Instant Favorite.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Pierce Brosnan stars with Toni Collette, Imogen Poots, and Aaron Paul in "A Long Way Down" from 2014.Brosnan plays a television celebrity, Martin, who was in prison for taking up with a woman who turned out to be a girl and not 25 as he thought. He was left with nothing, no career and no family. On New Year's Eve, he goes to a tall building, a well-known suicide place, to jump. While he's struggling with his decision to make the leap, he realizes he's not alone. Maureen (Collette) is waiting for him to finish so she can take her turn. Two other people, Jess (Poots) and JJ (Paul) show up. Popular place, popular time of year to kill oneself.Rather than do that, the four of them decide to support one another in what they're going through. When discussing when the next big suicide day is, they decide it's probably Valentine's Day. Martin wants to kill himself for obvious reasons, Maureen has a physically challenged son and she thinks if she kills herself, he will get better care. JJ says he has cancer. Jess has been rejected by her boyfriend.This is a funny, warm, uplifting comedy/drama. The acting is wonderful. It was so great to see Aaron Paul again after "Breaking Bad." Imogen Poots, the fragile Jess, is gorgeous and gives a poignant performance. As an added treat, her father is played by Sam Neill. Toni Collette is always good, and her scenes with her son were especially sweet. The scene at the hospital was very touching.You care about the characters finding their way. Highly recommended. The power of love - hard to beat it as a theme.

It's New Year's Eve in London. Martin Sharp (Pierce Brosnan) was a successful TV morning host until an affair with an underage girl and prison time. He goes up to the roof of the Toppers Building to kill himself. He is interrupted by Maureen Thompson (Toni Collette) who waits for her turn. She has the sole caregiver of a disabled son. They are struggling and unstable heart-broken Jess Crichton (Imogen Poots) comes running to jump. Then pizza delivery boy J.J. Maguire (Aaron Paul) appear claiming to be dying from brain cancer. It starts raining and Martin drives the quartet home. Jess comes up with the idea not to kill themselves before the coming Valentine's Day.The opening is so manufactured that it takes awhile to work it off. The audience has to surrender to its premise. It needs to be more of a truly dark comedy. Imogen Poots takes full advantage with her performance. She really gets to stretch out. Brosnan is fine. Collette is reserved. Aaron Paul needs to be weirder. In a group of dysfunction, he functions too well. It's not until the end that he lets go. Then there is the jarring tone changes. Just as it gets comfortable with a direction, it takes a sharp turn. I don't know much about the Nick Hornby novel but maybe it works better on the page.

i had tried to read the book, and given up, as i found it went on and on,in parts, and had bits that aren't even in the film. so when i saw it on net flix, i thought,oh why not, might explain the boo.Well it better than the book, though it does assume in places that you've read the book, so doesn't explain certain bits, but that aside, its fun, serious, moving in places, a bit mad, very British in it humor.It reminded me of bad time sin my life, and how its your friends, especially new found friends, or even nearly friends, who help you through,some times just by being there.So if your feeling a bit down, and need something deeper than a Hollywood block buster, then this is your film.I plan to watch it again, i might even buy the DVD, so i can watch it whenever i want.

A Long Way Down (2014)There are a lot of films these days that set up this kind of comedy formula: an unlikely crisis forces strangers together, and they don't get along (at first). So you are dazzled by the odd circumstances, and by the funny ways people adjust. The plot then zigs and zags and eventually (of course) some or all of the main characters find their happiness. It's a good approach with the script sparkles and the acting is fun. "Chef" is a recent case, and even better is "We're the Millers.""A Long Way Down" can't match up to those in terms of wit and sheer fun. But it has moments that click, and it has a knock out performance by one of the four leads, Imogen Poots. See it for her alone. Of course the biggest name is the former James Bond player (often voted one of the worst to take on that role), Pierce Brosnan, and he's meant to be a dull, superficial type here, so he comes through naturally. Throw in the ever talented Toni Collette and you have a good cast. (The fourth is Aaron Paul.)The premise starts very fast, and is quite funny. In fact, I got my hopes ups that this was going to be a sizzling, truly great offbeat comedy just by the first ten minutes where it complicates quickly. You see, it's New Year's Eve and one of the four has gotten to the top of a tall London building and plans to jump. Then a second shows up and spoils his plans, and he decides to wait and let her jump so he can have the roof to himself. Then a third. And you see what is beginning to unfold.You get some backstory details that are just enough to make you see their problems— and also see that these are all really sympathetic characters. And of course they shouldn't be suicidal, not for real. There are further ups and downs as they help and then harm each other's emotional progress. And so on.I liked it. And I loved the performance by Poots, who just slashes through the crap and lights up the screen. Is this a brilliant movie—no. It's too much caught in the formula, so even the twists are expected. But I thought it was better than the reviews overall let on… you might give it a go. Expect some light entertainment and you might be quite happy watching.