Men, Women & Children

Plot synopsis:
The film opens with a narration about the Voyager satellite before proceeding to tell the story of several families and the various ways the internet affects their lives. Donald and Helen Truby are married couple who have become sexually unsatisfied. Their teenage son Chris has been viewing pornography since the age of 10 with his preferences becoming more and more extreme to the point he is unable to become aroused by material deemed "normal" by society. Tim Mooney is a high school student and football star, of which his father Kent is very proud, who has become depressed in the wake of his parents' divorce and abandonment by his mother. He quits the football team and begins to spend all his time playing an MMORPG. He has also come to believe, referencing Carl Sagan's reflections about the Pale Blue Dot, that human life is insignificant in context of the universe. Hanna is a high school girl who wishes to be famous one day. Her mother Joan helps her maintain an online modeling site where she posts inappropriate pictures of herself in lingerie for subscribers who request private photo sessions. Brandy Beltmeyer is a classmate of Tim's who is introverted and has her online content constantly monitored by her overprotective mother Patricia. Unbeknownst to her mother, Brandy has a separate SIM card she switches while away from home and a secret Tumblr account she uses to express herself. Allison Doss is a friend of Hannah's who feels sexually inexperienced compared to Hannah and wishes to have sex with a boy named Brandon Lender. To make herself seem more attractive, she turns to dietary articles online to drastically lose weight.
After seeing a television ad for the website Ashley Madison one night, Helen creates an account and begins having multiple affairs, while Donald starts to regularly visit escorts after failing to initiate sex with Helen for almost two months. Chris enters a relationship with Hannah over the course of doing a school project together, and tries to condition himself to become aroused by "traditional means" of simply seeing her many sexts with him. Hannah meanwhile has auditioned for an acting competition that will land her a television role. Kent, feeling distant from his son, attends an online content awareness meeting held by Patricia in order to better understand Tim's interest in video games, while Joan also attends the meeting to learn more about what she is legally allowed to put on her daughter's website. Both are amused by Patricia's obvious paranoia and begin a relationship. Meanwhile, Tim and Brandy also begin a relationship, but Patricia initially intercepts their messages while Brandy is at home. Brandy tells Tim about her Tumblr account, and they soon become a couple, with Tim confessing that she makes him feel that everything is not pointless. While playing online with his friends, Tim sees a Facebook post by his mother showing pictures of her being happily remarried. When he shares this with his friends, they begin to post lewd comments, which he ignores. Allison is successful in having sex with Brandon while visiting a friend's house, but he treats the whole affair as casual and is clearly not interested in a relationship.
Allison collapses during school and is brought to the hospital, where she learns she had a miscarriage due to malnourishment, both facts which shock her parents. When she informs Brandon, his only concern is people discovering they had sex. Hannah and Chris start to initiate sex, but Chris fails to become aroused. Hannah later tells her friends that they had sex, causing Chris to confront her. She admits she only saw him as her "best shot" to lose her virginity, and claims he has "sexual issues", causing them to break up. Joan learns that the competition has disqualified Hannah because of the website, even though her audition was the best. Donald accidentally discovers Helen's Ashley Madison account, and goes to the same bar she is having an affair at. Seeing she has been caught, she tries to discuss it with Donald the next morning, only for him to admit he has also been having affairs, and says it is better if they just ignore what they have done. Joan confesses to Kent about the website, and is distraught that her daughter's real chance to be famous has been ruined because of her poor parenting. Kent, shocked by the news, says it is best of they do not see each other. Patricia discovers Brandy's Tumblr page, and after scrolling through her conversations with Tim and seeing his own page covered in video game content, is overwhelmed with fear and confiscates all of her online privileges. Kent reads all the lewd comments on Tim's game, and confronts him about it. Tim brings up the pictures his mother posted on Facebook, causing Kent to say she abandoned the both of them. He deletes the game and demands Tim play football next year, causing Tim to have a break down.
