Mediocre Movie Club Movie Reviews

We Need To Talk about Kevin

1/12/2016

B+
3.22

Kevin's mother struggles to love her strange child, despite the increasingly vicious things he says and does as he grows up.

Directed by Lynne Ramsay

Initial Review by Bobby Schmidt

A few years or so ago, my sister told me about a novel she just finished for her book club. She raved about it and, upon watching the movie, told me that I need to read and watch it. It's been on my radar ever since, but I still haven't read the novel and this was my first viewing of the film. All I knew going in was that it's dark and 'messed up.'

Well, the movie is dark and sad... though I wouldn't label it as 'messed up'. It approaches a topic that's messed up and relevant, in school massacres and mass shootings, but does it in an incredibly non-exploitative and personal manner. We Need to Talk About Kevin makes it about the people instead of the incident, and that feels really important, and right. It's difficult to imagine how the family, a parent, of somebody committing such an act feels and lives with everything that comes after. The film gives us a well presented look at the eternal question of nature vs nurture, especially the internal struggle with it through Eva's view.

This is my first experience with a Lynne Ramsay film, and while I've heard the title of Ratcatcher before, I don't know a single thing about it. I really liked her direction and choices in We Need to Talk About Kevin. The vast use of red imagery sets the movie up, letting the audience know that something bad, bloody, and violent is coming (and we never actually see the violence happen, yet it's powerful). I liked how it grabbed my attention early, but it it started to feel a bit aggressive, overplayed, and just non stop. I suppose that was the point. Still, it's probably my only real issue among vast praise for Ramsay's choices throughout the film. From the multiple shots of Eva against different backdrops (the wall of soup cans, for example), the view from below the water line (clear until the water surfaces is touched), to the deliberate cuts such as the one from the pregnant women to the screaming girls in the hallway... making the viewer feel nearly as uneasy about Eva having a baby as she seemed to feel. The parallels from Kevin's nails to Eva and the egg shells, Kevin shooting paint on Eva's walls reflecting the red paint thrown on her house reflecting Kevin's attack (be it the blood of the massacre or the symbolism of how it covered Eva's life as she tries to scrub it off). All of the shot choices were clear and served their purpose well... and I'm immediately interested in checking out her other films (although, I'm not too sure about a space Moby Dick that's supposedly in the works).

One of the most successful things about the movie is the level of frustration and suspense that the viewer feels. The back and forth between the present and the past gives us just enough with each flash to continue drawing us in. I felt the frustration when Eva' stubbed her toe, even mouthing to myself, 'Ow, FFFFFFFFF!' as it happened. Moments that gave a little 'holy shit' reaction, like the lady punching Eva as she walked by, really made me wonder exactly what happened... even if a part of me already felt where it was going. I loved the scenes when Eva was driving. Both created a subtle feel of worry and suspense, as she tries to get her windshield clean, barely able to see, accompanied by upbeat music, and then the drive around the children on Halloween. There were just so many scenes with Eva that drove the eerie feeling. Her flashbacks involving Kevin showed her struggle with blaming herself or whether there was nothing she could do. Reliving specific moments as if it could have been any one of those that caused him to do what he did. Was it getting frustrated when he refused to roll the ball back, throwing him down when he soiled himself, or any number of unfortunately moments. Was it just her general approach to having and raising Kevin?

On the opposite side, we see Franklin and Celia. The former being the optimistic and happy father, who seems to connect with Kevin and solicit positive reactions from him. Celia is raised in the same environment and showing ranges of emotion and what most people would consider normal behavior. If it was truly Eva's fault, how is she so different from Kevin? I feel like both of these characters, especially Franklin, are portrayals of society's expectations... of family, happiness, and optimism. Their deaths being the most striking and personal, showing us the loss of those expectations, a possible reality that isn't at all comfortable to see or think about.

