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I tend to lap up everything that has Mila Kunis in it so, when Netflix gave me the option of watching this new release called Luckiest Girl Alive, I did not waste any time on a perfect Friday evening to see what’s in-store for me.
Honestly, I tend to lap up everything that has Mila Kunis in it so, when Netflix gave me the option of watching this new release called Luckiest Girl Alive, I did not waste any time on a perfect Friday evening to see what’s in-store for me.
The movie is an adaptation of a novel by Jessica Knoll, which was published in 2015 and was a New York Times bestselling mystery novel. I haven’t read the book but, I believe the book version is always better than the movie.
A writer narrates a story to the audience directly through a novel. The movies we see are the perception of the story by another person, their understanding of the essence of the story, and their take on what the writer wanted to say.
So, my review is only of the movie, and it’s not a comment on the novel, the story in the novel or the writer.
Coming back to the movie, the best part about watching it was, I had zero clue what it was about and that is a rare thing to happen given the social media influence/interference in our day-to-day lives.
I knew Mila Kunis was promoting a movie, but somehow with the past few weeks being hectic, I never paid much attention to the movie’s storyline.
The movie is a bit sharp around its edges, and it’s not all rosy and bright and happy. The initial half of the movie seemed a bit blotchy with the past and the present reference of the main character not seamed smoothly.
There were moments when I felt the movie was borderline ugly, but then, is trauma, anger and grief ever not ugly? As the story unfolded, the “ugliness” that I initially felt made more and more sense.
When grief or sadness or human complexities are showcased on screen, more often than not, they are sugar-coated, painted in lovely pastels and seem like a beautiful journey. The reality, in fact, is very different. Life isn’t sugar-coated, so, why should a raw story be?
I might be biased, but Mila’s acting was on point. She always manages to give the characters she portrays a little bit of herself and as an audience, that’s the thing that clicks. Ani FeNelli is flawed, to an extent scary and human.
As the movie progressed, I started seeing the pattern behind her chaos, her layers behind the persona she had so diligently created and by the time the movie ends, she became someone I could understand, relate to and empathize with.
Connie Britton did justice to the role given to her. That being said, Ani’s mother’s character could do with a few more layers added to her character resulting in some more depth and insight on the mother-daughter relationship.
I was a bit disappointed on seeing Scoot McNairy so grossly underutilized. I did not know he was a part of this movie so, I was surprised, happy and then disappointed. In that order. An actor of his calibre deserves something more meaty.
Finn Wittrock portrayed the role of Ani’s rich and perfect fiancé, Luke Harrison. The focus in the movie wasn’t on him so, as an actor, Finn couldn’t leave a mark but, in the looks department, he passes with distinction.
The movie touched some very important issues like gun violence in high schools, rape, how society treats the victims, how victims feel about coming out with their truth, how school politics work, how money and social standing plays an important role in forming believable public opinion and how sometimes the closest ones fail to support and be there for the victims.
However, the movie could only touch these issues. A little bit more depth and attention to them could have made the movie and the storyline stronger.
It’s a movie I’d remember, for sure. It’s also a movie I wouldn’t watch again. Not because of the heavy subject but, because it’s a movie which could have been something brilliant but missed its mark.
Not a bad movie and not a brilliant one either. Watch it for the sake of watching a story, and watching something that borderline nudges you to make you think about the flaws in our society.
Image source: Goodreads, edited on CanvaPro
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If her MIL had accepted her with some affection, wouldn't they have built a mutually happier relationship by now?
The incident took place ten years ago.
Smita could visit her mother only in summers when her daughter had school holidays. Her daughter also enjoyed meeting her Nani, and both of them had done their reservations for a week. A month before their visit, her husband told her, “My mom is coming for 4-5 months!”
Smita shuddered. She knew the repercussions. She would have to hear sarcastic comments from her mother-in-law for visiting her mother. She may make these comments directly only a bit, but her servants would be flooded with the words, “How horrible she is! She leaves me and goes!”
Maybe Animal is going to make Ranbir the superstar he yearns to be, but is this the kind of legacy his grandfather and granduncles would wish for?
I have no intention of watching Animal. I have heard it’s acting like a small baby screaming and yelling for attention. However, I read some interesting reviews which gave away the original, brilliant and awe-inspiring plot (was that sarcastic enough?), and I don’t really need to go watch it to have an informed opinion.
A little boy craves for his father’s love but doesn’t get it so uses it as an excuse to kill a whole bunch of people when he grows up. Poor paapa (baby) what else could he do?
I was wondering; if any woman director gets inspired by this movie and replicates this with a female protagonist, what would happen?. Oh wait, that’s the story of so many women in this world. Forget about not giving them love, you have fathers who try to kill their daughters or sell them off or do other equally despicable things.
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