Brooklyn (2015)
Brooklyn Review
Brooklyn is a 2015 historical drama film directed by John Crowley and starring Saoirse Ronan and Emory Cohen. It is the weakest Best Picture nominee and such a basic movie.
It is set in 1952 and follows young Irish woman’s immigration to Brooklyn where she finds romance. However, she eventually must choose between the two countries as the nostalgia kicks in. The story itself had the potential for something more deep and meaningful, but unfortunately I never got that here. Yes, there were some emotional moments here and there and the nostalgia aspect is engaging, but I never really got invested in the film emotionally because I simply did not care for the characters and because I found the entire plot to be typical and forgettable. The romance is forgettable, the characters are boring and weak and the entire film is so boring to sit through.
The characters are bad. Well, the character development is solid to be honest. It’s just that the characters are either dull and forgettable or they did not appeal to me as I did not find any of them to be remotely interesting and that is a serious problem when drama is concerned. Eilis is the best realized of the bunch, but even she got on my nerves as she was so annoying at times. Father is boring, Tony is flat and the rest are just forgettable. I just did not care for these people and that made the movie all the more boring to me.
The acting in Brooklyn is admittedly very good with Saoirse Ronan being the highlight. She gave a very good performance, but even she did not blow me away. Emory Cohen is also okay and Jim Broadbent is expectedly good. Everyone here delivers.
But technically, Brooklyn is weak as the directing from John Crowley is pretty ordinary and the movie’s biggest problem has to be its old-fashioned approach and style. That is always a plus for me, but this was too traditional to the point of being a problem as there are so many better films to watch from the actual decade than this tired film. The pacing is also bad as the movie is overlong and immensely boring. It never held my attention whatsoever and there were times when I struggled holding attention as it was so incredibly tedious to sit through.
The score is also forgettable, but the imagery is pretty good admittedly. The costume design is excellent as well as the set design. Brooklyn looks good and some of the scenes are very pleasant to watch and really well shot. That is the finest reason to see this film which is otherwise pretty ordinary and mediocre. As for its Oscars, it deserved its Best Actress nomination as Ronan is really good. But even she wasn’t as fantastic as I hoped she would be. Best Adapted Screenplay nod is ridiculous as the story is the weakest link here and of course this is the worst Best Picture nominee of the year. Now, that is not to say that the movie is bad. It isn’t. But it is also far from good or great as it is okay at best. It is such a disappointment and one of the most overrated films of the year.
It’s clear that you are one of the 3% of critics that didn’t like the movie. That’s why it was nominated for Best Movie, because a lot more people think different than you and do like it.
Can’t disagree with you more. Great movie. I thought it moved along at a good pace. Was sorry when it ended. Nominated for best picture and this is what you think? Don’t quit you’re day job.