I like that the movie didn't seem to commit to either side of the nature/nurture argument... although, getting it all from Eva's view, her self blame could be seen as such.. but I think it's more of the question posed that an attempt at an answer. It makes an effort to show how somebody in her position would respond, dealing with the view of the public... especially the victims and their families. The emotions, and lack thereof, portrayed throughout the film were powerful in getting it all across.

This was an all around fantastically acted movie. Tilda Swinton gives a phenomenal performance as Eva Khatchadourian. She was given a lot of praise and good amount of recognition and nominations for the role... all well-deserved. She's an easy MMC best actress nominee. John C. Reilly was such a great choice for Franklin. His demeanor and attitude felt genuine, if sometimes ill-placed. Ezra Miller gave an outstanding performance as well. His expressions and tone were always on point. And I know we've talked about child actors many a time here, so Jasper Newell definitely deserves some credit for his part as the younger Kevin.

As always, I feel like I'm leaving things out... but that's what discussion and comments are for. I don't know how well the movie matched up with its source material, but watching definitely makes me want to read it and find out. I'd guess some the more potent lines, like "Just because you're used to something, doesn't mean you like it. You're used to me," are taken straight from the text... along with some of Kevin's interview on the news and his final admittance of no longer being sure as to why. Well written and important dialogue, I think.

Anyway... it's pretty easy to see where my grade is going here. We Need to Talk About Kevin approaches masterpiece level... as I said, I didn't like the overly aggressive use of red after a while, even though I get it. I also rolled my eyes at the violent video game scene... but wasn't surprised by it, either. Sometimes movies that are as dark and sad as this can be hard to like... but I think they're really important experiences and the emotions they bring out of us can be so powerful. And as we learned, Sadness is vital to our existence and happiness! A part of me says A+, but I'm just not there with it... maybe if I ever happen to rewatch it (knowing that this isn't a film that likely scores a high rewatchable factor with it being so dark). As for now, this is a strong A.

41 Comments

Admin

1/12/2016 02:13:29 pm

Reserved for replies to the original review.

Jon

1/12/2016 02:34:50 pm

Ratcatcher and Ramsay's second film, Morvern Callar, are both fine though Kevin is by far her best work. Ratcatcher is UK poverty porn, and my fuzzy memory of Morvern Callar was how arty it was. Both are critically well-received, though I didn't get it. I think I've got them as C+'s on the spreadsheet.

Bobby

1/12/2016 02:59:17 pm

But... are you all in on space Moby Dick, or what?

1/12/2016 03:43:58 pm

That is a weird choice for Ramsay, but I'll watch anything if it's good.

Bryan

1/12/2016 03:55:24 pm

I've renamed this movie "No Country for Old Men: The Teenage Years"

NCFOMTTY is dark and sad. It's every parents worst nightmare in terms of child behavior. I watch movies for entertainment or education, and this did neither.

The kid playing Kevin stole the show in terms of acting. Both John C Reilly and Tilda Swinton are typecast to me. They're always the same emotion and voice inflection in every show. They did a fine job, but I wasn't sold on them as a couple or as parents of Kevin.

The mystery and acting keep this one from an F, but I'd never turn it on again or recommend it to anyone who doesn't like dark movies. D

1/12/2016 04:31:31 pm

You're anti ceilings, right?

Do dark and sad movies have a ceiling for you?

1/12/2016 04:57:37 pm

No glass ceilings here. I wouldn't bother watching a movie with a predefined grade ceiling or floor. I went in to this with zero idea what it was about - my only intuition was it's probably dark because Bobby picked it and the covert art looks sad.

1/12/2016 05:10:14 pm

But... your grade is based on it being dark and sad, correct?

Is it a bad movie because it's dark and sad? Because it's your worst nightmare as a parent?

1/12/2016 05:54:55 pm

I was pretty uneasy through the whole thing. And not in a Michael Scott or can't wait to see what's next sort of way. More of, when is this misery going to end so I can do something else?

1/12/2016 05:56:55 pm

Any movie often inspires thoughts of empathy. Putting myself in any of those characters shoes was not a highly rated feeling.

