Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong
Rob Reiner is responsible for directing one of the greatest Romantic Dramedies of all time, When Harry Met Sally. Unfortunately, he seems to have missed the mark in recent efforts. Thankfully, And So It Goes is better than expected as our expectations are high of him. After watching And So it Goes, I distinctly felt that it resonated extremely well with the classic As Good As It Gets. The reason for this is because Mark Andrus is responsible for writing both Films.
We meet Head Realtor, Oren Little (Michael Douglas) at the beginning of the Film and from the very start we realize he is a heartless and money-crunching. He is loathed by his neighbours and makes life for everyone, except himself, difficult. His entire world comes crashing down when he is selling his house. At this point his Son, Luke (Scott Sheppard) delivers the news to him that he is going to jail and needs someone to watch his Daughter, Sarah (Sterling Jones). Oren declines and this leaves his Son with no choice other than to ignore Oren’s wishes and to just drop his Daughter off at Oren’s house. He throws what is assumed to be a typical Oren fit. Luckily, Oren’s big-hearted Neighbour Leah (Diane Keaton) takes care of Sarah with Oren, despite her deep dislike for him. As this arrangement continues, Oren, Leah and Sarah all get acquainted with one other and some relationships start to blossom. Will Oren’s bitterness ruin everything, or can love conquer all and change the coldest of hearts?
When a Movie contains an Oscar-caliber Cast like Keaton and Douglas, if all else fails, a Film sometimes can be carried by the strength of its performances. However, that is not the case as both Douglas and Keaton feel distant in what on paper should be an engaging Story. This is not to say there aren’t the occasional moments where their natural charms ignite the screen with a bit of chemistry. Even Reiner’s Character somehow felt distant.
And So It Goes surely is a temporary dimming of the lights in Reiner’s illustrious Filmography that might still appeal to his devout Fanbase and track record. Unfortunately, it lacks the conviction we expect of him, but we cannot deny that the Film does provide a number of laughs and the odd amount of heart.
VVS Films release AND SO IT GOES on Friday, July 25, 2014.
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