Joan tells Hannah about being disqualified from the competition, and says she has taken down the site, admitting she was wrong to support it. Hannah is furious, but Joan says she is still the parent. Allison is made to walk two miles to Brandon's house in the middle of the night in order to talk to him, but when she arrives she realizes how selfish he is and throws a rock through his window before leaving. When Tim attempts to reach out to Brandy for support, Patricia poses as Brandy, claiming she is bored of him and says she will block him if he texts her again. Despondent, Tim overdoses on his antidepressants. Brandy rushes to Tim's house, where she and Kent find him on the floor. They rush him to the emergency room, where he is successfully revived. While searching for Brandy, Patricia finds her at the hospital and figures out what happened. Bursting into tears after realizing her actions nearly caused Tim's death, she returns home and deactivates the surveillance device she uses to monitor Brandy. After reconciling with Tim and realizing how hard being a single parent is, Kent reconnects with Joan. The narrator closes the film by quoting The Pale Blue Dot while showing the Voyager satellite drifting through space.

Tags: violence

Review:
I recently got to see Men, Women, and Children, the newest feature from Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air) and co-writing partner Erin Cressida Wilson (Chloe) based on the novel of the same name by Chad Kultgen.The film is an ensemble drama, about the effect the internet and technology has had on relationships, intimate or otherwise.
Jason Reitman's Men, Women and Children takes aim at communication in the digital age, offering a sobering and uncomfortably accurate portrait of the way we connect - or rather, fail to connect - with each other when there's a wealth of technology at our fingertips.
Patricia is convinced that she's keeping Brandy safely out of harm's way, yet remains oblivious to the fact that she's stifling any chance of her having a normal teenage existence.And then there's Tim (Ansel Elgort), a star running back who elected to quit the football team in favor of investing his time in online role-playing games.
Men, Women & Children is an introspection to the human isolation of modern life despite increased technical connections.It is through the Men, Women & Children's characters, specifically high school teens and their parents, that writer/director Jason Reitman explores human communication and interaction and the changes caused by the internet.It is through these relationships that Reitman then puts a mirror to the impact of the internet on communication, self-image, parenting, love and sexuality and other topics.From this description, the film could sound like the audience might be in for a PBS special or history channel episode on the digital age.
It helps that Reitman chose to make the film more scathingly honest and therefore indie than superficial box office behemoth.Since Men, Women & Children is an ensemble piece, the film was able to be stacked with notable actors and promising young actors: Adam Sandler, Rosemarie Dewitt, Jennifer Garner, Dean Norris, Judy Greer, Ansel Elgort, Kaitlyn Dever, Olivia Crocicchia, and Elena Kampouris.
Smartphones, Social Media, Surveillance, Spying: Saw Men, Women & Children starring Adam Sandler, Kaitlyn Dever, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jennifer Garner, and Ansel Elgort at AMC Theatres.
The film basically depicts the times we live in; and what I mean by that is how the Internet and technology has changed our lives.The main characters including high school students and their parents are followed throughout the movie which focuses on how the Internet impacts their relationships, communication, self-image, and love lives.Several societal social issues are explored including, video games behavioral impact on teenage boys, the emotional impact of spreading rumors, per-marital sex, teen pregnancy, eating disorders, drug use, divorce, infidelity, Internet safety, fame-hunting, and pornography.Each character/relationship is tested throughout the movie; which shows us, the audience, a variety of roads people choose in their lives; some negative, some positive; but no matter the road taken, the one thing that is very noticeably clear; immunity to the significant societal social change through the use of our smartphones, tablets, and computers in our society is unavoidable.I found the film somewhat difficult to follow, but the narration by Emma Thompson did make that easier to do.
Not to mention, Men, Women & Children features one of the year's best ensembles, all delivering noble and honest work.Centering around our entire culture, and even the different ideals that surround our existence and universe, the film tells the story of several high school students and their parents and how sexuality frustrates them in their everyday life.I was surprised, perhaps even shocked about how much I enjoyed the film by the end credits.
