I thought Emory Cohen was amazing. I think everyone in the film is very good indeed. On paper, of the main characters, for me Bradley Cooper and Emory Cohen have the more thankless roles as the characters they are playing are more numpty-ish. Emory managed to do something I don't think Bradley quite did though (not to say Cooper isn't good: I was impressed by him in this film which says something as I hadn't been with anything I'd seen him in prior to this. Although in fairness, I was impressed more by most other: Gosling, Mendes, DeHaan, Mendelsohn and Emory) - Emory brings nuance to AJ. It isn't the biggest role in the film. Of the two boys, Jason is the bigger part, but I completely felt AJ's pain and felt a depth from his character. Even in Emory's expression at the end... I think he is so great in this film.
In terms of accent, I'm from the UK so I wouldn't have a clue nor could I care less to be honest. If it was an accent familiar to me, then it would perhaps bother me though, so I empathise. But I certainly didn't struggle to understand him anyway.
Don't even get me started on white people speaking in Ebonics, especially those who grew up in white upper middle class areas of NY! AJ's grandfather was a judge yet this kid was talking as if he grew up in a housing project in Newark!!
This reads a lot more like a criticism of the character than the acting! But surely it's clear psychologically (not that folks need a reason to lose their way in life!) how AJ could have grown to be how he is? Anyway, sure Jason has problems, but arguably AJ has moreso. His Father is alive but since he was a baby his Dad confessed he could hardly bear to look at him. We can see in the final segment of the film, though of course he doesn't want anything to happen to his son, he still finds it hard to even spend time near him. At least Jason had two parents who loved him.
AJ appeared to hate his father, but that wasn't explored at all.
It really, really was!!! In Emory's AJ I at least saw the scared kid behind all that bravado and that impulsive anger (inherited from Daddy?)
This whole film (for me) is about who we are, what we are to each other and the impact we have on each other; what we do and what is inherent in us. Really, AJ is there to show Avery's impact on his kid - it's what AJ's role is all about... isn't it?
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deck007-1
9 years ago
I felt this 3rd act of the movie with the sons was the weakest. I don't know how at this forum u bring other comments in....so I just copied & pasted this reply by Rhetkidd because I thought he was on the right track except I thought it very good & not great...his reply is in blue
Really? I thought he was GREAT! He played a typical suburban wigger trying to be gangster… LOTS of kids like that running around.
When I was much younger I knew a white kid with very wealthy parents who acted like he wanted to be seen as a bad ass black dude who would listen to rapp music & dress & act like he grew up in the hood. But it was all for show. He just seemed silly to me. He was also super lazy & a thief (which he didn't need to be - his folks would buy him whatever he wanted).
I wonder what ever happened to him?
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Brendan86
9 years ago
Spiral_static: This is an excellent post, demonstrating thoughtfulness and insight into the themes of this film, and especially the character of AJ. I think the starter of this thread underestimated Cohen's performance and the angle he was taking on his character. To say the themes he was exploring as an actor (through his behavior) were "surface-based" is a shortsighted response. Emory Cohen carries a great deal of expression in his face, emotion and nuance, that his character tried to hide behind a macho facade, like many young men do who are insecure about their place in the world. What the original poster sees as obtuse or "the obvious" (his speech, mannerisms) is actually quite astute and reveals this actor has layers. The character is simply trying to cover up his layers as a person because he is unsure of them. It's a form of coping.
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