Dramatic more than comedic, wished it ended stronger

Rating: 6/10 (3 August 2013)

Based on the recommendations of this site for watching "Safety Not Guaranteed," I was curious what this movie was. Being an indie film probably made on the fly to fulfill a few contracts, this movie feels like "The Karate Kid" filled to the brim with overused tropes used in various movies every month. (The biggest and most obvious one is the "misunderstood kid who is a genius/Olympic athlete" trope.) Although parts of the film felt overdone, it was still a solid story with good characters, a decent cast, and a hopeful spirit for a great end.
I personally disliked the ending. SPOILER*: By the end of the film, I felt the title of the movie should be changed to "Lose Lose Lose" because of the outcome to Paul Giamatti's character's original dilemma. He's a dad and a public defending judge who is running out of money. By the end, he takes on more responsibilities and still doesn't have the money he needs, even picking up another job by the end (making 3 jobs he goes to). The title merely refers to his thought-process in scheming this old man out of some money while he helps him every once in awhile.
Most of the movie feels forgettable, but it's sweet and offers the audience some escaped by gaining insight into this inconvenient time in this family's life. I probably might rate this lower if I keep thinking about the movie, but the actors in this are pretty awesome and should get some recognition.