From Emma Thompson's sincere, opening narration of doom and foreboding we are led to believe we are in for an emotional ride that will open our eyes, drop our jaws and force us to reassess our obsession with mobile phones, technology and social media.But step back to consider for a moment after the event and we see Jason Reitman has delivered just a very simple, clear message: Internet bad, parents worse.
Sometimes, though, we do need to hear the worst news in order to reevaluate.Men, Women & Children is a dip into the world of a group of high school teenagers, their families, their relationships and their angst played out through texts, Facebook, Twitter and every other online forum that offers as much privacy as a damp tissue over the nether regions in a hurricane.
Beyond, or perhaps central to, the teenagers' own problems are those of their parents and, no matter how bad it is for the kids, the adults are in a far deeper quagmire of their own making.The principal subject matter of Men, Women & Children is the danger of social media but Reitman merely uses it as a spoon to stir a thick, coagulating mixture of isolation, self-obsession, anorexia, infidelity, lust, pornography, mental health, bereavement, divorce, anger, abandonment, oppression and a hint of rape.
I'd urge parents and those who live their lives through Facebook to see it, but regard it as a wake up call and not a factual reflection of your impending doom.Men, Women & Children is a tiny bit sexy, a smidgen funny, often good, very unnerving and frequently thought provoking but it isn't necessarily entirely accurate and it certainly couldn't be accused of being understated.Adam Sandler is more restrained than we have seen him for a good long while as Don, one half of a bored, unloved married couple.
This film tells the story of several men, women and children, who are lost in the modern world that is made easy by the internet, but also succumb to the perils of the internet.I must say I can really relate to this plot, because it's so relevant to our lives.
However, the appreciation for his work is on shaky ground for me at this time due to "Young Adult" and "Labor Day" (both of which are not Reitman's finest hours) and it's gotten to a point where I can't watch his films anymore and "Men, Women and Children" is a prime example of that reasoning.
Young Hollywood cast aside, "Men, Women and Children" is the kind of movie watching experience that I never, ever want to live through for a very long time.
"Like it or not, for the moment The Earth is where we make our stand."Jason Reitman's latest film, Men, Women & Children, left me speechless but I don't mean that in a good way.
I was a huge fan of Reitman's first three films: Thank You for Smoking, Juno, and Up in the Air so I went into this movie with high expectations despite his recent misses with Young Adult and Labor Day. Juno is one of my favorite films so I still look forward to what Reitman is working on next, but I sure hope he teams up with Diablo Cody soon because his scripts lack that sharp and witty dialogue.
Jennifer Garner and Judy Greer are given perhaps the most exaggerated characters in the film so many people might have a problem with their performances, but I thought they delivered strong roles despite the poor material they had to work with.
I don't know if this movie is suppose to be a spoof of life or a bad period peace film.The film follows the story of a group of high school teenagers and their parents as they attempt to navigate the many ways the internet has changed their relationships, their communication, their self-image, and their love lives.
From the brilliant mind who bough us such great movies like: Juno and Up in the air, Jason Reitman who is best at period peace films and letting the character's carry the film on their own backs, so what happened here?.
I sawed Mr. Sandler in many different roles in his past career and in this movie he plays like Lester Burnham from American Beauty, you know his world around him feels unbalance, he starts looking at other women for love because his wife doesn't like him any more so basically his like Lester a little bit.
Yes there was some really good shots in the movie, but i think the director took a lot of bad risk that made the movie go blah.Overall Men, Women & Children feels like a big miss step of being a great movie.
Ansel Elgort is a revelation as Tim Mooney, Dean Norris from "Breaking Bad" fame, gives a heartbreaking performance as a single parent trying to connect with his football quitting, video game addicted son, and Adam Sandler is great in one of his few dramatic roles.