I can see where movie critics find the making of he movie enjoyable, but I don't give two shits about that stuff unless it's distracting my bad.

Drew

1/12/2016 04:45:13 pm

We Need to Talk about Kevin was a dark, psychological approach to a film that teased out the perpetual argument over nature versus nurture. Child Kevin was a brat who could easily manipulate his father and refused to shower emotion upon his mother. The film failed to show him being disciplined. Even later in their lives, the markings from the map room incident were still there. How does that happen?

Teenage Kevin turned into a soulless jerk who wound up in jail for the horrific act he committed. Why did he do it? There are debatable reasons for it. As a character, however, Kevin was interesting. He was callous, manipulative, apathetic, selfish, and vindictive. He showed those attributes in different ways but the one that constantly comes to mind was the “accident” concerning his sister. Eva and Franklin tried to explain to him that it was not his fault and he acted aloof to the whole episode. It was as if he convinced himself he bared no responsibility and no one could persuade him otherwise.

The story was interesting but Lynne Ramsay crossed three lines that were bothersome. One was the casting of John C. Reilly. He will forever be known for his roles in mindless comedies and anything he does in a quasi – serious role is overlooked. Anyone could have played the bumbling, negligent, and ignorant Franklin. Luke Wilson or even Will Ferrell (barf!) immediately came to mind. He was awful and the scenes that included him were painful to watch.

Another major problem was the flashbacks. Doing one or two may be enough but do too many and the show lands in Family Guy territory and it seemed within the first twenty minutes, Ramsay was well in the Family Guy zone. It was distracting enough for the viewer to become confused as to where Ramsay was in the story.

The final issue was the music. There were two times when the classic rock and pop songs were correctly used and the rest needed a deep thought for the connection. Ramsay laid upon a heavy story and expected the viewer had to understand why the song fit in a particular scene? This was a movie, not an academic presentation.

Despite those major flaws, We Need to Talk about Kevin was not a bad film. It was not anywhere near a masterpiece but recommendable. Was it worth a second viewing? That is difficult to answer but if anyone does, be sure to have a strong drink nearby. It will be required.

Grade B-

1/12/2016 05:00:54 pm

Will Ferrell broke through typecast in "Stranger Than Fiction"

1/12/2016 06:21:20 pm

That was his best acting job but if he broke through the typecast, why have we not seen more of it?

1/12/2016 07:42:10 pm

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Actor&id=willferrell.htm&sort=gross&order=DESC&p=.htm

1/12/2016 08:06:52 pm

That graph just made my point, Bryan. Thanks.

Sean

1/13/2016 06:03:20 pm

Stranger Than Fiction sucked

1/13/2016 06:42:18 pm

You suck.

Weebly Admin

1/14/2016 02:59:06 pm

Strike One. No verbal harassment.

1/14/2016 03:48:52 am

I have reasonably clear memories of Columbine. I was sitting in catechism class, and one thing Mater Dei was not good at was teaching religion, so any opportunity to divert the teacher was readily pounced upon. On that particular day, there was a ready-made alternative to learning about whatever we were supposed to be learning about, and so the TV's were turned on and we watched live footage from the event, which primarily consisted of speculation and shots of teenagers streaming out of the school with their hands behind their heads. The only other time in high school or college that a class was interrupted for a news event was the vastly-more significant 9/11.

Since then, I've always been curious about Columbine, and why it continues to loom pretty large in the cultural landscape. Gus Van Sant made a movie about it, and Michael Moore won an Oscar for his documentary that heavily featured it. I remember at least two Time magazine covers about it, while Newtown didn't get any. I don't really know why Columbine was so significant in a grand scale, but what I do know about it, thanks to the excellent accounting of it in Dave Cullen's book Columbine, was that ringleader Eric Harris was a textbook psychopath, capable of extremes in manipulation and cruelty and incapable of doing anything other than what he did. That's a long way to go to make the connection to We Need to Talk About Kevin, but the specter of child/teenage psychopathy is something I find hugely interesting. Lynne Ramsay's film is a bit of a homer for me, in that it looks at root causes in someone very much like Harris and is unwilling to throw out paeans to blanket terms like 'mental illness.' It identifies something real in society and refuses to look away, beckoning the viewer through billowing backdoor curtains and into pitch blackness.

