Jeff's Reviews

Thoughts on every movie I've ever seen.

Manchester by the Sea (2016)

Directed by Kenneth Lonergan

Starring Casey Affleck, Ben O'Brien, Kyle Chandler, Richard Donelly

Author

An odd story oddly put together. Flashbacks are jarringly subtle. Some scenes with delightful sarcasm start to be funny but are lost in the greater tragedy of the movie. A few other scenes, entertaining as they are, involve characters other than the obvious protagonist, which makes me wonder what role they play in the story. And everything is hauntingly interspersed with beautiful scenery and calming music.

Acting is good. Affleck’s character, and probably the actor as well, is an interesting mix of charm and unease. There’s something magnetic about him, but you know that under the puppy dog eyes are a raging torrent of emotion. He seems to thrive playing emotionally conflicted characters, kind of like Julianne Moore. Wonderful performance by Hedges as Patrick. Annoying as hell, but a great character.

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