Sorry, this movie sucks

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

If you live in Washington State, you'll immediately recognize that this isn't the Washington State you live in . . . it seems more like a New Yorker's fantasy of what it must be like to live in small town Washington State (where I actually do live in small town).Our town is racially and culturally diverse, not the White suburbia depicted here. That big departure from reality (as well as the fact that the film appears to be filmed in and commenting on life in all white New York suburb) just undercut the movie for me.

This is a refreshing new variation in script theme. It is nice. And heart felt. It is quite real. Yet, by the end it falls short.There are too many main characters. And somehow, in contrast, too few supporting characters. And for me this mix of three points of view disconnected me from the story.There are many interesting details. And real. The unpleasant mover. The pleasant and rather fake neighbors. The lack of Internet. Yet they seemingly come out of nowhere and they do not develop. And for a passing thing they take way too much time.Which brings to probably the biggest problem: the story is slow. Very slow. Yet, at the end, when they seemingly went out of film, things can be pretty fast and the details are well pruned. Why can't the movie be like the epilogue? Well, probably because there would be enough story for say 25 to 30 minutes. But the quick ending made the entry so much frustrating.And there are wasteful scenes. In one the husband walks on the New York sidewalk. No information. Quite peaceful. Later he will do the same in Rome. Besides the extra trees and fewer people, there is no change. There isn't any mood, even if the producers probably badly wanted to mimic the waste of film done in European artsy movies paid by the state.In the end, with the given happy ending, this movie goes against everything written in plots and by critics. I did not see the white suburban community. Just a white and unpleasantly polite community that radiates fake. Which is true for any community that involves status. There are racial tensions. But the conflicts are well white washed. And the people have conflicts based on the tensions. Nothing about racism. Peaceful? But their life in New York is shown as peaceful. And the two men are not disturbed by the people around, but by the change to an environment they did not ask for.It might have been good.Contact me with Questions, Comments or Suggestions ryitfork @ bitmail.ch

I was able to watch this on Netflix streaming. The actors are good but it seems the filmmakers never were able to latch on to a good, inspired story. Instead we have a family moving, encountering a number of difficulties, including some family crisis moments, some brought on by the mold problem in the new house, some brought on by their furniture and things showing up late. Things get shaky then things get good without any real transition. Melanie Lynskey is the mom, Gina McNulty-Burns, an arts and photography professor. The family moves from Brooklyn to Washington State for her new opportunity in a small college.Nelsan Ellis is the dad, Mack Burns. He is a freelance writer that relies on cooking for his subjects. The son is Armani Jackson as 11-yr-old Clark Burns. He has a lighter complexion than his dad, suitable for a mixed race child, but with an "afro" hairdo which seems a bit out of place in modern times. He soon becomes friends with cute local girl, Oona Laurence as Ambrosia Reed who seems delighted that someone of color has moved into their neighborhood.The topic is good, to me it just isn't written or directed particular interestingly and the story has an arc that just doesn't always seem realistic. It is an interesting watch, just had so much more potential.

Wonderful film...full of realistic, thought-provoking scenes. Very relatable to our everyday experiences. The film explores themes of moving to a new home, racial challenges, coming of age and confronting one's weaknesses. It offers a nice balance between drama, humor and reality. Recommend it for any age, including young adults, who can relate to the young actors and their characters. The music choices are great; the music enhances the story and the visual. The acting--young and old--was spot on! The characters were so believable, that i fell into the story and wholeheartedly went along for the ride! I highly recommend this film!