If We Need to Talk About Kevin has a flaw, it's that it asks Why questions and answers them with pat psychological conclusions. If it didn't arrive at a conclusion that is exactly as dark as Kevin's ultimate actions, I would treat this flaw more seriously. In his review, Bryan talked about watching movies for entertainment or education. I can think of few things more educational than the two-pronged exploration of a psychopathic monster and a mother who despised her son from inside the womb, potentially making him that way. I'm not going to know what either of those two things are like, ever, and now I have something to consider. Ramsay pivots from the former directly into the latter, giving the viewer no respite from those taboo thoughts, while making the generators of them just sympathetic enough. We see Eva's isolated and ostracized life, and we see Kevin as an unloved baby/toddler, making the viewer question if Eva has received too harsh a punishment for her sin of omission and if Kevin ever really had a chance.

That latter question, in my mind, is plainly 'no.' Epigenetics is the wave of the future in molecular biology. In response to certain stimuli, genes can get chemical groups added to their foundation that makes them easier or harder to read and be transcribed. If they get enough hard-to-read signals added to them, they get silenced. It's a burgeoning branch that has the potential to put the nature-nurture argument to bed firmly on the side of nurture, though that was always a bit of a false premise in the first place. Broadly applied to the film, Kevin is being epigenetically screwed from the moment of conception. Eva's general displeasure at being pregnant is writing stress into his DNA, and her unwillingness to hold him as a baby (I don't think she's ever shown cradling him) is doing the same. He's a blank slate that is being fed chemical information about his worth and place in the world, and that chemical information will one day translate into neuronal connections which will further translate into thought and action.

1/14/2016 03:02:14 pm

" In his review, Bryan talked about watching movies for entertainment or education. I can think of few things more educational than the two-pronged exploration of a psychopathic monster and a mother who despised her son from inside the womb, potentially making him that way."

Here we get into my daily profession. I have sat in on meetings with mothers who drank while child was in utero. I have sat in on meetings of physically and/or sexually abused children. I have sat in on meetings where mom/dad can't stand the kid and is in the process or has already bailed on that child.

None of that part was a learning experience for me. It's a daily occurrence in public education.

1/14/2016 03:10:22 pm

Meetings with parents give you all of what we saw in the movie?

1/14/2016 03:17:03 pm

I guess... I question this, as my sister (who you know is a parent as well) works in public education, and special education. So she deals with a lot of parents and has a lot of difficult meetings. As mentioned, she was the one who suggested the title to me, and, years later, when i brought it up she raved about it still.

I get that you're gonna see some things that relate to the movie that some of us likely won't... but there seems to be so much more to the movie and where it goes than what could possibly be taken from those types of meetings, no?

1/14/2016 03:52:04 pm

Individually, no. In summation, yes. I think I've been pretty consistent in my anti-desire to relive my daily life in a movie or TV show. Countless people watch "Parenthood." There is zero chance I'm watching melancoly tv about an average person's life.

1/14/2016 03:53:26 pm

I can empathize with an A rating on this one, but personally I didn't enjoy watching it. It was much better done than No Country, I can't empathize on that one.

1/14/2016 04:23:32 pm

Doesn't it take some pretty large leaps away from your reality to consider this, even as a parent and a teacher, a reliving of your daily life?

