Surreal Masterpiece

Rating: Null/10 (7 January 2017)

Very rarely does a film make me think like this one did. The film is a grand representation of what a film could be artistically. There was a quite abstract theme to the entire film, adding an entire new layer to the meaning. The film is a reminder to live life in the moment. To take opportunities. The cinematography was brilliant across the film, with gorgeous wide shots and clever use of merging text with the environment. There were very few scenes that felt forced and pushed in to pad the run time. Stiller, the director showed competence in blending the artistic setting of the film and comedy, so that it didn't feel that the comedy was dumbing down the film or its meaning. It was mainly a way to pull in a broader audience. The performances were excellent, from the lead, to the child actor in the film. It had a professional, yet creative and imaginative air throughout. There were a couple of poor moments across the film. For example, sometimes, when the film didn't have a proper solution to a problem that was laid out, they would go down the Ex Machina route and create some sort of cheap cop out to resolve the scene. Other than that, there were a few other minor details that are so minor that they could easily be looked past. Overall, this is definitely up there with my favorite films.