Movie – Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

A Tom Hanks film that I nearly missed; I say a Tom Hanks film but as we know from the trailers, he is dead in the movie and so appears infrequently. In fact, annoyingly, the main character that’s in every scene is young Thomas Horn who plays Oscar, the bereaved son of the Hank’s character who perishes in the World Trade Centre on September 11^th.

This is the first ‘footage’ I have seen of those events; I couldn’t even bring myself to watch on the day or since, nor have I been to the site since. However, the film isn’t about 9/11 but about a young boy coping after the early and cruel death of his beloved father. I though given that he is on his own they’d be a lot of support from his mother, played by the excellent Sandra Bullock but sadly she has even less of a role than Hanks.

Instead the film focuses on Oscar’s hunt to find out where a key he found by accident in his perfect father’s closet may lead. This would be a great story if this was a fantasy adventure but it’s set in early present day New York so a non-story to start. Whether Oscar’s self-harming and (extremely) annoying (loud) nature is due to the passing away is not clear, nor is why a mother would let her child out alone all over the city on subways, busses and walking whilst he looked to interrogate everyone with the surname ‘Black’ the name found on the keys’ envelope.

The emotional wrench that I felt from the trailers is delivered through a key point made throughout the film of Oscar hearing his Dad’s phone messages as the situation deteriorated in WTC. The most poignant though is of his mother having her last telephone conversation with him as she looks out in absolute horror at the building crumpling in front of her across the city skyline.

I know this is based on a book (which everyone suddenly seems to be reading without knowing the film had been released) but what I expected more of is a relationship (however) tense portrayed between the son and the widower. Instead the highlight is Oscar befriending his Grandma’s ‘lodger’ from across the street. That and the fact that a lot of the action is based around the Upper West where I used to live.

7/10

Smile factor 5/10

Movie – Larry Crowne

Tom Hanks – Two words that will make me see a film, providing it’s not a heavy one about the war or being on death row. (still haven’t been able to bring myself to watch those two).

Julia Roberts – Another two words, except if they are preceded by the ridiculous phrase film marketeers use, romcom.

I last saw these two power houses together in the excellent, Charlie Wilson’s War, which I’m not sure came to the UK? Their magic works equally well here with Hanks in the title role, Crowne, who has just lost his job after going through a divorce and the expense of buying out his ex-wife to remain in the family home. He’s persuaded by his neighbour, brilliant casting for Cedric the Entertainer (“Get some knowledge and you’ll be fireproof”), to go back to college, having never been but instead started his career as a cook in the navy.

There he excels in the public speaking class taught by the bored teacher, Professor Mercedes Tainot (Roberts) who’s equally tired of her shirking, porn surfing husband and he attracts an unlikely but charming fan in a regular, fellow scooter riding college student who enlists him in the gang lead by her boyfriend. By gang I mean a group of nice people who bring out the coolness in him and who all happen to ride scooters, which sums up this king of feel good films. In the same way as one of my recent favourites, Away We Go (2009), two main characters have a terrific supporting cast in this case the errant husband, the kindly game show winning neighbours, the kooky young, class mates, the cute gang and the other genius professor.

On top of which the Tom Petty and ELO dominated soundtrack, like they just knew that would give it the extra sparkle for me. There is simply nothing wrong with this film, except it could have been longer.

9½/10

Smile factor 10/10

PS I hear after I see this film had bad reviews which I find puzzling not only because it’s so fantastic but because it has Tom Hanks in it; who bothers to read reviews for a Hanks film? Although you just read this one.