Men, Women & ChildrenIn the olden days, if you talked on the phone during dinner your parents could strangle you with the phone cord.Lamentably, as this drama details, parents now need to download a strangling App.A father (Dean Norris) tries to connect with his son (Ansel Elgort), who is cyber-stalking his estranged mother online.A stage mother (Judy Greer) takes lurid photos of her daughter (Olivia Crocicchia) to post online.An overprotective mom (Jennifer Garner) scrutinizes her daughter's online activities ad nauseam.A married couple (Adam Sandler, Rosemarie DeWitt) finds gratification online, while their son can't find gratification in reality.A timely hodge-podge of cautionary tales concerning the Internet, eating disorders, child pornography and suicide, MW&C comes off as scattershot.And while the message of re-connecting is well established, the delivery is preachy and pessimistic.Besides, the best way to watch you kid online is to befriend them as a stranger.
i have strict guidelines of my own use of digital data, but i have not messed , interferred or been actively suspicious upon my kids....my spouce though are a far greater risk one might say.....?!its a marvelous piece of film, and its dead on target from start to end.it mirrors the madness in parenthood,the wimsyness in an anorectic child, the promiscouitous innocence of teenagehood and adulthood, curiousity that blow back nearly fatally, how things get out of control,misunderstandings and so on....had i been a teacher for teenagers , i woulve screened this film for them as a reminder, and as recognition to their experiences vs.parents,friends and school and used it as a track of discussion of ones digital life and survival.the acting are flawless the teenagers are amazing and the whole production are so perfect so it is an inevitable 10 ,for men ,women and children..
'Men, Women & Children' Synopsis: A group of high school teenagers and their parents attempt to navigate the many ways the Internet has changed their relationships, their communication, their self-image, and their love lives.'Men, Women & Children' is definitely different & daring in terms of concept, but not all great ideas translate into great films.
The film follows an ensemble cast of characters in five interconnecting story lines of high school teenagers and the fate of their relationships with their family and peers from the use of the Internet: one following Don Truby (played by Adam Sandler) and the fate of his marriage with his wife Helen (played by Rosemarie DeWitt) from his porn addiction his son Chris (played by Travis Hope) soon inherits, one centering on a single mother Donna (played by Judy Greer) attempting on getting her daughter Hannah (played by Olivia Croccichia) via posting modeling pictures of her online, one revolving around paranoid mother Patricia (played by Jennifer Garner) with her compulsive monitoring on her daughter Brandy's (played by Kaitlyn Dever) social media and text messages, one following single father Kent (played by Dean Norris) struggling to connect with his son Tim (played by Ansel Elgort) who plants himself in online gaming after quitting the football team, then one about a cheerleader Allison (played by Elena Kampouris) seeking online advice on her anorexia.With the fateful events that take place from beginning to end, the film is brutally honest on conveying the consequences of being careless on the Internet.
The young teen actors use their good time to shine as well.Men, Women, and Children may formulate an important message on he effects of the Internet and mobile communication but it fails to fully justify what it's trying to tell us and falls short of its ambition.
Even the story arcs that seemed more interesting to me (Adam Sandler's marriage, Ansel Elgort and Kaitlyn Denver's romance, Judy Greer's weird relationship with her daughter) are problematic on a conceptual level, in that they seem so far removed from reality, and feel like screenwriters over-exaggerating the negative influence of technology.
Men, Women, & Children, a romantic comedy about the way society lives now and how the internet is impacting people's lives is brought to life by writer-director Jason Reitman.
For being in the comedy/drama genre, the movie is not humorous like Reitman's past films Juno and Up in the Air. The special effects were astonishing with all the graphics of the text messages, games, and social media sites above the heads of the people walking around.
Ansel Elgort and Dean Norris have the most substantial characters (and best acting moments) as a high school sports legend who has become a gaming addict and the boy's father respectively, but they feature relatively little overall as other story threads include Elgort's girlfriend, her overprotective mother, Adam Sandler as a porn addict and Rosemarie DeWitt as his less-than-satisfied wife, and the list goes on.
