Fantastic acting

Rating: Null/10 (29 December 2014)

I want to start off by saying that I don't think the descriptions of this being too "cold" or "detached" are warranted at all. I mean, for a story like this, how else did people expect it to be told? Bennett Miller's directing is fine, could be really predictable in some scenes and the way the music soars over them, but could be really inspired and precise as well. It's the screenplay and the psychological dilemma between these three lead characters that drive the film and make it incredibly compelling. All three main performances are fantastic. Carrell's could've felt like a complete gimmick, but he makes it work to unbelievably, but quietly, intense heights. Ruffalo provides the effortless naturalism that he's so great at, and Tatum works in ways I would've never expected. It's a very understated performance, and whether everything he did was thought out or just came off that way, it was truly great work from him. Very intriguing film overall, but definitely sort of difficult to truly and deeply love.