1/14/2016 03:49:48 am

By the time Kevin's more conscious at ball-rolling age, the script has pretty much been written. "This woman gave me no comfort when I most needed it. Why should I give her, and therefore anyone else, their own comfort? If she refused to allay my suffering and discomfort, I will pay her, and therefore everyone else, back with the same. More than that, I will add a random element to my mental torture, in which I sometimes do what she asks or play along, thus sparking hope that this nightmare will someday end, but I will stomp out that hope by immediately reverting to my old ways." It all makes perfect sense from inside the head of a 4 year old, especially one as expressive as little Rocky Duer. Once Jasper Newell takes over, he's now willing to wallow in his own shit for the sake of Eva's continued misery. I interpreted a shred of rapproachment at this stage, in which Kevin essentially gives Eva the chance to say that she doesn't resent and hate her son, but she savors the opportunity and then spits it out. You can only clean out a six or seven year old's diaper so many times before those bridges have been burned.

Teenage Kevin, now played by Ezra Miller, is just a ticking time bomb with no hope of disarmament. Miller plays him with antipathy towards everyone, peeling lychee nuts with maximal contempt and minimal etiquette. He's almost completely dominating Eva by this point, with the unfathomable power move of not flinching when she barges in on him masturbating as the equivalent of a Maori war dance. I would just be in a state of constant-panic if I was responsible for a kid like that. The lead-up to the massacre is parceled in dribs and drabs from the first several scenes, and the choice to have it mostly take place through Eva is a tasteful one. From the moment she gets the first notice that something is happening at Kevin's school, it seems like everyone around her knows that it was her son at the center. Even with years of blow-by-blow lead-up, Eva is still stricken at that unfathomable moment of realization, and Swinton so completely nails it that it becomes slightly more fathomable.

Dave Cullen, who again, wrote what is praised as the definitive account of Columbine, still doesn't know why Eric Harris was the way that he was. We Need to Talk About Kevin thoroughly answers an identical question. Kevin wanted to make his mother as miserable as she made him, and that meant taking everything away from her. He'll get out in a few years, and they'll live together again, and maybe, now that they're both equals, they can rebuild their relationship, but on the backs of a dozen dead, what would that be worth? To quote Dr. Melfi, how many people need to die for your personal growth? Even with the taut explanation, Ramsay puts a pea in the mattress stack with the scenes involving the computer viruses. Kevin keeps those for no reason. There is no point. Maybe all this was one-to-one, or maybe the why is a futile question that won't bring those people back, or even prevent the next massacre from inevitably happening.

I love dark movies like this, especially when they're about a topic I'm interested in. There were actually two movies about school shooters in 2011. The other, Beautiful Boy, is solely about the parents reacting in the aftermath of their son committing a massacre, and while it has its moments, I much prefer We Need to Talk About Kevin for its commitment to unsentimentality. Bobby mentioned the Halloween scene. That idea, of children as monsters, is a rich one for horror, both cinematic and real life. The proposition that a child could take their Halloween mask off but remain a monster is genuinely scary. If I had to give a one-line takeaway, it would be to not have children unless you are absolutely sure that you want them. Why potentially stack the deck with Kevins? How many movies are going to go that dark, especially when motherhood is in a state of obsession and critique over who's doing it wrong? For that daring, and for the deeply expressive performances, and for the propulsive editing, and for the red, red everwhere, We Need to Talk About Kevin gets an A.

1/14/2016 02:34:47 pm

Favorite Kissel review yet.

I felt an excited and extremely interested author behind the review... nailed it.

1/14/2016 02:39:37 pm

And yes, the Halloween scene. I didn't go into much detail on any of the scenes I mentioned... but that's exactly it... monsters, everywhere. Eva sees her son in every one of those scary costumes, yet it's his regular face. Adult monsters are frightening enough... but the ones we prefer to see as inherently innocent being able to do just the same as the adults makes it incredibly worse for us to manage and accept. That scene totally sends out that discomfort and fear.

Phil

1/15/2016 06:40:03 pm

I have to admit I was getting really annoyed with most of the reviews until I got to Kissel's. In a hashtag, #NailedIt.

I didn't feel like there was much room for interpretation here regarding why Kevin was how he was or did what he did. He hated his mother for how much she hated him, Plain and simple. Kissel already spelled it out much more eloquently than I could ever hope to.

