Missed the mark

Rating: 4/10 (4 December 2014)

I was really looking forward to this movie so it was very disappointing that it really didn't accomplish what I felt it should have (inflated expectations? Maybe so!).
The story is fascinating and dramatic. The acting was strong; the cast was excellent. Great cinematography.
My problem was this movie just fell short of portraying much depth in the relationships. Had it done this, the emotion towards one another, the disappointment and the tension would have all been much easier to understand. The viewer was expected to assume a lot of the love, anger, and ultimately resentment the characters felt towards one another without really exploring and showing the viewer WHY the characters really felt this towards one another.
Solid acting, but both Carrell and Tatum show that they are not acting powerhouses. Ruffalo was solid as always. He has a real screen presence. Shone above the other 2 actors IMO.
An excellent movie about a mentor/protégé that captured all the emotions and tension very well this year was Whiplash. Whiplash had a very similar love, hate, and ultimately fall from grace between the mentor and protégé. This movie fell far short of accomplishing what that one did. Plus this was a true story! Very disappointed.