My hometown, and where I so far have lived my entire life, is by no means very large. It can’t be considered small either, but it’s kind of in between. This certainly means that although I sometimes come across people I might know or have at least seen a few times, I don’t know everyone that lives here. Which is just as well I guess. Consider living in a very small village were everybody knows you. I for one would not like that at all. Everybody has his or her secrets or things they might not want to become public knowledge. But what if something happened in your past that everyone in your town would know about? Something so horrible that it pretty much influenced your entire life? I think it would simply be impossible to remain in that place. This is one of the things that Casey Affleck’s character has to deal with in the heartbreaking movie Manchester by the Sea.
Lee Chandler works as a janitor and handyman, a job that can not exactly be called glamorous, but at least it pays the bills. Lee is good at his job, but he can’t be considered a real people’s person. He lives a pretty solitary life in a basement, and doesn’t really get along with anyone. One day, Lee gets word that his brother Joe has had a heartattack. Lee rushes to the hospital, but unfortunately he arrives too late, as his brother has died. Joe had a son Patrick, a boy that Lee was very close with in the past. Patrick has now grown up and is a typical teenager. To Lee’s surprise and shock Joe has written in his will that he wants him to become Patrick’s guardian. This means for Lee to return to the town he grew up in, Manchester by the Sea, Massachusetts. But there is a reason why Lee left that town. Because something very traumatic happened in his past, something so shocking that to date he is still affected by it. Will Lee be able to confront his past and in doing so take care of Patrick, or will the sins of his past drive him over the edge?
Manchester by the sea is a movie that is driven by two things: solid and decent acting and a heartbreaking story. Casey Affleck plays the role of Lee Chandler, a role which gave him his first Oscar and rightfully so. Affleck plays a character that is so human and wrapped up with guilt, that you can’t help but feel sorry for him. A movie such as this, depends on a performance by the actor, and Casey delivers one that can only be called astounding. But the role of Patrick, played by Lucas Hedges, is also one that definitely falls into that category. The onscreen chemistry between him and Casey, is also one of the reasons why this movie works so well. The rest of the cast, most notably Kyle Chandler who plays Joe, and Michelle Williams who plays Lee’s ex-wife also deliver powerhouse acting. Both Lucas Hedges and Michelle Williams received an Oscar nomination for their roles, but they sadly did not win.
But no matter how good the performances by the actors are, if the movie has a bad script it fails. But it is also in this department that the movie shines. The story unfolds in the present, but also in the past through a number of flashbacks, that slowly bring to light what has happened to Lee Chandler. When that reveal finally comes you will definitely be shocked by it, I guarantee you that. The movie went on to also win the Oscar for best original screenplay which does not really come as a surprise. What we have here is a drama that relies heavily on dialogue and acting skills. It delivers a powerful story with solid performances and it is a movie that I highly recommend seeing. If you like your movies filled with explosions and carchases I would advise to stay away from it. But if you are someone who also likes to see movies that bring out the best in terms of story and acting, than this one is for you.
I give Manchester by the Sea a 9 out of 10 score.
This movie caught me by surprise. I didn’t want to watch it but my co-worker said I have to. And I’m happy I did. The acting was amazing.
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Could not agree with you more. It was an amazing film, and the acting made it an even better one. Glad you enjoyed it as well 😊
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Those Oscar jokes in the captions are great. 😂 This movie has been on my to-watch list for a while now, and you just reminded me that I must get to it soon! I’m all for a well-told emotional story. I’ve also heard that this movie handles the subject of depression very well. Fantastic review as always! 😊
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Thank you very much again. Always enjoy reading your comments. This movie can be either a hit or a miss with people. I have seen reviews for it that absolutely love it, but also reviews that really hated the film. I guess it’s just one of those movies that has no real middle ground. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did, and looking forward to your thoughts on it 😊
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I really didn’t get on with this film. I understand it captures the mundane everyday, the grieving process and how people deal with loss very well and the acting was impeccable but I just could not get on board with the whole thing and couldn’t shake feeling slightly disappointed. I think that might have been down to all the Oscar hype surrounding the film. Something was definitely missing for me, but hey, each to their own! 🙂
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This movie has really been received differently by quite a number of people. There have been very positive reviews, but also reviews that absolutely hated it. But that is also one of the great things about movies : everybody experiences it differently. Thanks for your comment, a d the follow: appreciate it 😀
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You made me curious enough to go check out the plot (because it’s not like I’ll ever get around to watching anything anytime this century) and well, wow. I’m not sure if I could sit through the film but it’s easy to see that it’s a story with great potential and, according to your review, that potential is used quite well.
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Absolutely true. It was a shocking reveal in every way, and the way it was handled in this movie was incredibly well done. It certainly won’t be a movie for everyone, but I really appreciate movies with top notch acting, and this was certainly one of them 😊
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For some reason I’ve been avoiding this film…I think it was because the title just bugged me (I know, dumbest reason ever!)…but I’m actually going to watch it after reading this, I want to know what his dark secret is!
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Haha, yeah sometimes certain titles put me off watching something as well, so I can relate lol 😂😂
Well, I hope you will enjoy the movie, it’s one of those films that seems to have no middle ground. Some people loved it, but there were also a lot of haters 😊 Thanks for your comment 😉
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I see what you mean when you said I might like this one. The premise sure sounds interesting! Small towns always make the best settings for stuff like this, I guess XD
I definitely enjoy character-driven plots, and human psyche studies. This one seems to fall on both categories. I’m not a huge fan of Affleck but I can see him shining in this. Not that Oscar nominations are completely foolproof indicators of quality, but I’m taking your word for it 🙂
Also, may I say I find your picture captions absolutely hilarious? XD Love that you keep including them in your posts!
An awesome review, unsurprisingly 😉
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I think that you are really going to enjoy this film. Knowing from what you told me about the things you enjoy in films, this one is definitely up your alley. Affleck was really amazing in this movie, and I absolutely agree with the fact that Oscar nominations are not always foolproof. In this case though, it definitely was 😊
Haha, thank you. I actually started with the captions because of fellow blogger Weekend Otaku. He did a post once on including pictures on a post you publish, to make sure they always contain captions. In certain cases the pictures might not show up on people’s computers. But I have fun writing them as well. Glad they made you laugh. As always thanks for the great response, and if you do manage to see this movie, let me know what you thought of it 😊
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