One observation I'll throw out there that I thought was a particularly interesting juxtaposition. I liked how in the beginning we see Eva at her happiest in the tomato fight festival (which is a real thing in Europe), essentially freed and bathed in red. Funny how later she was "freed" from Kevin in another sea of red.

Kissel wins this round. Completely agree on the grade of a solid A. No major weaknesses... it just isn't quite an A+.

1/16/2016 01:41:44 am

Except... was Kissel really saying that it's Eva's ambivalence? I wouldn't even go as far as calling what she felt toward him hatred. There's a perfectly fine side of the argument for nature, and not just nurture (or lack thereof), which you seem to be standing on... no?

That's not to say many of his actions weren't directed toward his mother for that reason, but that doesn't make here the sole reason for why he was how he was, I'd argue.

1/17/2016 12:27:03 pm

Based on what the director is showing us, I disagree. Kevin's behavior is entirely backlash at a mother that didn't love him. There's another question on whether or not I believe that to be true or not, but that's the message Lynne Ramsey is sending.

I felt that Ramsey was trying to convey a couple things around the same truth: kids are smarter than we think. Eva shows nothing but ambivalence toward Kevin until around the time that most people would perceive kids beginning to have a personality and remember things. At this point, it's already too late. Kevin has it hardcoded in him that Eva hates him.

While Eva tries to reconcile, she NEVER does the one thing that she should have done - just been honest. Admit to Kevin at some point that she wasn't ready for kids, and it was all her fault. That never happens. Most adults, I would imagine, avoid this discussion because they believe it will damage a kid. However, isn't it more damaging to know that the person who is supposed to love you most in the world absolutely despises your existence? Eva may have grown to care about Kevin, but it didn't matter b/c she was never honest with him. And again, that could either be because she didn't want to confront that issue, or she, like most of us, don't give kids enough credit for how smart they are. Just take the "fucking" scene for example. Eva is trying to dumb down the conception process, but Kevin already knows everything. Why? Because kids are smart, and too many people do not realize that.

1/17/2016 02:23:25 pm

I completely agree with Phil.

1/17/2016 05:58:37 pm

I think that's fair... and Kissel has spoken for his side.

But I don't think Ramsay was 100% on that side... I think Celia is a major counter, showing that a kid raised in the same environment can be 'normal'. We never saw Eva really express anything toward her either.. aside from maybe protecting her from Kevin (not letting her collect arrows for him). But, she's also from the same genetic stock... so it's still an undetermined source.

From what I'm told, the source material is really neutral... but I even think while Ramsay made sure we knew Eva was at least the catalyst in the equation, she left it it open enough to say that Eva may not have been the sole source of the fire. There's probably also a good bit of confirmation bias on my part with that.

1/18/2016 10:34:32 am

We're shown Eva happily bouncing Celia after her birth, a direct opposite to Kevin's birth. Kevin recognized Eva's doting and immediately made Celia cry

1/18/2016 02:17:12 pm

Agree with Riley. Celia is not a foil, she's a plot device that further fuels Kevin's rage. She symbolizes everything he did not receive - love, care, positive attention, anything a child should expect. Eva's affection to Celia is Eva's way of "making up" for her failings with Kevin. They only exasperate them.

1/18/2016 03:32:02 pm

Ah, yes.. i forgot about him splashing the water on her!

1/18/2016 10:18:20 am

I guess I should talk about Kevin.

WNTTAK might be one of the more difficult grades I've had to give out. It didn't pass the phone test, but maybe that's only because I just downloaded a Star Wars game (Galaxy of Heroes). Also, I wouldnt call the movie entertaining in any way but that's not its intent. So let's boil it down to the nuts and bolts.

