MovieChat Forums > Comet (2014) Discussion > Really didn't work for me.

Really didn't work for me.

posted 9 years ago by sbowesuk
6 replies | jump to latest

I can see why this got such a hot & cold reception from critics. It did some things great, and other things horribly.

The cinematography was great, and the concept was very interesting. What it got wrong? Primarily, the main characters were utterly obnoxious. Just headache inducingly unlikeable. Couldn't find anything redeemable with either of them, and thus could not get behind them at any point during this movie.

Personally, I feel this movie suffered due to Sam Esmail both writing and directing. Most movies made this way simply fall apart. It's just too much power for most movie makers to have. They go off on a tangent, and there's no one there to take them by the scruff of the neck and drag them back into line. Sam Esmail should have left the writing to someone who can actually write tolerable characters, period.

In conclusion, this movie had potential, but just didn't execute its ideas well enough. 5/10

[–] gorkee23 9 years ago

I didn't like the boyfriend Dell (Justin Long) like at all. He's an obnoxious geek, won't stop talking ...

But I decided to go with it since Emmy Rossum, as usually, looks quite good and has a cool on-screen presence.

She's the only true star and made me forget about her boyfriend.

The ending is smoothly done IMHO:

The plot makes you "root" for them through the entire second half and there they are on that terrace (the final scene). It looks as if they're trying to make up after some fight or some temporary separation, no biggie.

The sun(s) is (are) setting, but, a surprise, it happens that they are now worlds apart, their destinies split and separated. It's all been long time ago.

It's clear she ditched Dell and moved on. She cares about him only as about some friend from her past who she hasn't seen since who knows when. Now she's with someone else - pregnant and loves him.

But the movie ends with their kiss nevertheless.

It's stupid, cool, ambivalent and bitter-sweet at the same time.

Not everyone's cup of tea.

I think a lot of the rom-coms or rom-dramas end this way lately (try "I Give It a Year" (2013)).

[–] magnoliaspringsal 9 years ago

I agree wholeheartedly. The boyfriend - Dell - seemed to never shut up. In the beginning, maybe it's kind of cute, introductory jitters... but a supposed six years later, it's simply obnoxious and annoying.

[–] judassab 9 years ago

They got some aspects of a deep relationship right, but other aspects were completely beyond belief. The biggest problem seemed to be that their relationship took intimacy of thoughts for granted, even though normally intimacy comes with time, love and respect. It's not about smartness, it's about spending time with the other half. Some lines felt completely believable, while other lines felt completely unrealistic for normal people in a deep relationship to say. It was hit and miss and all over the place. "Boohoo, you texted another guy, I don't love you" (this guy cured cancer), "Your mother had a heart attack, she passed away" "Why did she have a heart attack?" (LOL, is this real life?)..

[–] ajenpersuajen 9 years ago

"Your mother had a heart attack, she passed away" "Why did she have a heart attack?" (LOL, is this real life?

His mother just died and he is in shock. She won a long and hard fight with liver cancer, and dies due to a heart attack (an unrelated cause of death)? He is in shock and angry at what he is hearing and despite being a doctor, his mind probably wasn't working (understandably). You have to think more in terms of the context rather than just the script sometimes.

[–] katie15013 9 years ago

Totally agree, I was ready to turn it off after half an hour but decided to stick with it anyway, and it didn't redeem itself. It's definitely a beautifully shot film but I hated the characters, particularly Emmy Rossum's character, and the dialogue was so convoluted and unnatural. I couldn't figure out why either of them wanted to be with the other, they were both awful, conceited, shallow know-it-alls.

[–] wlp325 8 years ago

At first I enjoyed Dell's "style" of continuous talking, especially when they were in a line of people and he was offering disparaging remarks about the guy Kimberly was with, but it was short-lived. As the picture progressed, his talking became repetitive, incessant and just plain irritating. Then Kimberly began the same "style," but not quite as obnoxious. I couldn't wait for the picture to end.

Rest in peace, Roger Ebert. You were the best.