Detachment

So many people are broken and hurt. Many fear of getting too close in order to keep from getting hurt once more.... This movie is fantastic look into the brokenness of people in society, along with our need as humans for affirmation and too belong. It not only has an artistic side, but this movie is so real in many ways, which everyone (or at least most) can relate too. I highly enjoy this film and is yet another brilliant role played by Adrian Brody, quite possibly his best role and story since "The Pianist." The supporting cast was also great. My opinion on this film may be biased, solely on the fact that I only enjoy films that touch the heart and soul (or at least makes me think/feel) and this is one film that made me want to go out and change the world for the better. This film is well worth while to watch from beginning to end. The Academy needs to look into nominated Adrian Brody for an Oscar with this performance. One of the few movies that I would watch over again with a friend and well worth your while. I can see why it won so many awards at Film Festivals.

I was having a slow day at work and was able to download this film which i did mainly because I think Adrien Brody is a phenomenal actor. I sat and watched this movie and was amazed at how much I enjoyed it. The acting by the adult stars was so crisp that they each did their characters well, from Adrien Brody, Christina Hendricks, James Caan (who played the part to a tee of many teachers out there today...)and all the rest. The kids led by Sammi Gayle (who should get more story lines on Blue Bloods) and Betty Kaye with that very small but well written part for Rene Felice Smith brought this story to the top for me. The story was outstanding and really put things about our lives and even our education system in focus. This film deserves your attention and I think any awards it has received have been well deserved. I am adding this film to one of the top films I have seen in the last few years...Kudos to Mr. Brody......

A story about a teacher who wants to make a difference. Very touching story with some twisted story lines about real life. It makes you see how hard life can be for a lot of adolescents. Of course, the people in this movie project some of the saddest life stories and not everybody has it this hard, but I think a lot of people can recognize some of the life problems of this movie. Adrien Brody projects the right emotions at the right time in the movie. Sadness, happiness, joy and trauma, every feeling has its place in this movie. The use of real students and an existing school in combination with great filming gives the viewer the feeling its all real. A quality that makes a movie great. The movie inspired me. I'm a elementary school teacher and I see a lot of kids, sometimes heading in the wrong direction. It gave me a feeling of hope and drive to help these children, even if it seems hopeless. Please, go and see this wonderful movie!

Terrence Malick should take a look at this movie to understand how art films are supposed to be made not just images reflecting on a screen but real emotions included. This was an outstanding movie and in my eyes should of got more recognition and probably the Best Picture of 2011. Adrian Brodys deserved a nomination for his performance as a substitute teacher who does not want a full time gig because he does not want to be emotionally attached to his students. He shows real raw emotion in his position. I just want to say props to the director who did an outstanding job not trying to be too artsy and trying to make all viewers happy instead of one group of viewers. By far the best movie I have seen from 2011.

First lets start off with the good: Cast: Wow, great cast...Adrian Brody, Christina Hendricks, Bryan Cranston, James Caan, Lucy Liu. Acting: I generally like Adrian Brody. He is perfectly cast for this part. Generally there is nothing to complain about regarding any of the acting in the movie. Very well done. Dialogue: Good dialogue is important. Especially for a movie like this which is entirely character driven. Adrian gives some nice moving speeches and James Caan has some quite witty humorous lines. Overall, the dialogue is good. Vision: The creators of the movie were trying to create a movie that showed the reality of hopelessness in struggling urban school environments. I understand the 'detachment' they are trying to convey and applaud them for trying not to dress it up to much with a Hollywood tale. However, there are some problems with the execution of the vision which leads me to... The bad: Script: If a strong script is important to you: avoid this movie. The story relies on sucking you in to the emotional performances of the characters to create its meaning. Poor directing/Tries to hard: Unfortunately, many of the scenes are a little over the top. In its attempt to make us feel we witness scene after scene of extreme behavior. The chance to connect with the subtle emotions of real life drama are lost and we are caught up in a melodrama. The movie tries hard to make you "FEEL" something. Its a little like a sales pitch for sadness. I found myself getting annoyed at certain moments like I was in a live showing of Dave Letterman and the audience 'laugh' sign pops up to tell you what to do only here its this is your cue to "feel this _____ emotion". Overall, I found myself feeling like Rick Groen of the globe summed this movie up the best saying: "Ultimately, Detachment invites us to feel precisely what it warns against, detached." I enjoy curling up with a tub of ice cream and feeling depressed about life as much as the next person. However, I need my movies to be the whole package if they are going to take me there. Here about halfway through I found myself wanting to skip ahead some scenes because they were boring me. Indeed I felt a little detached. Want to watch something that deals with similar subject matter yet doesn't overdress it? Watch HBO's series "The Wire" with a 9.5 rating on IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0306414/