Tilda Swinton was born to play the part of emotionally spent shell of a person. She's great as frustrated mom and as fragile emptiness in the aftermath.
John C Reilly is a treasure but didn't get much to do here.
Ezra Miller was pretty good at being creepy as hell.
Jasper Newell was even good enough to make me want to punch him in the face as 6-8 year old Kevin.
Direction and camera work- Knowing nothing about the movie going in (thought it was going to be a dark comedy) it took a little bit for me to know what was going on because the first 20 minutes did more jumping around randomly in Eva's flashbacks/life than the rest of the movie. Also, I get that the color red is important for the director to put everywhere but it was a bit too obvious and everywhere in the first half of the movie and a bit too missing in the back half. Let's find a marriage of the too and hit consistency, you still get to have your symbolism but you're not hitting me in the face with it then wondering where'd all the red shit go.

I know others talked about cultural significance and Columbine so I'll jump into those comments and leave them out of here.

Most of the way through I was thinking Kellen was going to become a mass murderer and I should break his arm to potty train him.
Late to the party so a short review- I was thinking B last night but then I woke up this morning and got to thinking about Kissel's unreliable narrator stuff he talks about. The movie is fully from Eva's perspective and her flashbacks are also through the lens of her recollection of these events after Kevin has performed his crime. Could we be seeing the events of his life turned up to 11? Is Franklin a loving father completely an idiot for not seeing his kid is a sociopath or is he just an average boy and Eva is painting him in this picture in her memories to justify what he became? That thinking bumped me to an A-

Lane

1/20/2016 06:37:35 pm

The reviews on this film so far have been excellent, so it’s hard for me to add much to the critique, so I think I’ll throw out some thoughts more in the form of commentary.

The question that I was asking through this movie was, why have there not been any mainstream films that deal with school shootings? The BBC isn’t necessarily known for producing blockbusters. Even this film avoided allowing Kevin to use guns to cause his havoc, choosing to only piss off the less politically powerful National Archers Association (“You can pry this bow from my cold, dead hands”). I saw there’s a film coming out this year, filmed in Nashville even, that will be a chronicle of that girl that supposedly defended Jesus during the Columbine shooting. No doubt it will be C-grade hagiographic crap that will probably hold its premiere at Liberty University.

Are school shootings the one reality of American society that Hollywood will just refuse to touch? Is there a reason, or is this cowardice on the part of the film studios? Even 9/11 got two movies.

While there are some really stunning filmmaking feats in this movie, and I do think John C Reilly is a national treasure, I don’t feel like this is a truly brave film. It wants to be Macbeth (out damn spot on my house) but the material ends up being depressing and disturbing instead of weighty and worthy of the social and political debate that such a film should inspire.

Grade: B

1/20/2016 11:42:46 pm

That Columbine story is totally apocryphal, and has never been corroborated. It's Christian popular fiction. Columbine is rife with misconceptions like that. I cannot recommend Dave Cullen's book enough.

Cooker

1/25/2016 03:23:49 pm

We need to talk about Kevin, so let’s do so. I had little hopes when I started this film thinking it was just going to be another one of those “look at our fucked up family and now we’ll show you how fucked up we are” type of movies, but it evolved into something much more.

I can’t say enough good things about the cast—Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller, Jasper Newell, John C. Reilly. I’ll just leave that at that. The cast was fantastic.

I didn’t take many notes on this since I actually got drawn into it. I did have some difficultly following the sequence order with the flashbacks and what not. It might have been that I watched four movies in one evening and this one was last on the agenda. Definitely not complaining about portraying the story with the flashback sequence.

Most of what I thought has already been talked about. This was one of those movies that definitely puts that extra dash of fear in my mindset with the discussion of having children taking place in the household. Keeping these short since I have two stories to write this month for work. I wrote a novella in high school about a school shooting. Scrapped it after Columbine took place. I thought everything in the film was well done. Disturbing yes, but well done. B+

Shane

2/9/2016 04:54:32 pm

Kevin goes bonkers
Tilda is great John C too
Not quite great, but good

B+

We Need To Talk about Kevin

B+
3.22

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We Need To Talk about Kevin

B+3.22

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B+
3.22