MovieChat Forums > Grown Up Movie Star (2010) Discussion > contrived

contrived

posted 14 years ago by balz_harry
6 replies | jump to latest

SPOILERS.............. SPOILERS............ DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS FILM............. SPOILERS............ Didn't anyone find this a little contrived? Hands down to Tatiana Maslany for an excellent performace, whatever this film is you can't take the hard earned performance away from her. I tried to like this film but it kept throwing characters at me who I could frankly, care less about. I thought the father was an absolute jerk and probably the most selfish man ever committed to celluloid, gay or not. What kind of father receives oral sex in the porch while his young daughters lay aslseep about ten feet away while he moans like a school girl in heat? Young girls hear his moans of ecstasy and soon discover that their father is gay. Next: Gay man's father is a complete misogynistic recluse who generally hates life and homomsexualas as well and has no problems with the beating of women, then we are suppossed to believe this man finds redemption in the acceptance of his son's homosexuality; quote, "sure they're fighting and dying overseas now." Second: there's the creepy dude in a wheel chair who's really a pedophile who's the the gay father's best friend because he shot him in a hunting accident becuase the father had feelings for him and didn't want to admit to such things. So, he tries to smuggle back weed from the States to help him with his handicap (somebody should have told him there's lots of weed in Newfoundland) thus getting kicked out of the NHL and not being allowed into the US anymore. His false wife loves the US however and being a top-notch actress leaves to go to Hollywood to be a crack whore, which you can do in St. John's as well, go figure. The pedophile's pictures grow more intense until he want's to have sex with a 13 year old unsuccessfully, hmmm, he's in a wheel chair??? Father looks for daughter but would rather have unprotected anal sex in the middle of nowhere. Finds out later his best friend took the pictures, which really don't look that bad when you see them, otherwise it would've bordered on child pornography. The gay father goes to kill the handicap only to have his daughter call the cops and all is saved which leads to one big happy ending. Contrived? Or not? Oh, can you really lose that amount of blood from busted foreskin and not pass out??

[–] josh773 14 years ago

It's as though we saw different movies. Of all the films I saw at Sundance this was by far the best one. First and foremost I never felt that the film was emotionally manipulative. Whether this was due to the acting, which was superb or the writing which was also superb, not once was I sure of what was going to happen next.

Given then age and occupation of the father, it is difficult to imagine how he could be viewed as anything other than a person coming of age himself. It would be very difficult indeed for a man of his age and athletic background to come to terms with the fact that his very being, sine qua non, is entirely antithetical to the world in which he was raised and understood. The way this film handled his journey to overcoming self loathing was brilliant. He doesn't end up hating himslef or homosexuals. While that was initially implied through his initial action what became apparent during the film is that he was struggling with and overcoming deep-seated (seeded?) emotional barriers to self-scceptance. While I am sure there is plenty of access to pot in Newfoundland, that is not the point of the narrative.

As for the parapelegic (sp?) uncle, he did turn out to be a pedophile and that realization was coming on like a freight train. Nevertheless, at all times until the end there was hope for redemption. He was a symapthetic charachter up until the end at which point all hope was lost.

Finally, I was circumcized at birth. Therefore, I am unable to assess whether the amount of blood that erupted from the foreskin of the tennaged boys erect penis was over done.

[–] longshanks-5 14 years ago

josh773 said:
"deep-seated (seeded?)"

Seated.

[–] ofumalow 14 years ago

Wait--what just happened here? Did someone actually just correct someone else's grammar and/or spelling in a consensual, non-insulting way?!? Perhaps for IMBD boards this is the dawning of the age of Aquarius. Harmony and understanding, sympathy and trust abounding...

[–] ofumalow 14 years ago

FYI, I thought this was an excellent movie, although the two much older actresses were hardly convincing as 11 and 13-year-olds.

[–] cdunbar-3 14 years ago

Re: ofumalow's last post: I thought Tatyana portrayed a young teen effectively; she’s tiny with a slight build and her face has surprisingly childlike features. I wasn’t sure what age she was supposed to be until it’s mentioned later in the film. Ironically, I thought the actress playing the eleven year old sister looked older. She’s visibly curvier no matter what clothes she’s wearing; in one scene where the sisters are together in the bedroom, “little” Rose leans forward and the viewer sees her cleavage! I’m surprised that wasn’t edited out.

Having said all that, because of the incendiary and overwhelmingly sexual subject matter, I think it wise older actresses were used to portray the two sisters.

[–] tallard 13 years ago

I agree, great acting, from father, daughter, boyfriend, boyfriend
The cinematography was respectable, as was editing

but the story, damned creepy, and in a sense, had it been a creepy movie with some kind of harsh ending, then at least it would have been consistent, dark, introspective, questioning

But no!

he made a creepy movie, then gave it a cheesy happy ending, that just makes it sicker!

However... I do think the older was 16, as stated in the last moments, not 13. Her younger sister would have been 12-13.
But ya, overall, it was horribly creepy movie about creepy people.
Makes me depressed to know I have Newfie blood :(

I still gave it 5/10 for the acting and cinematography.

***So I've seen 4 movies/wk in theatre for a 1/4 century, call me crazy?**