Movie Review: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (PG-13)

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (PG-13)

Directed by Stephen Daldry, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is the story of a nine-year old inventor named Oskar (Thomas Horn). Oskar and his dad Thomas Schell (Tom Hanks), have a very strong relationship. Thomas sets up games for Oskar, so that Oskar has to find clues to lead to a reward. Oskar is a brilliant little kid, and uses words I don't understand throughout the film. Unexpectedly, Oskar's dad is killed in the 9/11 terrorist attack at the World Trade Center. Tragedy sets in upon Oskar and his mom, Linda (Sandra Bullock). After a year of mourning and devastation, Oskar builds up the courage to enter his dad's closet, which hasn't been touched since "The Worst Day." Oskar finds a key, and spends the rest of the film trying to find out what it belongs to. He is convinced his dad left it for him, and wants him to find it. Oskar talks to numerous people around New York City, meets new friends, and has the biggest adventure of his life.

Conclusion
9/11 was an event that brought catastrophe to America. Few films have been made about it. On September 11, 2001, I was only four years old. Far too young to remember it. My mom says she remembers it like it was yesterday. The theme of the film is close to many's hearts, and many decide not to see a film about 9/11. It's a dangerous field for filmmakers; it's such a sensitive topic. I witnessed many people crying during the film, and if I were old enough to remember 9/11, I would have caused a flood. The movie is that powerful. That being said, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close draws most of the audience's attention to the story of a fictitious character, rather than to the attack itself. It was a well made movie, with great acting, cinematography, plot line, and characters. But the fact that it's about 9/11 can make or break the movie depending on your point of view. Please note that it's not an appropriate film for education about September 11. Again, the story focuses mostly on a fictitious character, and not much on the attack.

Pros


Extremely powerful, portrays 9/11 from a child's perspective.

Portrays the tragedy that occurred in our country in a powerful way

Isn't explicitly descriptive on the attack itself; there's no need to be, and the filmmakers knew that

Had the right dose of humor, and didn't stay super serious throughout the whole movie (That being said, none of the humor was related to 9/11 in any way)


Cons


Oskar has a foul mouth in the film. We hear a couple of obscenities roll off his tongue, one of which is in direct anger to his mother.

My review: ★★★★☆
IMDB: 6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 5.7/10


Reviews from imdb.com and rottentomatoes.com as of 2/5/12