Yes, I finally got around to seeing this movie.
And it's sweet and funny in a independent movie "aren't we offbeat and precocious" kind of way. I liked it. But I'm not sure I thought it was the masterpiece so many other people did.
Maybe it was because so much of the script felt like it was "we're real, we really, really are!" Yes, every family is dysfunctional, but this one was so messed up it felt contrived.
Maybe it was because for the majority of the movie I wanted to smash Greg Kinnear's character's head through a wall. I felt no connection to or sympathy for this guy, I just wanted him to SHUT UP, stop oppressing his family with his bullshit and go away. And I couldn't understand why anyone around him had put up with him this long. Emotional abuse is not heartwarming.
Or maybe it was because the movie veered from warm fuzzys to slapstick to angsty drama at the speed of light.
But that's life. It does that too. So I'll cut it some slack for that last one.
Best parts of the movie? Abigail Breslin was fabulous as Olive, and the entire film hung on the strength of her performance. She's got quite a career ahead of her, if she's this good this young.
And hey -- check out Steve Carell! He can act too -- something I wouldn't have thought when I suffered through The 40 Year Old Virgin. But he does a semi-serious role here, and brings a beaten-down gravitas that the chaos desperately needs.
So it's good, but it's not the indie sensation for the ages. Your opinion may vary.
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