Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Better Late Then Never

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Going into this drama I wasn't quite so sure what to expect from the simple plot explanation. Once the film's narrative kicked into high gear I was sucked in and invested in what really amounts to a character study of its leading players and its various subjects ranging from abuse, grief and family. Boasting a talented A-list cast, the drama tells the story of the Taylor family gathering for what was to be a joyful celebration of the family matriarch graduating from college when a terrible accident forces the family to confront traumatic events of their past; in particular son Michael and his rocky relationship with his controlling father.The performances in the film are dynamic especially from Ryan Reynolds as Michael Taylor, the son who has many demons inside him due to his troubled relationship with his English professor father, and Willem Dafoe playing Reynolds's father Charles Taylor, a controlling perfectionist who wants nothing less from his reserved, soft-spoken son. The actors display a tenuous chemistry as their characters butt heads throughout the story in confronting their painful past and handling the grief of losing a beloved family member. The supporting cast is equally gripping from Emily Watson as Jane, aunt to Michael and the female character meant to keep peace following the film's tragedy, to the child actors who are put in the middle of the long-simmering tensions between Ryan Reynolds' Michael and Willem Dafoe's Charlie, and in a subdued performance is Julia Roberts as the family matriarch (seen mostly in flashbacks), the put-upon wife of Charlie who finds herself unhappy in her life but willing to stay cordial for her children's sake. The film benefits well from its use of flashback sequences as it fills the gaps on the Taylor family dynamic and how they ended up in such precarious positions. The movie opens on a memory of young Michael as he was left on the roadside by his upset father and we are already privy to how an adult Michael still has lingering problems with resolving his past. The present- day scenes in which the majority of the film takes place deals with the aftermath of an accident and its effects on the Taylor family makes for even more compelling drama as all the film's players are forced to confront life without the family leader and to come to terms with their inner turmoils. However closure is still kept at bay for some characters by the film's final scene as we are left to wonder what would have happened had some of the others known what was kept hidden from them but known to the viewer.

I'm not a literary genius or anything but this movie left me totally confused. Why did it seem like everyone was beating up on Michael, the one who had been abused? Even the aunt Jane whom I thought would have been the most understanding had zero empathy for Michael and defended the father to the death. She said that the book would kill the father (William Dafoe). Well, so effing what if it does? At least the writer could have let the audience know why she cared so much, after all her relation is to Lisa not the father so it makes absolutely no sense to me. She said to Michael "everything you touch turns to sh**", where did that come from? In my eyes it was totally unwarranted and if it had been me she would have gotten punched in the teeth for saying it. Then she never apologized even after Michael found her son. So it just seems like continued abuse on the abused. Then to throw the Manuscript in the fire is supposed to be a sign of forgiveness? So Michael's supposed to feel guilty for his father's sins? What!? Come on....It would have been a better movie if Jane didn't grow up to be such a turncoat b**ch.

Great story, keeps your interest and a wonderful cast! A bit of a dark and sad movie but a good plot. It did not deserve the reviews it received from professional critics. I always wondering if giving a movie review was political or even money motivated. Now reading what happened to the unfortunate distribution of the this movie I guess there was no one left to please to grease a palm. The "critics" made themselves look silly and obviously crooked. Have you ever wondered why good movies get bad reviews and horrible movies get good reviews? Well here's a lesson and a prefect example of a good movie getting verbally trashed. Read what happened to the distribution of this movie and you will never read another 'critic' review again. Thanks for reading!!

"If you don't know how to take care of something you don't deserve to have it." When Michael (Reynolds) comes home for his mother Lisa's (Roberts) graduation the family is rocked by a tragedy. The family is now forced to live together in close confines and old and new problems begin to come to the surface. This is a very difficult movie to review. The acting is amazing. Every single person does a fantastic job throughout. The story is a little overused but still is a great idea. The glaring problem is that there is absolutely no personal connection to the characters and that really hurts the movie. I don't think that that is the actor's fault but when these awful things happen it doesn't affect you the way it's meant to. Overall, a good movie that doesn't create the effect that it was supposed to. I give it a C+.