Certain Women
I saw Certain Women. An understated type movie, nothing flashy but a good ensemble cast and character driven story lines which I generally like.
shareAn understated type movie, nothing flashy but a good ensemble cast and character driven story lines which I generally like.
Exactly Ron. I believe this is a major reason why 92% of film critics liked Certain Women while in stark contrast only 51 percent of moviegoers enjoyed it according to Rotten Tomatoes. I'm the type of moviegoer who wants to watch a compelling film with striking visuals whose storyline and plot are rife with conflict and tension. The first rule in screenwriting is a story must be filled with conflict as conflict drives the storyline forward. I also believe a compelling story must also contain characters who are ordinary or extraordinary individuals who accomplish extraordinary things and through their journey, they experience a tremendous metamorphosis. I believe the majority of moviegoers have similar tastes and preferences.
That being said, as far as the acting performances, I would have to agree with the critics' consensus which gives high marks to actresses such as Kristen, Lily Gladstone and Michelle Williams for their performances in this film. The critics certainly took notice of Lily Gladstone as she won a Best Supporting Actress award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, widely considered the second most prestigious film critics group in the world. If it wasn't for the stellar performances by Kristen, Gladstone, and Williams, to put it bluntly, I probably would have given this film a Rotten rating as it was very slow moving, too low key, lackluster, talking heads movie for my taste as it was a film about ordinary people doing ordinary things where its main characters haven't changed one iota despite what they've experienced and devoid of many of the key components which I believe make a good movie.
So because this film lacked the substance usually seen in Oscar-bait caliber films, bringing such understated roles to life isn't anywhere as easy as it looks--the subtle and nuanced expressions, the withholding of thoughts and even in the scenes where the actors are silent--their silence speaks a thousand words as the cliche goes. Thankfully professional film critics are quick to notice what the majority of moviegoers, as well as Oscar voters for that matter, fail to recognize. Here are some of my fave clips of Kristen and Lily Gladstone doing just that and excelling at it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymX7xB7G8LI
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"That being said, as far as the acting performances, I would have to agree with the critics' consensus which gives high marks to actresses such as Kristen, Lily Gladstone and Michelle Williams for their performances in this film. The critics certainly took notice of Lily Gladstone as she won a Best Supporting Actress award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association"
I was glad to see Lily get the notice. She did a great job in her role, you could really feel and understand what she felt and feel empathy with her.
"If it wasn't for the stellar performances by Kristen, Gladstone, and Williams, to put it bluntly, I probably would have given this film a Rotten rating as it was very slow moving, too low key, lackluster, talking heads movie for my taste as it was a film about ordinary people doing ordinary things where its main characters haven't changed one iota despite what they've experienced and devoid of many of the key components which I believe make a good movie. "
There is some truth in that. As I said, it's an understated, low key type movie, relying on the characters to drive the ensemble's story lines which they did very nicely. For me, being that it was about normal, everyday people and their goings on it was actually quite refreshing. No super heroes or over the top action which makes up too many films these days but then, those do sell at the box office. But for me, I'm so tired of those type films and the outrageousness they often use to sell the story. Not usually any kind of character or story development, etc. So as I said, this film was refreshing. I could see myself or someone I know in those situations because it was all relatable. And I think that's part of what the director and cast were going for and the ordinariness of it made it a bit of a gem in some ways.