The recipient of an intense critical deriding upon its cinematic release, one time critical darling of a director Jason Reitman must've wondered where it all went wrong for him when Men, Women and Children made its way into the big bad world of the movies late last year.
From his debut Thank You For Smoking, his overrated yet hugely successful Juno and his charming Up in the Air, Reitman has from the very beginning, been a director whose films seem critic proof even though I for one believe his still yet to produce an outstanding piece of work (and seriously what even was Labor Day?), making the fact that Men, Women and Children was such a solid event even more surprising than it's critical slamming.Talked up as a onetime Awards contender (even for ensemble member Adam Sandler!), MWC was released seemingly without any press and to a public that seemed to care little, even though the material here is based on Chad Kultgen's popular novel.
His cast also is on fine form, with particular mention to be made of teen star Ansel Elgort and the increasingly good Kaitlyn Dever as young lovers.Men, Women and Children isn't an easy watch and it doesn't always nail it's subject completely but when Reitman and his cast get it right this is a drama about our modern day and age that should be a must watch for all those that question the affect technology has had on our lives or those parents that believe their children aren't at risk of potentially life changing dangers when they connect to any variety of their newfangled gadgets.
'MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)An ensemble comedy-drama film, about the dangers of the internet; on youth, sex and all relationships (in general).
The film stars Adam Sandler, Ansel Elgort, Jennifer Garner, Rosemarie DeWitt, Judy Greer, Dean Norris, Olivia Crocicchia, Kaitlyn Dever, Travis Tope, Elena Kampouris, the voice of Emma Thompson (who narrates the movie) and many others.
The stories touch on such subjects as popular interactive video games, porn sites, infidelity, fame obsession, anorexia and many other modern social issues; effecting our times.The movie reminds me, a lot, of one of my favorite films of last year; 'DISCONNECT'.
Men, Women & Children is an enjoyable little film; though it goes for the easy targets of teenage stereotypes and comes across slightly heavy on preaching online morality it does leave us with a reminder that we're all responsible for our own online actions as well as some good story-telling and characterization for the adults in the movie.
Now, as for whether you should see this film, look below.Characters & StoryThere are four families which are the focus of the film: The Truby family: featuring Don (Adam Sandler), Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt), and Chris (Travis Tope), in which there is a loveless marriage and porn addiction issues; The Clint family, Joan (Judy Greer) and Hannah (Olivia Crocicchia), which has the main issue of how Joan is guiding her daughter's dreams of becoming a Hollywood actress; The Beltmeyer family: which is composed of Patricia (Jennifer Garner) and Brandy (Kaitlyn Dever), and an irrelevant dad, who are dealing with Patricia being a severely overbearing parent, to the point of putting a tracker on Brandy's phone, getting transcripts of every text sent, and requiring all of Brandy's passwords; and lastly there are the Mooneys: Tim (Ansel Elgort) & Kent (Dean Norris), who are dealing with Tim's mother, and Kent's wife, leaving for another man, on top of Tim quitting football.PraiseLike most ensemble dramas, there are the stories which were either good, you wished were given more focus, or had potential unrealized.
For with there being too many stories, of which a handful seem they deserve their own film or show about, and then the terribly weak story of the Clint family, Men, Women & Children feels a bit lopsided to the point I find it hard to recommend to watch this for 2 hours in a likely uncomfortable movie theater seat..
Men, Women, and Children is a few stories mixed together about how social media has changed the lives of high school teenagers and their parents.
My Thoughts:I have liked a lot of Jason Reitman's films especially Thank You for Smoking and Up In The Air so I was really looking forward to screening this movie.
The film follows a group of high school teenagers and their parents as they attempt to navigate the ways the internet has changed their relationships, their communication, their self-image, and their love lives.
It's good to see Adam Sandler starring in a serious movie like this, even though his character, Don Truby, doesn't needs much of acting.