Very good in spite of some heavy-handedness

Rating: Null/10 (21 September 2002)

*** Spoilers ***
I very much enjoyed the acting and character development in the film. I felt deeply moved for the first half/two-thirds of the movie. I sort of lost it toward the end, as I felt the handling of the suicide was sort of botched, giving it a kind of "cathartic straw-dog" feel--it wasn't really integrated properly. And, oddly, it's hard for me to put my finger on the reason I was struck that way. Perhaps it had to do with feeling that the development of Neil's father was too much of a caricature of the stifling heartless b***ard dad. Also, it just seemed too easy; almost formulaic. The symbol of Neil's Puck crown doubling as a crown of thorns was overdone. They didn't trust the viewers' capacity to pick up on it without a big ritualization scene. It was a setup for a big fall, and you could see the machinations too easily.
But; equal time for good symbol management!: The final standing-on-desk scene is lovely. I'm glad they closed the movie with a very compelling representation of a kind of "election" to living fully.
*** End of Spoilers ***
A great vehicle for all parties, some very good writing, very good cinematography, some lovely substories (e.g., Overstreet's wooing of his sweetheart away from her jock boyfriend), and a lot of heart. I would recommend this movie.