becomes the voice of common sense between Bauman's family and Bauman.
As you can tell this film is not about the bombing and capture of the cowards who did this awful act of violence. It follows Baumann and the aftermath. Bauman struggles with the hero tag, as much as he struggles with the loss of his legs. It takes him awhile to understand he is a symbol of hope. Lives were lost. People needed a person to be them...to represent.


Casting:
If Gyllenhaal does not get an Oscar nod here something is very wrong!! His mannerisms are so on point. There is a moment when he falls right on to his face. Everyone in the theatre went "OOOF". They felt it. He had us! That is the sign of a good performance.
Maslany also should get a nod for best supporting actress as Hurley. I love that she is just an ordinary woman. Stuck in a no win situation.
Richardson as Patty. She may be the front runner for best supporting actress with this performance. She becomes Boston with the accent, the pushiness, and sadly... throw in too much liquid refreshments.


Negatives? Yes...small negatives.
-The family is a lot to watch. I mean so abrasive ...you want them to go away. It is tough...I think they get highlighted too much while the rehab and relationship between Hurley and Baumann gets overrun by that abrasiveness. I wish they would have pulled back on the family. I think whenever Gyllenhaal and Maslany are not on the screen together the film loses some heart.
In fact I felt the film was rushed at the end. I wanted to see how they repaired things...how they get from point A to B.


Still do not let that push you away from this true story of a reluctant hero, with perfect performances.. 4 out of 5 stars for Stronger.

From the shadows as always thanks for your time.