Sick Product of a Sick System

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Four strangers who meet while trying to jump off the same tall building on New Year's Eve make a pact to postpone their deaths until Valentine's Day in this often quirky and highly unusual comedy based on a Nick Hornby novel. As per Hornby norm, the dialogue and narration often sparkles with wit and the characters are nicely human and down-to-earth. The bond that develops between them is endlessly fascinating too as they become a bit of a family unit, drawn to one another based on their shared experience. Things only get more interesting as their pact is leaked to the public, causing a media frenzy, and unwarranted hype when (as a practical joke) they decide to claim that an angel in the form of Matt Damon ('Dogma', anyone?) prevented them jumping. The idea of the pact spiraling out of control is, however, never properly developed with the characters subsequently hiding from the press and further things going on. It is also debatable whether the film truly explores the depression and suicidal inclinations felt by its characters who never seemed tempted to end it all ever again merely as a result of their pact. This remains, however, an entertaining film through and through, if a little sappy towards the end and never quite the black comedy that it could have been (think the 1978 Burt Reynolds film 'The End'). The initial scenes of the characters meeting and trying to talk one another out of it are certainly highly memorable and there is an equally unforgettable scene in which they convince a waiter that they are lovers when mistaken for a family!

Nick Hornby's 2005 book is one of his best, but 2014's 'A Long Way Down' manages to be a contender for the weakest (or one of them) adaptation of his work.As an adaptation, 'A Long Way Down really does disappoint, lacking the biting humour, wryness, depth, intelligence and pathos of the book. Hornby is not easy to adapt, but this felt very watered down and bland adaptation-wise, with the spirit not being there and the details present but not used to their full potential. As a standalone, 'A Long Way Down' is not an abomination because it does have some things working in its favour but at the same time it has too many flaws to be an underrated gem.Starting with what was good about 'A Long Way Down', the locations and costumes are very well done and the film is beautifully shot. The soundtrack fits very well and is memorable, being careful not to intrude. Of the four stories that the film bases itself around, Maureen's comes off the strongest, it has real poignancy and emotional resonance and the only one to feel believable or genuine. The scenes between her and son are incredibly sweet and moving without being mawkishly over-sentimental. The film gets off to a good start as well, having some degree of tension and didn't feel contrived or manipulative in any way.The cast is a decent one to begin with, and while there are some definite standouts not everybody fares well. The most consistent is Toni Collette, an actress who can elevate any material regardless of its quality. She is helped by the fact that she has the most relatable character and the most genuine of the four stories, but Collette really is affecting here and also quite charming. Martin is a rather erratic character, but Pierce Brosnan's presence still feels very natural. And Sam Neill, while with a small role (too small considering his considerable talent), acts with understated dignity. Not everybody works here. Aaron Paul is certainly not bad at all and displays charm and charisma, however the character is underwritten and is not interesting or well-developed, sometimes almost thankless until the climactic speech. Wasn't sure entirely about Imogen Poots, whose performance like the film will divide audiences. Sometimes she is funny and poignant but at other points she overacts and it grates and makes the character annoying. Lovely Rosamund Pike is sadly completely wasted, with virtually nothing to do in one of 'A Long Way Down's' most forced scenes.Chaumeil's direction really works against them, it's flat as a pancake and at its worst listless as well as never seeming to find the right tone. While there are moments, 'A Long Way Down' never completely works as a comedy or drama. It does feel like it tries too hard to be funny and also too hard to be moving. The funny scenes are very few (there was not enough humour also in the first place), while those few scenes are amusing most are awkward, very forced and even out of place. In terms of the moving scenes, only Maureen's back story evokes emotion, the rest are not fully explored or even neglected (Aaron Paul is especially wronged here) and the characters are not written with enough depth or believability to make me empathise with them, Jess sometimes annoyed me in fact.In terms of the story, there is so much going on and so many shifts in tone that it feels very rushed and jumpy (making the chemistry between the cast suffer as a result), and the tonal shifts really do jar to the point it does confuse in places and the film just feels unfocused and unbalanced. Suicide is a very heavy subject to explore but is almost completely trivialised here, the opening explores it well but the rest of the film feels like a different film and like the opening didn't happen. That said, because not enough is done to make the back-stories and characters interesting the film feels dull too.Overall, didn't hate it, didn't love it. Somewhere in between, but with a strong air of disappointment considering its potential with the source material and cast. 5/10 Bethany Cox

I found this movie on Netflix streaming movies. I was attracted to it for its cast, all fine actors.It starts with Pierce Brosnan as Martin, sneaking a ladder into the stairwell of a tall building on New Year's Eve, ostensibly to make a bridge across the protective barrier on rooftop, so that he can jump off and kill himself. What is so bad in his life? He is a family man with a great job as a London TV show personality. But that tryst with the girl he thought was maybe 25 went bad when it turned out she was only 15! He is a disgraced man.But as he is just about to walk the plank he hears a voice, it is Toni Collette as Maureen. She has come to the rooftop for a similar reason, to kill herself, but her story is totally different.Next the two of them are joined by Imogen Poots as Jess, then a bit later by pizza delivery boy, Aaron Paul as JJ. They all have this one thing in common, they decide to kill themselves for various reasons that it total don't really make sense.So the movie is really about the 4 of them making a pact that night, to not do anything until Valentine's Day, the next most popular day for suicides. They form bonds of sorts, they even fly as a group to a vacation spot. We gradually learn all the other stories. And of course things get better for each of them.Not a great movie but a very interesting one, worth a viewing.

Based on popular author Nick Hornby's novel of the same name, Pascal Chaumeil's adaptation of A Long Way Down is a tonally awkward film that you can't help but feel had more to give had it been more efficiently made, but thanks to a talented acting ensemble, the film overcomes many of its narrative troubles to be an enjoyable and even sometimes touching tale of life and friendship.Setting a film around botched suicide attempts seems like a sure-fire trip into Depressionville but this is absolutely a comedic look at a subject that arguably needed a little more realism attached to it. We have a disgraced TV personality Martin (Brosnan), hardworking mother Maureen (Collette), loud and obnoxious young lady Jess (Poots) and forlorn pizza delivery guy J.J (Paul) who create a rag-tag bunch of people that in real life would not put up with each other for more than a few minutes but here take holidays together and it sets up many awkward moments and musings on life and all its troubles. It's often a very strange scenario and one about as far away from realism as your likely to get but the actors here do some fine work despite Imogen Poot's grating performance and Dario Marianelli's overbearing score.It's always nice to see Pierce Brosnan given something to do and he aces his role as Martin. Martin is a believable character and along with Toni Collette's Maureen he makes for the film's most relatable figures. This is what A Long Way Down needed a little more of to really make it fly, some relatability and persons that feel cut from the real world. Aaron Paul does some nice work also as J.J, a man who's not quite sure why he feels the way he does and that too is something I'm sure people can associate with. It's nice to see Paul succeed here as he has an undeniable presence on screen when given the right material. The films largest annoyance (other than the wasting of Sam Neill and Rosamund Pike in short support turns) is by far Imogen Poots. Her Jess is a tacky and insipid creation that will bring the films mood down consistently in an overplayed and over extenuated role, all loud noises and arrogant remarks, it truly is an annoying thing to witness.A Long Way Down has some nice things to say about life, love and friendship and while it's all told in a very Hollywood light way, the message is still an important one. While not everything here rings true and some situations would've been better suited on the cutting room floor, there is enough here to suggest many will find enjoyment and maybe even some life affirming notions amongst all the goings on.3 step ladders out of 5 For more movie reviews and opinions check into - www.jordanandeddie.wordpress.com