Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

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.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

This is a Spielberg movie (100% manipulative with the editing, score, acting)...but only better by the way the story is told (non linear).It has surprises (something that Spielberg probably doesn't know what it is)... and all the cliché beats that you can expect if you see the trailer.Other possibility for them not liking this movie is that the protagonist is a white male and nobody else in the movie matters that much and all serve to complete his story... They might be offended by it? Maybe? I don't get itBut yeah, mostly: Only Spielberg can be manipulative

It is like you go to mountain climbing, it is slow and nothing extraordinary at first, then you see the top, and the moment you get there, you will see there is another top, so you keep going, a top after another top, and finally you get there, a climax, and you look around yourself and enjoy the view. I had that feeling when I watched this. At first 30 minuets, you may get frustrated by confusing timelines, but trust the movie, it is worth it, it is like a very very long haiku.

It was the title that initially caught my interest. I had never heard of this movie and no idea what it was about. Was I in for a surprise. I was hooked from beginning to end.Exceptional acting all round. This could have so easily become a melodrama, rather, it was the reality soaking through that made it brilliant.One critic on here cited 'unlikely events'... hardly, life is full of these kinds of messes, the kind that eventually wear people thin and change the entire course of their lives. Perhaps some critics haven't started living yet. It can be so easy for directors and editing to lose their way when doing different timelines and yet this film doesn't. It keeps you focused and informed. That's a major feat in this film as it really has a bit of hopping to do.From the characters you simply can't like to the characters you cry for and those your heart breaks for, this story and this film is absolutely captivating from beginning to end.

What an interesting movie! Not without flaws, but so well done! Logan Lerman has come far from Percy Jackson, but still has that boyish look. If you want a happy movie with a happy ending, this is not for you. But if you want a thought provoking study of human nature and the beauty that can be found there, this is for you.