The movie was actually quite good enough to finish watching even in spite of Cullum Turner, a complete miscast. Twists and turns were great but the writing at times fell short as if the writing couldn't keep up with the ideas & direction in which the film was headed.
Bridges almost singlehandedly but with an assist from Beckinsale held the film together whilst Brosnan didn't contribute nearly as much as I had hoped for other than a few funny faces attempting paternal anger/anguish towards his ward. Nixon phoned this one in, nothing much to say about her performance other than bland/unmemorable, but no one was expecting much from that character I'm sure.
The Cinematography was quite good, one could tell that Bridges was most certainly on an actual LES rooftop. Kudos to the locations team. I would have like to see Lower East Side landmarks and institutions.. where were they? No homage to anything LES really.... or I had missed them yawning through Cullum's performance.
Turner was completely and totally diss-believable as a native new Yorker- of any kind or from even anywhere in the state let alone a cool LES resident or New Yorker of privledge- which is in all actuality one of the more easy enough characters to portray because very little effort or research is required to play such a role. Turner brought forth no accent even the slightest nor any vibe that would breathe LES/downtown coolness or appeal. Thomas Webb may have of well been from Alberta... What was most disappointing was that Turner was totally dismissible as a resident of the modern day Lower East Side, which is what I was most excited about going into this picture, the last real neighborhood in Manhattan with the last of the true artists and talented resident in town. He showed no portrayal nor character of NYC- let alone a Manhattanite at all. Did he even go down to the Lower East Side to hang out? Meet some artists or writers or any of the scores of talented people of any kind that live there? Sit in a bar and listen to or chat up some long time residents or bartenders? Certainly no.
Beckinsale was wonderful and played that NYC female character we all know so well almost perfectly, for a Brit anyway.. but even suspension of disbelief couldn't help with bringing any life to her character's "relationship" with Thomas Webb.
We can't say enough great things about the legendary Jeff Bridges, would love to see him in more roles/films like this. He portrays the essence of flawless coolness in Brobdingnagian proportions with such ease like no other.
Review of The Only Living Boy in New York
