This is one of those films that is sure to be divisive: what is good about is genuinely very good, and yet it surely has problems (which critics are typically over-reacting to).
It is in most ways a very satisfying entertainment, with a smart and witty script populated by a trio of terrific supporting roles (Stellan Skarsgard, Jean Reno, and Toni Collette; the other big-name cast members, like Christopher Plummer, do well with much thinner characters). I saw it with a large crowd at an art-house cinema (as part of the NYC Film Critics series) and there was much laughter and general appreciation.
You should know that the titular lessons on happiness are not intended to be revelatory; the point is that even a psychiatrist like Simon Pegg's lead character, who presumably possesses all the book knowledge about happiness, needs to *experience* those lessons firsthand. He writes each one in his notebook, and more often than not they elicit fine ironic laughter at the contrast between their obviousness and the complexity of the situation that led Pegg to discover it.
The problems: First, Pegg's Hector has been altered from the source material to give him more of a character arc, but in doing so, they've removed all rationale for Rosamund Pike being his girlfriend at the outset. You have to seriously suspend your disbelief that she would be so devoted to someone with merely the *potential* to be a satisfying and compatible mate (a potential which he will of course realize by the movie's end, very nicely).
Second -- and this is the one that has the handful of early reviewers up in arms -- the movie comes across as tone-deaf culturally. Africa, for instance, seems to be almost entirely populated by either really happy people who sing and dance wonderfully, or by armed thugs. (Reno's character is the exception.) Now, I think it's perfectly defensible to argue that Pegg's character is only learning his lessons from extreme experiences, and hence what we see of Africa is all that he would remember and hence all that would be worth putting into the movie. Nevertheless, it still will strike some as hewing to stereotypes.
Less defensible, perhaps, is Pike's character, which is pretty much a Perfect Girlfriend wish-fulfillment, and hence will strike many as at least a bit sexist ... and yet she's admittedly very appealing.
Finally, the tone does vary, from naturalistic to somewhat dreamy and stylized, but both styles are executed confidently. In fact, it's very nice to look at.
If any of the above are deal-breakers for you, avoid this. However, I think that most viewers will be able to roll with all of that-- they're the sort of problems that you think about after you've finished the film. And if that's the case, you will find yourself thoroughly entertained and even a little moved. 77/100.
It is in most ways a very satisfying entertainment, with a smart and witty script populated by a trio of terrific supporting roles (Stellan Skarsgard, Jean Reno, and Toni Collette; the other big-name cast members, like Christopher Plummer, do well with much thinner characters). I saw it with a large crowd at an art-house cinema (as part of the NYC Film Critics series) and there was much laughter and general appreciation.
You should know that the titular lessons on happiness are not intended to be revelatory; the point is that even a psychiatrist like Simon Pegg's lead character, who presumably possesses all the book knowledge about happiness, needs to *experience* those lessons firsthand. He writes each one in his notebook, and more often than not they elicit fine ironic laughter at the contrast between their obviousness and the complexity of the situation that led Pegg to discover it.
The problems: First, Pegg's Hector has been altered from the source material to give him more of a character arc, but in doing so, they've removed all rationale for Rosamund Pike being his girlfriend at the outset. You have to seriously suspend your disbelief that she would be so devoted to someone with merely the *potential* to be a satisfying and compatible mate (a potential which he will of course realize by the movie's end, very nicely).
Second -- and this is the one that has the handful of early reviewers up in arms -- the movie comes across as tone-deaf culturally. Africa, for instance, seems to be almost entirely populated by either really happy people who sing and dance wonderfully, or by armed thugs. (Reno's character is the exception.) Now, I think it's perfectly defensible to argue that Pegg's character is only learning his lessons from extreme experiences, and hence what we see of Africa is all that he would remember and hence all that would be worth putting into the movie. Nevertheless, it still will strike some as hewing to stereotypes.
Less defensible, perhaps, is Pike's character, which is pretty much a Perfect Girlfriend wish-fulfillment, and hence will strike many as at least a bit sexist ... and yet she's admittedly very appealing.
Finally, the tone does vary, from naturalistic to somewhat dreamy and stylized, but both styles are executed confidently. In fact, it's very nice to look at.
If any of the above are deal-breakers for you, avoid this. However, I think that most viewers will be able to roll with all of that-- they're the sort of problems that you think about after you've finished the film. And if that's the case, you will find yourself thoroughly entertained and even a little moved. 77/100.