Directed by:
M. Night ShyamalanScreenplay:
M. Night ShyamalanCinematography:
Christopher DoyleComposer:
James Newton HowardCast:
Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Bob Balaban, Sarita Choudhury, Jared Harris, Mary Beth Hurt, Freddy Rodríguez, Bill Irwin, Jeffrey Wright (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
The film revolves around an apartment building superintendent named Cleveland (Paul Giamatti) who discovers a magical sea-nymph named Story (Bryce Dallas Howard) who has been transported to this world and is living in the building's swimming pool. As this bizarre revelation sinks in, Cleveland becomes enraptured by her other-worldly charm. (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)
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Reviews (6)
After the extremely underrated The Village, another great effort by Mr.Shaymalan, where I felt a film moving away from mainstream audiences, which I applaud. As with the previous film, a wonderfully atmospheric affair with a great Howard score, some strong moments and Giamatti definitely going into my acting top ten. If you hated the twist of The Village (which was not the point of the film, no matter what anyone says), you will not find anything similar here. Shyamalan has abandoned his traditional trademark of surprising final twists (unless you count the reveal of "The Guardian"), but from the start he develops an original fairy-tale mythology that makes this film at times what one might call "strange" but intriguing. It's impeccable to discuss with equally afflicted film buffs and loses nothing with a second viewing. So, I say, carry on Mr Shyamalan and next time you’ll get 5*. I just hope he won't be deterred from further work by the not-so-favorable response from audiences and film critics (you can do it, Shy, you send the Skrunts after them and it'll be fine).
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Is this or is this not a fairytale? As a "regular" movie it is terrible, but as an experiment it is fascinating. A fairytale for adults that plays around and turns all the common clichés and established narrative procedures upside-down. You have to play Shyamalan's game otherwise this will just be a boring mishmash for you. That is, except for the small detail that it is not a mishmash. Quite the opposite. Playfulness with established procedures is only hindered by Night's egoism. Too bad about that.
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Shyamalan begins to descend into depths starting with this film, where his dialogues sound incredibly ridiculous, melodramatic, and pitiful. It's as if he can no longer create something that doesn't try to pretend it's an incredibly profound thing that will change people's lives. Yes, there are interesting characters here, especially Cleveland's, but that simply isn't enough. The film is bogged down with trying to bring fiction into reality. However, the film doesn't stand on solid ground because Shyamalan simply struggles to work effectively with the characters.
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I don't know if Monday Night wanted to make a fairy tale or something in the style of The Village or any of his more famous films, but the result is definitely worth a look. The fairy tale story supported by an appealing performance from Paul Giamatti unfortunately "offers" a lot of plot holes, but if you ignore the few Shyamalan excesses, you can enjoy this rather untypical fable with a beautiful score by James Newton Howard (as has become customary).
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The leaky logic is excused by the fairy tale, which always has its clearly given rules, and which Shyamalan strictly sticks to all the time. The phenomenal Paul Giamatti and the ethereally beautiful mysterious look in Bryce Dallas Howard's eyes, along with the wonderful atmosphere, ensure that this film is a major win for the director (at least definitely for me)!
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Gallery (45)
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