
Writer: Allan Loeb
Starring: Will Smith
Edward Norton
Keira Knightley
Michael Pena
Naomie Harris
Jacob Latimore
Kate Winslet
Helen Mirren
Rating: *
Home Release: Spring, 2017
The first time I heard about this film was on a talk show in the UK. Will Smith was promoting it, alongside Helen Mirren and Naomie Harris; and as they boasted of their supporting cast and the story, I thought...that sounds incredible. A stellar cast, an intriguing story with a twist, and a perfect mix of drama and comedy. Then I saw the odd review, and became disheartened; and then I saw it, and every review was correct.
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Michael Pena, Kate Winslet & Will Smith |
When you have a cast that is packed with this many Oscar winners and nominees, you think you'd find a way to truly utilise their talents. Sadly director David Frankel is unable to do this, apart from Keira Knightley; she's as wooden and unforgettable as ever. You have actors like Helen Mirren and Kate Winslet delivering their lines with a lack of real passion or energy; it is almost like the lack of inspiration in the film making or the script drained the ladies of their talents temporarily. I never thought I'd watch a film where I thought Mirren and Winslet were the weak links, but Collateral Beauty is that film.
To add to the poor performances, you have a script full of corny and vomit-inducing dialogue; a script that should never have been given to the talent that stars in this film. A man hiding his cancer from his family, a woman pining for nothing more than a baby, and a grieving man who can't even remember what his ex-wife looks like. Allan Loeb's (the writer) attempts at giving the chacters backstories and meaning actually leaves them devoid of anything to empathise with. I watched, and did not care for a single one of the characters that were on that screen.
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Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley & Jacob Latimore |
I was excited, to say the least, when I first heard about Collateral Beauty, and it completely shocks me how a film this poor managed to land the actors it can brag about having. I am in no way shocked that the cast were nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Screen Combo, and to add insult to injury, they've been named "The entire cast of once respected actors". I'm sure Collateral Beauty is a film that many of the people involved will hope to forget about, and I know that I also hope to forget about it as soon as possible.
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